I sit in my living room, engulfed by the comfort of my couch, when my mother suddenly called me to her room. I think nothing of it because it is usually conversations about school or chores. However, as I make my way into my mothers’ room, she greeted me with a feeling of despair and a face of sorrow. Confusion waves through my body for I know the conversation could not be going in the right direction. I stood frozen, as silence lingered through the air, allowing my mom to be the first to fill the silence. She opened her mouth only to reveal that my best friend had killed himself. The room was loud and my head was banging, as I could hear her repeat those words repeatedly in my head. Without a word, I simply turned around and left out the room in disbelief. I went back to my couch and just then, I began to cry. I cried and cried and cried until the water dried from my eyes and I sat there to think and conjure up what my mother told me. Someone that I have grown up with my entire life, was now gone. Apart from me was gone and for someone that was only 13 years old, it was a lot to carry. I remember every memory I have had with Will, the good and the bad. For a long time, I let his death become the best of me. Not wanting to create new relationships and was scared that if I did, I would somehow ruin it. I closed myself off from the world and I only showed certain parts of myself. For a while that worked, but it did not stop the overwhelming feelings I felt when I thought of Will. However, I had to face my fears head-on; I began to accept that things were not going to change. That Will would not suddenly appear, and my life would go back to normal. I had to accept the fact that I will never be 100 percent okay, and that is okay. I took Will’s death as an opportunity to learn more about the world and myself. I always knew about mental health, but never really had conversations about it. I soon started to delve deep into my mental well-being and learn about what makes me happy and how I can improve my mental health. I became more thoughtful with my words and actions, and I prioritize myself over anything else. Will also made me realize, how much care should go into relationships. I was finally able to understand my peers and the people around me. I am more cautious of the way I act and what I say. Not only am I more cautious but I am simply more aware of the effects of poor mental health. Therefore, I do my best to create a welcoming, loving, and nurturing environment for all people that I meet by being open and honest and allowing people to feel like they can trust me. Since I graduated high school, I want to be able to help and inspire the world by focusing on mental well-being. It is my dream to graduate college with a psychology degree and use that to educate others on mental health. I specifically want to work in the Milwaukee area because I believe that there should be more efforts in helping the people in my community that do not have a voice to speak out about their mental health.