I've always had a problem with being heard and speaking out. This is because when I chose to speak out about something that was important to me, it was as if no cared or no one was listening. So, because of that, I had opted to stay quiet a lot of the time. Sometimes it's still an issue within myself. That is why I always make myself available for others that need a listening ear... because I know what it feels like to struggle to be heard or even struggle to be understood. Being silenced in a world where there is so much chaos and so much to speak about can be damaging and I am a testament to that. Not being listened to has caused division between me and my family for years. It's very clear to the people around me that in the past I shut them out in a way because I felt like they didn't care anyway and I never even gave them a chance to redeem themselves until recently. I want everyone to feel heard. And I want everyone to feel like they are valued. So I will actively listen whenever it is needed because sometimes it makes all the difference when someone sits down and listens to you.

I am Nailah Walker. I am a young black women who loves all things art. I've been dancing, singing, drawing, and painting for as log as I can remember. I just kind of stuck with art because that's what I'm good at. Trust me, I've tried sports and it did not end well for anyone involved. It's something about creating something from your own mind that I've always found beautiful.

Have you ever heard the phrase, “A reader lives a thousand lives before he dies...”? I think the same thing can be said for me. I know what you are thinking, and no I am not a book fanatic. I am an artist. I am a special effects makeup artist. Which surprisingly is something that I never saw myself doing. When I say that “living a thousand lives” can be said for me, I mean that I can be anyone that I choose to be. Have you ever wanted to be one of your favorite cartoon characters, a superhero, or even a villain? In the past year alone, I have turned myself into the grinch, a zombie, an alien, an avatar, a robot, Spider-man, Van Gogh’s “Starry Night,” a volcano, a tiger, Princess Tiana, Cruella De Vil, and many other things. I have gotten the chance to embody each one of these characters. It feels like a childhood dream come true. Instead of seeing characters in movies and saying, “I wish I could be that”, I can easily turn myself into that thing. In another sense, every time that I paint something on my skin, it draws all the creativity out of me. It is as if all the colors and shapes in my head, instead of putting it on paper, I can put it on my skin. Also, doing special effects makeup can be very time-consuming. But when I am doing it, it is the most ecstatic feeling in the world. The best part is the suspense of seeing how it would turn out, seeing if I could accurately recreate something or make it realistic enough to scare my mom. And considering that every time I turn myself into something, she is either amazed or terrified, that means I’m doing something right. Makeup has changed my perspective on things. I am the kind of person that tries something and 9 times out of 10, it comes easily, causing me to lose interest quickly. Makeup was one of those things that came easily at first but as time progressed and I sought to try more difficult things, it challenged my abilities as an artist. It has caused me to be more consistent in my craft because there is never a dull moment when I am creating something. When I get to college I plan on studying psychology as my major. I want to minor in art or dance. I plan on participating in many art related clubs to further my ability as an artist. And because makeup is my favorite thing to do other than dancing, I want to take up more art classes to help my creativity when it comes to makeup.

My utopian vision for optimal mental health for the Black community is for there to be more people who look like us in our communities. I've been in public schools for a while now, and one thing that I see very often is that the school counselors aren't black. They put counselors that are white in predominantly black communities and the majority of the time students feel as though these counselors don't care because they cannot relate to them. I've been in situations where I felt like the counselor at my middle school did not care about my mental health. Which probably was not the case, but because she did not look like me, I figured that she didn't have the same experiences as me growing up and probably would not care. I know people who can attest to that, as well. And, in most cases, even if there is mental health care available in communities, it isn't affordable or it isn't quality health care. We get these counselors, who truly don't care or their primary focus is being compensated. This is why we need people of color in the communities of color, because there would be a connection to be made that couldn't be made in any other circumstances. From the time I started eighth grade to the end of my freshman year, I struggled with depression. I went to a predominately black school both years, and both years I felt like there was no one I could reach out to. My middle school and high school both had white counselors and because of that, I didn't think that they could relate to the things that I went through on a daily basis. This led my mental health to rapidly decline. I wasn't enjoying the things that I used to enjoy and lost interest in many of those things. I know how it feels to no longer find joy in the activities that you once loved the most. Mental health care and advocacy can help achieve social justice for communities of color because it would completely change the atmosphere in these communities. It would change the way that people of color, especially black people conduct themselves. It would set a lot of people up for success because instead of struggling with things like depression, anxiety, etc., they could focus on starting businesses, going back to or finishing school, and raising healthy families. These communities of color would no longer be places of toxicity but of healthy, generational growth. Once there is a distinct change in the role mental health plays in communities of color, then we can start to build and do better. Children can be raised in a community where their mental health is valued over anything else. This is why I want to study psychology in college. Specifically, child psychology. I want to be able to study mental health, take what I learn, and bring it back to my own community, where mental health is a silent killer, especially in our youth. I want to be able to show little boys and girls that look like me, or even a little different than me, that someone can relate to their struggles and that someone truly cares for them. That is my vision for optimal mental health for the Black community.

I aspire to be a successful businesswoman. I don't want to wait until I'm well into my thirties to make an impact on my community. As of right now, I am a makeup artist. I specialize in body and face paintings. I do traditional makeup, as well. That is my profession and I want to further my experience in it. I started doing makeup during my sophomore year of high school during a time when I was at my lowest. I was going through depression and overall dark times, due to being quarantined. I used makeup as an outlet of expression. I started off doing traditional makeup. Then I started to explore the more artistic side of the makeup world. I can truly say that makeup is one of the most beautiful art forms. Soon, I started painting my entire face. And soon after that, I started painting my neck, then shoulders, and then my chest. I've done pride looks, aliens, butterflies, tigers, Avatar, the Grinch, spiderman, and even an album cover. I've done so many types of makeup in these past 8 months alone than I ever thought I would. I've gotten chances to do a couple of photoshoots for local photographers, too. All that to say, that makeup has brought me a long way and opened up some doors I could've never fathomed. Now that I am proficient in my craft, I want to make it easier for girls (or boys) that look like me to do and enjoy makeup, as I do. From my experience and the experiences of the people I know, most makeup is not made for the skin of POC. There have been a plethora of occasions where my skin did not take well to makeup from stores like Sephora, Ulta, and even drug stores. I want to make products that will not only make black women and men's skin look beautiful when it is applied, but will nourish it so that it is beautiful naturally as well. I know that personally, it took me a while to be comfortable wearing makeup because I knew that most makeup wasn't specially made for the black person's skin. And if it was, it was very costly. I want to make sure that men and women that look like me have the opportunity to feel flawless in their skin and makeup. My inspiration for this business idea came from what I see in my family and my very own experience. People like my mom, aunt, and godmothers all wear makeup. Growing up, seeing them struggle to find the perfect makeup for their skin or makeup that didn't irritate their skin showed me something. It showed me that I can change that. It showed me that I can help POC. In starting this business, I hope to achieve many things. Mostly, I hope that little girls will be able to look at me and say "She looked out for her people", no matter how small people may think the impact of my business will be. I know that the confidence it will give people like me is important. I hope to give young people, and even older people like me, the confidence that I needed as a child growing up.