When thinking about all the choices I could make to be more sustainable, it can often be overwhelming. However, I've learned to accept the fact that I can't do everything, so I should focus on implementing one change at a time. The first thing I implement in my daily life is thrift shopping. Thrifting is an easy way to reduce your carbon footprint. Sometimes I am still tempted to buy fast fashion, but when that happens, I like to buy from an online thrift store. That way I can go through the motions of buying fast fashion, without the harmful effects. The carbon emissions of taking the package to my house still aren't ideal, but sometimes it's the only attainable thing at the moment. Along with thrifting, I have learned how to sew to keep my clothes longer as well as make them more paralyzed. When a piece of clothing no longer serves me or is not my style anymore, I like to contemplate what I could use the piece for instead. Unfortunately, about 90% of donated textiles are thrown into landfills, so I try to make donating my clothes a last-resort option. So, I try to figure out what will make me wear the item more. Sometimes all it needs is a little sewn-on button to make me keep it for another year. Other times I cut the design out of a graphic t-shirt and sew it on the back of the jacket. Then, I keep the extra fabric for patchwork-like pieces later on. Sometimes, all the shirt needs are to be turned into a crop top. Clothing is just one aspect of sustainability though. Another thing I try to do in my daily life uses a reusable bag or cup. Whether I'm out grocery shopping with my Mom, or at the mall with my friends, I bring a backpack or a large, washable tote bag for whatever I'm getting. It's one of the easiest ways to add sustainability to my life. I try to bring a reusable cup when I go out to get coffee, but with the ups and downs of the pandemic, many places won't take a cup from home. If that's the case, I try to get a drink in a paper cup, not a plastic one as well as a paper straw. There is a lot more I can do to be more sustainable. For one, just buying fewer things, in general, is better for the environment (especially online, where everything is wrapped in plastic). I strive to make more intentional choices about what I buy and what companies I choose to support. Looking into the future, I want to invest in more small choices, like bamboo toothbrushes and companies that don't use any plastic in their packaging. I have a lot to learn when it comes to sustainability and I'm always seeking to learn and grow.

A song that has the most important message to me is "Universal Soldier" by Buffy Sainte-Marie. It's an anti-war ballad from the '60s that holds true to today as well. Although it was originally a commentary on the Vietnam War specifically, it makes me think of all the senseless violence in the world, especially the war in Ukraine. Ultimately, Sainte-Marie is saying that, throughout history, war stays the same. Regardless of what countries and people are fighting, innocent people following orders die for no reason. In my opinion, the song is called "Universal Soldier" because every person who fights in a war is the same in a way, because they are unfairly placed in the middle of a situation they did not personally start and are all tasked with deciding who should live and who should die. Additionally, the "Universal Soldier" is usually ignorant to the harms their own country has done. Along with being an anti-war song, I believe it is also a cautionary tale about blind patriotism, which is a common issue in many countries right now. The "Universal Soldier" prooves to me that in any point of history, there are always people who just want peace.

There are so many things in the world I would like to see changed. When you think about all the things that could be better, it can be overwhelming to know where to start. Over the years, one cause that I have focused on is mental health. I've dealt with anxiety my entire life. During the pandemic, it became even worse. Sometimes I would cry when another person would walk by me without a mask, fearing that my life was at risk. I felt paralyzed by anxiety constantly. Things have gotten better though. I've been on medication for a few years and it's helped a lot. I'm thankful to have parents who are open to talking about mental health and I know how much of a privilege I have. I wish everyone was able to be as open with their parents as I am. Talking about mental health, although becoming less stigmatized over the years, is still an incredibly difficult conversation to bring up, especially in schools. That's why I knew I had to apply when I first heard about the Peer Assistant Listeners (PALs) program at my school. PALs are a group of 14 selected juniors and seniors who are trained by counselors to listen to students' social, emotional, and academic needs or concerns. We also do classroom presentations on various teen-related mental health topics like drug abuse, healthy and unhealthy relationships, and the warning signs of suicidal ideation. These topics are still hard for me to talk about, even after the two 9-hour pieces of training I have completed over the summer over my two years being a PAL. Sometimes it never gets easier to think about how many kids feel so alone in the world. But I know this local effort of mine is worth it. I have connected with so many people and seen the ways they can get help through the school system. I know for a fact that fewer kids have passed away because of the effort the mental health professionals take at my school. Aside from my efforts at my school, I also have become increasingly interested in online mental health advocacy. For the eight weeks in September and October, I was an unpaid Mental Health Advocate Intern for the company Chill Pill. Chill Pill is an app that encourages Gen-Z girls and nonbinary youth to openly talk about their mental health experiences through posting on a feed as well as audio-only support groups. Through the Advocacy program, I became a Chill Leader, which meant I could host my own support groups on the app and was given a higher level of trust within the microcosm of Chill Pill. I also advertized the app at my school through my own designed posters and talking to my friends. It was a lot of fun and I feel like the app has geniuenly had a massive positive impact on my overall wellbeing. That's why I was even more excited when Chill Pill reached out to me to become a part-time, paid Community Engagement Intern. As I have just been hired, things are still in-the-works, but we're planning on implementing a sub-community for LGBTQ+ Gen-Z youth to talk about their personal experiences. As a bisexual and gender non-conforming person, I am elated I will be able to connect with people who have similar experiences as I do. Mental health, especially within marginalized communities, is not as talked about, so having this intersectionality in a company I'm working for has been a dream come true. I'm so excited to see where the future takes me and what more I can do to talk about mental health within my community. Ending the stigma will lead to happier people and more love in the world. If this one thing changes, then so many other good changes will follow.

The old plum tree, baren of fruits But still giddy in my memory Stretches extended fingers to the sky Longing for a taste And I, barefooted and small Press skin to bark And scrape my knees on the thrill of life Searching for something else And when the day has spent itself long enough for me The gold coin in the clouds cascades down Falling, falling, falling and- Is swallowed by the sea Curtains close to cover the dull moonlight glow A reminder of bedtimes-of constants-of confining things But sleep was easy then And so was climbing trees

Not every teacher is lucky enough to be considered a mentor by their students. There are some you might call wise, knowledgeable, and even kind-hearted; but a mentor is more. A teacher who takes time to mentor their students brings out the individual brightness in all of them. They’re the English teachers who cry while reading your soppy fiction. They’re the Math teachers who encourage out-of-the-box solutions, just so you can catch up with your peers. They’re the teachers who know a subject well enough to look at it from a new perspective. They’re the teachers who can tell by looking at you that you’re not “just tired,” and you need a friend. In the early months of 2020, I spent my first-period classes with a mentor who has encouraged me to be the best version of myself since I met him. In class, we played Get-To-Know-You games, shared our stories, and paid close attention to the gravity of our words when addressing one another. It was a Creative Writing class after all. When the pandemic hit, nothing changed. We still cried, still shared the most intimate parts of our lives through poetry, and still stuck together. Seeing each other through a screen didn’t change that for my class. My 9th-grade Creative Writing teacher is just one of many who struggled over the pandemic to keep learning fun for youth at our school. His dedication to our education, even when the world was falling apart, helped us through pain and loneliness. My teacher encouraged us to not only strive for academic excellence in school but also to take breaks and slow our busy, stressed-out minds by doing what we loved. He always said that if you leave your emotions alone for too long, it’s like tucking a soda in the freezer. Once you start to open it, everything will explode. Never in my life have I ever wanted to be a teacher more than when he told me this. Since 9th grade, I’ve pushed myself more and more to break out of my shell and participate in extracurriculars as well as volunteer opportunities. It hasn’t been easy seeing everything the people around me and my country are going through, but teachers like the one I’m writing about now have made it all the more worth it. Education and mentoring the youth of today are important because, through a teacher's selflessness and ability to bring brightness into every student’s life, kids and teens can lead emotionally strong lives while pursuing an academic future.