I am Nicholas Chandler and I am a Sophomore in College. I suffer from severe depression and social anxiety. I am a work in progress. At age 14, I moved in with friends. My mother was an addict and I didn't want to live in that environment. I lived with my friend. His father was kind but worked a lot out of town and his stepmother didn't care for me. I stayed in the basement a lot and my friend would bring me food. I learned to not talk much around his stepmother so that I wouldn't disturb her. When I was about 16, my friend's father had gone out of town for work for almost a month and at that time his stepmother decided I couldn't stay there. I called around to the few friends I had and found a friend whose family agreed to take me in. I come from a small community where everyone knows everyone's business which meant everyone at school knew my mom was an addict. I also attended a predominately white high school. My mother is Filipino and caucasian and my father is African American and Caucasian. I was bullied for the color of my skin and because my mom was an addict. When COVID happened, I was forced to return home. That is when my grandmother found out about my mom's addiction she took me in. Because of COVID, I completed high school online. I was offered a scholarship at Georgetown College and I accepted it, even though they didn't have a major I was interested in, I knew I had to have some type of college education. I struggled in my first year of college. I have always battled with depression and anxiety and it intensified during my first year of college and didn't do very well. Over the summer my grandmother took me to a doctor who prescribed anti-depressants and anxiety medication. I also got my first job, which I enjoyed; however, my fear of not being accepted caused me anxiety. I went back to college for my second year and managed to secure a job in the cafe on campus. I did better in school but the medication makes me tired so I am working on a perfect balance as to when to take it and when to go to bed so that I am rested for early morning classes. I am also doing better about participating in class. I still struggle because I am worried my answer will not be the right one and I will be laughed at. I am learning college is not high school. I am hoping to be able to transfer to a different college because I found one that has a Computer Science Major. As a transfer student, I will have to secure the financing for my degree. I know staying at Georgetown College would be the best financially; however, I am not happy with my studies because I am not interested in the degrees the college offers. I will say the professors at Georgetown College are amazing. Everyone has been helpful and understanding as I try to find my way. I feel myself getting better every day. I have also started seeing a therapist and talking about my past and she is helping me to work through the fear of rejection, and the fear of failure and I am learning to trust in myself and people. I have two more years of college to get through and I have every intention of doing so.