“Writing to me is simply thinking through my fingers.” - Isaac Asimov I've loved writing since I was eleven years old. I remember in middle school I was inspired to write a vampire book series based on the book "The Chronicles of Vladimir Tod: Eighth Grade Bites" by Zbrewer. The story is about the everyday challenges an eighth grader named Vladimir faces while gaining his vampire abilities. That had to be the first fictional book I ever loved. I remember one day I told my friends about the story I was writing, and they told my humanities teacher. So, one day during lunch my Humanities teacher presented my book on the board and read aloud a few pages. My friends and teacher found my book to be entertaining. Ever since then I have kept writing stories. I enjoyed writing stories that had a mixture of fictional and non-fictional elements at the same time. I am a very imaginative person, therefore writing stories and reading them are very enjoyable for me. However, as I got older I became busier and I started to go through some life-changing events. I honestly felt like I lost my passion for writing. Until one day I decided to start journaling. I started writing about my days, and how they impacted my mental health. I went from using writing as entertainment to a coping mechanism. Writing has helped me throughout my entire life. Writing has transformed me. It helps me express myself when I don’t want to talk to others. It allows me to pour my creativity and imagination on a piece of paper. I know some people will probably never understand why people enjoy writing. However, that is all right. I’m grateful to have something that truly brings me happiness.

“It’s not how much you make, but how much money you keep…” -Robert Kiyosaki Save. That is the most helpful financial advice I have ever received. Growing up I did not learn about finances. I assumed you work, make money, and spend it on your wants and needs. I didn’t understand that you have to manage your money. I knew the bare minimum until I took a Finance 100 course. I recently took a Finance 100 course and learned so much new information. The main lesson that resonated with me was to save. As I learned about different topics such as investing, credit, and loans I noticed something. My professor kept mentioning saving. That’s when I realized saving is the root of all financial freedom. For instance, investing in stocks is one way to make passive income. You make money on your own money and you have complete control. It’s all up to you. However, you still need to have some source of income for that money to grow. Therefore, you need to save. You can’t be inconsistent with your investing and expect your stocks to grow significantly. Not only that, saving is significant because anything can happen. For instance, you may have an emergency. If you spent the majority of your income, and have nothing saved it will be difficult for you to pay for the expenses. Saving is an important personal finance lesson. Before my Finance course I didn't realize how much my unintentional spending could harm me in the future. I think no matter what age you are, you should save. Save, one day you will thank yourself for it.

“Can you just stop yelling at me?” I asked my father while hysterically crying. “Are you out of your mind?!” My dad exclaimed. It was a Spring Friday night, and my stepmom left my father. My father had just come home. He saw my stepmother leaving with her car. My dad burst open the house door and said “Where is Rokya?”. Then the rest of the night I kept hysterically crying, I almost threw up. From that day forward my life completely changed. My stepmom started to work and attend school. So, I decided to help her babysit my two younger sisters. It became intense. I babysat my sisters every day. While I was still a high school student taking college classes. One day I just broke down. I was in my living room on the floor and was crying for an hour straight. I cried so much that my body started shaking. At that moment I knew I had to find a balance to maintain my sanity. Then one day I created a plan and made things work. I passed my college classes with As and Bs. While still taking care of my sisters. This experience taught me that even when life gets hard, giving up can’t be an option. If I gave up on everything I would’ve failed my classes and I wouldn’t have gotten accepted into my top college. This experience helped me prepare for the future because I know as I get older life will get harder. This obstacle allowed me to realize how strong I am. There’s more obstacles I faced that I couldn’t fit all here. However, just know that I used persistence to overcome all those obstacles.

"How do you keep motivated?" is a question that many successful people are asked. The response I often hear is “self-discipline”. It’s not that they always want to work, rather, it’s that they are disciplined enough to make themselves do the work. I am proud to say that I am self-disciplined, and it is one thing I love about myself. Self-discipline is not a physical quality nor is it a characteristic everyone has, however, I believe it is very important. I also believe it is a form of self-love because when you have self-discipline it is easier to achieve your goals. Essentially, when you achieve your goals you are rewarding yourself. Being self-disciplined means depending only on yourself, and dismissing negative thoughts in your mind. As someone who has struggled with mental health for a long time, shutting down negative thoughts is not easy. However, as time goes on I am getting better at managing it. I remember the middle to the end of last year I was unmotivated and depressed. I was behind on all my goals. I decided my New Year’s resolution for 2022 was to get back on track. At the beginning of 2022, I had a hard time doing that. Until one day I ignored my lack of drive and negative thoughts and achieved my daily goals. Then I started to do it almost every single day. Since this year started I’ve achieved so many of my goals from last year. I wouldn’t have been able to do that without self-discipline. Now that I am self-disciplined, I am able to give myself the peace I deserve.

I try my hardest to show empathy at all times. Whether it’s understanding someone’s perspective during an argument or understanding why one took a certain action. Depending on the condition I show empathy in a variety of ways. For instance, when I have an argument with someone I try to comprehend their perspective. After I've gained a better understanding of their viewpoint, I try to see how my actions affected them. Understanding their perspective causes me to see where I went wrong, and apologize for my actions. To continue, if I catch myself judging someone, I tell myself to stop. Especially if I am judging them based on their actions. I have to remind myself I don’t know that person’s life. I have no idea what difficulties they may be experiencing. I remind myself I do not need to know that person’s life to not judge them; it’s their life, not mine. Furthermore, I remember at the beginning of my parent’s separation my mental health went down. It started to show in my appearance, for example, I would come to school with messy hair. A group of people laughed at me for it one day. If they knew why my hair was a mess, I wonder if they still would have laughed at me. However, they didn’t need to know to not judge me. Empathy means understanding people and seeing things from their perspectives. Therefore, even if you don’t know the reason behind someone’s actions, understand that it’s their life. Understand that sometimes people go through adversities. It is not our responsibility as people to pass judgment on one another. Instead, we should show empathy and be kind to one another.

I see people for who I want them to be, not for who they are. I recently let go of a close friend of four years. I admit she helped me through some of my toughest times. She, for example, helped me in coping with my parent's divorce. She even opened her home to me, so whenever I felt lonely I came over. I appreciate her so much for all she did, however, she didn’t give me the treatment I deserved. I was always initiating things, for instance, hangouts or even conversations. When I addressed the situation with her the first and second time, she changed but not for long. The third time we naturally became friends again. However, unless I talked we wouldn't communicate. There were rarely any check-ins, and she never had time for me because she was always out with other people. It took me a while to let her go because she has helped me so much. However, I finally realized she didn’t value me the way I valued her. So, then I finally let her go. Through this healing process, I have learned I perceive people for who I want them to be, not for who they are. I have done this in almost all my failed friendships. Now I am learning I can not devalue myself because of someone else's behavior. Whether I like it or not people are going to be themselves. So if that means they aren’t going to give me the respect I deserve so be it. They probably are not meant to stay in life, and that is fine.

“Dreams don’t work unless you do.” -John C. Maxwell My future motivates me every single day. As an aspiring mental health counselor, education is very important. However, I've taken college courses since my freshman year of high school and it can be draining. Sometimes I can be unmotivated to do my homework or study for an exam. Not only am I sometimes unmotivated education-wise, but I can also be unmotivated to take care of myself. There are times I do not want to fuel my body with healthy foods or do physical activity. When I have those moments, I remind myself what I am working towards. I remind myself that I am taking these classes to graduate high school. Then go to college to major in psychology, and pursue my passion of helping others. Therefore, if I want to help someone mentally I must get my education first. Moreover, when I do not want to take care of my body, I remind myself that I want to live a long and healthy life. My future success is significant to me, and it keeps me going.

"Are you out of your damn mind?!" my father shouted. We were in the living room, and I was sobbing uncontrollably on the floor that I puked. He was yelling at me the entire time. It was Spring 2019, the night my stepmother left my father. During my parents' divorce, I was a freshman in high school. I was preparing for the New York State regents. Despite the adversities I faced, I decided to prioritize studying for my regents. My exams were only two months away. I would watch my sisters after school while my stepmother was at work. While my sisters were doing fun activities, I put together for them, I led study sessions with my friend. I would tutor my friend several times a week, and study independently. Although the process was challenging, the results were rewarding. I received a 97 on my U.S. History regents, while the friend I helped received a 94. Furthermore, my experience with parental divorce has made me resilient and diligent. Before the divorce I had a decent work ethic, however, I couldn’t recover from things as quickly as I can now. During the divorce, I had no choice but to recover and keep working. Although the experience was not the best, I am grateful for it. It’s shaped me into the strong person I am today.

“Never stop learning, because life never stops teaching.” -Lin Pernille The concept of race is something that is very important in my life. As an African American, it affects me every day. In the United States race has huge control over our nation. It has created hierarchy, stereotypes, division, and more. What I’ve learned about race these past two years has completely changed the way I view it. Race is socially constructed, and I did not know this until I was sixteen years old. Prior to me learning that race is socially constructed, I knew the bare minimum about it. The main thing I knew about race was that it had to deal with phenotype, slavery of African Americans, and important historical figures such as Martin Luther King. I didn’t know that it was an ideology Anglo-Saxon Europeans formed. I never questioned it, I assumed it was natural. As I got older I learned that the definition of race has changed so much, and the concept of race is not real. Furthermore, as an African American with darker skin, I’ve always felt like I needed to act a certain way. For instance, depending on the racial group I am interacting with I may become more gentle. I don’t want to be seen as the “aggressive black woman” for simply being passionate. Or I may restrict my slang usage so I won’t be seen as dumb. In those moments I did not realize I was allowing a socially constructed concept to have power over me. However, I am glad to say I am learning the truth about race. I plan on using this knowledge to hopefully spark a change in the concept of race in America.

“It’s not how much you make, but how much money you keep…” -Robert Kiyosaki Save. That is a personal finance lesson that I find to be important. Growing up I did not learn about finances. I assumed you work, make money, and spend it on your wants and needs. I didn’t understand that you have to manage your money. I knew the bare minimum until I took a Finance 100 course. I recently took a Finance 100 course and learned so much new information. The main lesson that resonated with me was to save. As I learned about different topics such as investing, credit, and loans I noticed something. My professor kept mentioning saving. That’s when I realized saving is the root of all financial freedom. For instance, investing in stocks is one way to make passive income. You make money on your own money and you have complete control. It’s all up to you. However, you still need to have some source of income for that money to grow. Therefore, you need to save. You can’t be inconsistent with your investing and expect your stocks to grow significantly. Not only that, saving is significant because anything can happen. For instance, you may have an emergency. If you spent the majority of your income, and have nothing saved it will be difficult for you to pay for the expenses. Saving is an important personal finance lesson. Before my Finance course I didn't realize how much my unintentional spending could harm me in the future. I think no matter what age you are, you should save. Save, one day you will thank yourself for it.

“It’s not how much you make, but how much money you keep…” -Robert Kiyosaki Save. That is the best financial advice I have ever received. Growing up I did not know about finances. I assumed you work, make money, and spend it on your wants and needs. I didn’t understand that you have to manage your money. I knew the bare minimum until I took a Finance 100 course. I recently took a Finance 100 course and learned so much new information. The main lesson that resonated with me was to save. As I learned about different topics such as investing, credit, and loans I noticed something. My professor kept mentioning saving. That’s when I realized saving is the root of all financial freedom. For instance, investing in stocks is one way to make passive income. You have complete control and you make money on your own money. It’s all up to you. However, you still need to have some source of income for that money to grow. Therefore, you need to save. You can’t be inconsistent with your investing and expect your stocks to grow significantly. Not only that, saving is significant because anything can happen. For instance, you may have an emergency. If you spent the majority of your income, and have nothing saved it will be difficult for you to pay for the expenses. Saving is the root of financial freedom. I do think you should enjoy life and not be afraid to buy things you want. However, the reality is you need money to do those things. Therefore, you should be careful when making financial decisions. Continue to save, one day you will thank yourself for it.

“What we hope ever to do with ease, we must learn first to do with diligence” -Unknown Since I was eleven years old I’ve had a passion for writing. My first book was inspired by the book "The Chronicles of Vladimir Tod: Eighth Grade Bites'' by Zbrewer. That had to be the first fictional book I ever loved. I remember I told my friends about the story I was writing, and they told my Humanities teacher. So, one day during lunch my Humanities teacher presented my book on the board and read aloud a few pages. My friends and teacher found my book to be entertaining. Since then I've written a few stories. I am a very imaginative person, therefore writing stories is very enjoyable for me. As I got older I started to struggle with my mental health. My struggle with mental health caused me to stop writing. The hardest time I ever had with my mental health was when I was fifteen. When I was fifteen my stepmother left my father. It was a Spring Friday night. I remember my dad busting through the house door and asking “Where is Rokya?”. After that night I gained some more responsibilities. I started babysitting my sisters every day while preparing for two regents. I also tutored my friend and still had household chores and cooked dinner. It was not easy managing it all at first. However, with diligence eventually, I was able to manage it. The hard work paid off when I got a 97 on my U.S. History regents while the friend I tutored received a 94. Now in the present day, I still watch my sisters every day while still managing my college and high school classes. My mental health is better, but before it was a struggle. Until I decided to start journaling. I started writing about my days, and how they impacted my mental health. I went from using writing as entertainment to a coping mechanism. My struggle with mental health has inspired me to become a mental health counselor and author. I want to become a mental health counselor because I want to help people get through life-changing events. I want to help people cope with their emotions, and know they deserve to be heard. Furthermore, I want to become an author to inspire others. I want my books to be relatable but still positively impact people. Lastly, my experience when I was fifteen taught me two things. Firstly, obstacles will be thrown at you when you least expect them. However, you cannot allow those challenges to prevent you from thriving. Secondly, having a strong drive is so important. You can not give up and expect people to always help you. Therefore, when you fall you must get back up.

“Speak boldly and with intellect. Never hush your voice for someone’s comfort. Speak your mind.” — Unknown Since I was a child I have been very curious. As I started to learn about real-world issues it built up my curiosity. I found myself talking about issues such as police brutality, the mistreatment of the LGBTQ+ community, and more. I have noticed that there are so many issues that aren't talked about enough. That is why I want to impact the world by being an advocate. I think that there are many problems in the world that people only talk about on a surface level. I want that to change. I think it’s time people analyze these problems deeper, and try to figure out a way these issues can be resolved. Furthermore, I want to be a person who brings attention to things people are afraid to discuss. I plan on doing this through my writing. I think that writing is an amazing way you can bring awareness. I plan on writing nonfiction/fictional books. Whether it’s extreme issues like human sex trafficking or relatable topics such as what it’s really like becoming an adult. My goal is to change the way people see themselves and others. If my books can encourage someone to be more helpful towards others, that will be good enough for me. I also want to bring attention to real-world issues, in hopes that it will encourage people to fix the issue. I hope that as a future author I can leave a mark on this world.

“Writing to me is simply thinking through my fingers.” - Isaac Asimov I've loved writing since I was eleven years old. When I first started writing I wrote fictional stories. I enjoyed writing stories that had a mixture of fictional and non-fictional elements at the same time. I am a very imaginative person, therefore writing stories and reading them are very enjoyable for me. Eventually, as I got older I wanted to write about real-world issues. For instance, human sex trafficking. One summer day I was in my house on my phone watching YouTube. I started binge-watching the YouTube channel "Hello Hunnay: With Jeannie Mai". In one episode Jeannie interviewed a human trafficker survivor. That episode inspired me to write a book based on human sex trafficking. I wanted the book to be based on a fictional character, but still, be realistic and informative. I planned to research more on human sex trafficking and survivors' stories. However, I never finished the book. As I got older I became busier and I started to go through some life-changing events. I honestly felt like I lost my passion for writing. Until one day I decided to start journaling. I started writing about my days, and how they impacted my mental health. I went from using writing as entertainment to a coping mechanism. I plan to write more books about real-world issues and publish them. I want people to learn from my books. If my books can inspire someone I will be very happy. Writing allows me to pour my creativity and imagination on a piece of paper. I know some people will probably never understand why some people enjoy writing. However, that is all right. I’m grateful to have something that truly brings me happiness.

It takes more than going to the gym every day and eating an acai bowl to live a long and healthy life. Do not get me wrong, fueling your body with the right foods and staying active is very important. You should fuel your body with healthy foods and keep your body active. Being active doesn’t mean you have to go to the gym and lift weights. Staying active can be doing Zumba, or bicycling. Do what brings you genuine joy, and drink plenty of water to hydrate your body. However, to live a long, healthy life to me is not only about taking care of yourself physically, it's also about taking care of yourself mentally. Research shows that stress can cause high blood pressure, heart disease, obesity, and diabetes. Therefore, let go of individuals that no longer fulfill your life. Let go of those friends who clap for your failures, not wins. Stop stressing over things you can not control. Of course, do your best, but don't get too worked up over the outcome. Being happy and at peace is what makes a long and healthy life. So, let go of things that do not benefit you, live for yourself and not others.

“Can you just stop yelling at me?” I asked my father while hysterically crying. “Are you out of your mind?!” My dad exclaimed. It was a Spring Friday night, and my stepmom left my father. My father had just come home. He saw my stepmother leaving with her car. My dad burst open the house door and said “Where is Rokya?”. Then the rest of the night I kept hysterically crying, I almost threw up. From that day forward my life completely changed. My stepmom started to work and attend school. So, I decided to help her babysit my two younger sisters. It became intense. I babysat my sisters every day. While I was still a high school student taking college classes. One day I just broke down. I was in my living room on the floor and was crying for an hour straight. I cried so much that my body started shaking. At that moment I knew I had to find a balance to maintain my sanity. Then one day I created a plan and made things work. I passed my college classes with As and Bs. While still taking care of my sisters. This experience taught me that even when life gets hard, giving up can’t be an option. If I gave up on everything I would’ve failed my classes and I wouldn’t have gotten accepted into my top college. This experience helped me prepare for the future because I know as I get older life will get harder. This obstacle allowed me to realize how strong I am. There’s more to this story that I couldn’t fit all here. However, just know that this turnaround story demonstrates my diligence, perseverance, and resilience.

“Writing to me is simply thinking through my fingers.” - Isaac Asimov I've loved writing since I was eleven years old. When I first started writing I wrote fictional stories. I remember in middle school I was inspired to write a vampire book series based on the book "The Chronicles of Vladimir Tod: Eighth Grade Bites" by Zbrewer. The story is about the everyday challenges an eighth grader named Vladimir faces while gaining his vampire abilities. That had to be the first fictional book I ever loved. I remember one day I told my friends about the story I was writing, and they told my Humanities teacher. So, one day during lunch my Humanities teacher presented my book on the board and read aloud a few pages. My friends and teacher found my book to be entertaining. Ever since then I have kept writing stories. I enjoyed writing stories that had a mixture of fictional and non-fictional elements at the same time. I am a very imaginative person, therefore writing stories and reading them are very enjoyable for me. Eventually, as I got older I wanted to write more about real-world issues. For instance, human sex trafficking. I didn’t even know what human sex trafficking is until I was fifteen. One summer day I was in my house on my phone watching YouTube. I started binge-watching the YouTube channel "Hello Hunnay: With Jeannie Mai". In one episode Jeannie interviewed a human trafficker survivor. That episode inspired me to write a book based on human sex trafficking. I wanted the book to be based on a fictional character, but still, be realistic and informative. I planned to research more on human sex trafficking and survivors' stories. However, I never finished the book. As I got older I became busier and I started to go through some life-changing events. I honestly felt like I lost my passion for writing. Until one day I decided to start journaling. I started writing about my days, and how they impacted my mental health. I went from using writing as entertainment to a coping mechanism. Writing has helped me throughout my entire life. Writing has transformed me. It helps me express myself when I don’t necessarily want to talk to others. It allows me to pour my creativity and imagination on a piece of paper. I know most people think writing is boring and I know some people will probably never understand why some people enjoy it. However, that is all right. I’m grateful to have something that truly brings me happiness.

When I was six years old my biological mother died. Two years later I met my stepmom, if it wasn’t for her I wouldn’t be the young lady that I am today. When I met my stepmom I was eight years old, while she was twenty-five. She became my mother figure, tutor, and best friend all in one. When I was fifteen she left my father. Even though she left my dad, she never left me. She still takes care of me like I’m her blood-daughter. Things were hard for her when she first left my father, yet she still found a way to support me and my younger sisters. As I get older I admire her resilience, diligence, and confidence. She’s taught me many things during my teenage years. For instance, I was so insecure about my body. I wore baggy clothes to hide myself. Until one day she bought me new clothes that were more feminine. I remember trying them on and I couldn't stop smiling. That was the first time in a long time I felt good about myself. She taught me that only my opinion about my body matters. I am more than grateful for meeting my stepmother because if I didn't I wouldn’t have achieved all the goals that I have so far. Although she separated from my father, she will always be my stepmom. I love her to death, and will forever thank her for all she has done.