Coming into VCU as a transfer student, I had already felt a bit more out of place among my peers. But being Catholic, unfortunately, had made me feel even more out of place in my major. When I had first transferred, I had seen and heard of people making projects or comments that distorted and condemned holy figures. Out on the main campus, I would see large groups of people surrounding the same man every week, holding signs telling them they were going to hell with big megaphones. On both ends, religion looked like it was a sensitive subject, and it was because of these moments that I had kept to myself about my faith when I had first joined the school. I wanted to boldly live my faith, but I had a fear of being rejected or judged by my peers. In the midst of this discourse, I started to attend some of the events held by VCU’s Catholic Campus Ministry. Through attending these events I was able to find a community where I wasn’t shy about my faith. In fact it helped me to delve into my faith life more boldly through praying the rosary, having an Emmaus project partner, and reading the Bible more thoroughly. It was through these events that God was being revealed to me. Before that, being Catholic to me was just a title, but by being a part of this community, it started to transform into something bigger. The following year I signed up to be a part of the leadership for small group and the women's group. Through my small group, I hear stories of people feeling the same way I had felt when I had first transferred into VCU. By hearing them and sharing my own experiences, I hope to help them not feel alone in this struggle and strive to give them the encouragement to live out their faith boldly on campus. In addition, as a women’s group leader I hope to unite these two groups together of those of faith and not of faith, by inviting my non-catholic friends to the campus ministry events. In this I hope their perspective of people of faith can be transformed rather than just the memory of the people with the signs and megaphones telling them they will go to hell. I hope more evangelization can be done through these events and by bringing in these two groups together into the safe space that is the VCU Catholic Campus Ministry house.

If you were to call or text my phone number right now you would hear the theme song for my favorite anime, Ouran High School Host Club. Ouran High School Host Club has generously shaped my life since the first time I watched it all the way back in 6th grade. It was my very first anime which my sister had introduced to me. I had found the cast of characters hilarious and the art style attractive. As an artist, I could not get enough of it. The visual imagery in how they depicted serious and comical scenes all seemed like gold to me. After I watched it, I immediately started recommending it to everyone I knew. I threw watch parties at my house, bought all of the merchandise I could, and started to connect online with others who also enjoyed the show. Ouran became an anchor in a lot of my friendships at the time, I used it to keep the current friendships I had and to develop new ones. Outside of my personal nostalgia for the memories I made surrounding the show, this show genuinely made me feel like part of a family. The friendship dynamics and the situations they get thrown in made me feel like I was alongside them for the ride. Each character is so unique to one another and hilarious in their own way. You get excited about character interaction scenes because they never fail to be funny or tug at your heartstrings. Even though I have rewatched this show more than a hundred times I fall for every joke and get nervous in every nerve-wracking scene. Every time I go back to rewatch Ouran I feel an immense sense of comfort. I recall all of the happiness it brought me when watching scenes for the first time, or the laughs I shared with my friends during our watch parties. I reflect on the friendships I gained and got to keep because of the show. It’s hard to imagine a world where I didn’t watch this show because of how big of an impact it has had on my life. Ouran has made my life more colorful and enriching because of the experiences I was able to receive in my adolescence through this show.

I have never had a good experience adapting to new settings. In my transition from elementary school to high school I had panic attacks every morning. It got to the point where the school enrolled me in an anxiety group. Moving into my first year of high school I had lacked all confidence in myself in who I was. A Korean pop group that has helped me massively get through my lack of confidence, as well as my anxiety, is BTS. In the hallways, during lunch and during class I had BTS songs on repeat as they helped to encourage me to get through the day. BTS’s positive messages about overcoming what others think and learning how to love yourself gave me the courage to continue throughout the day. I continued to listen to BTS throughout the rest of my high school years. They helped me throughout those years to learn who I am and how to find confidence in myself. The self-love journey in my mind is truly never over, no one is perfect and we make mistakes every day. But what BTS helped me to understand is how to pick myself back up and keep moving forward. BTS’s influence does not just stop at me, BTS has helped millions of others just like me across the world. Their discussion of mental health in their albums has helped to destigmatize the negative connotation that follows the discussion of mental health. While BTS is a group that resides in Korea its popularity is global. Across the world, there are fan sites, merchandise, and thousands of testimonies of how BTS has helped its fans. Mental health awareness on such a big global platform has proved to have helped many fans. The topic of mental health is so important nowadays due to how many have suffered as a result or in response to the Covid-19 pandemic. With BTS’s popularity, mental health discussions are becoming a normalized topic among young adults. BTS has been able to personally help me overcome the internal struggles in my life through their music. The legacy of BTS is one that will last due to how many people across the world they have helped and continue to help every day. BTS has helped to support mental health across the world through destigmatizing. Because of this, I know their music will lay close to mine and many others' hearts for years to come.

In the second grade, I was diagnosed with ADHD and was put into my first special education class. Books without pictures were something I had trouble falling in love with. I had seen plenty of kids of my age get praised for reading heavy chapter books and felt frustrated I could not accomplish the same. My reading comprehension was one big factor that was heavily impacted by my ADHD. In this class, however, I was forced to face my fear of chapter books. During my first month of being a part of the special education class, we were assigned to read The Island of the Blue Dolphins. The book follows a Native American girl, who gets stranded on her home island and has to learn to survive independently. Each paragraph was set to be analyzed and broken up piece by piece. I remember within the first paragraph of the book it had used figurative language to describe a boat that was nearing their island. My teacher had us ponder on how the boat could relate to what they were referencing by drawing out a sketch. Through all of the figurative language and excessive detail about the sights and smells the main character was experiencing, I was able to read the book as if I was there. Sometimes my teacher would insert sound effects to mock how a scene was set up. I believe that this book would help remind others to recognize that books are not made with the intention of people feel bad about themselves and that they are only made for certain people. Books are supposed to share stories in hopes that those stories will change how the reader views the world. Looking at the world at only the surface level and through only your eyes will not allow you to grow as a person. It is more than likely that not everyone in the world has been a Native American girl stranded on an island for years. Expanding one’s knowledge of other regions and cultures through thoughtful writing can help open up an eye to a world they had never seen or understood before. Through reading this book I was able to be a part of a world I had never been in before and today has encouraged me in my research and expansion of understanding other cultures. I find that today I love actively pursuing my knowledge of famous legends and myths all around the world. I plan to one day to visit all different places around the world because of this book. It was my first step into understanding other cultures and today I continue to read about and research different people and places all across the world.

It seems as though everybody has a preconceived notion that all college students do not pursue personal wellness. Jokes about how students only survive on ramen and coffee for their meals and how their mental health is poor as a result of stress and lack of sleep have been heavily circulated during the past ten years. But who can blame them for this preconceived notion? I have found that most of these aspects do apply to most college students. And who can blame the students? College work takes a dedicated amount of time and attention making it hard for us to find time to cook healthy meals and get to bed early. That is why at the beginning of 2023 I decided to change my diet and my sleep cycles in order to observe how it affects my success as a student. The transition of scheduling out my time so I wasn’t pulling all-nighters to finish a last-minute essay and to find time in the day to properly make a meal was not easy. But as I started to incorporate the factors of good sleep and food into my life I started craving it more which further motivated me to continue my good habits. I found that not only was I not pulling all-nighters, but I was also getting assignments in so early that I would have time for my professor to review them which in return gave me more successful grades. My sleep was making it so I was more focused during the day and allowed me to not rely on coffee and energy drinks. What surprised me the most during this transition was how much my mood was positively changed. In fact, I remember when it hit me how much it positively affected me when I received a bad grade and didn’t find myself stressing out over it. I think I found it so strange because I know that if I received that same grade months ago I would have let it ruin my day. But instead, when I received this grade I was able to remind myself that what’s done is done and that I can only control the steps I take for my success going forward. In all honesty, it is hard to keep my hands off the cookie jar the second I sense my own academic stress. But I found that the rewards to my health and my academic success mean so much more to me. Keeping these good habits has helped make me a more successful student in my studies and in my personal health. It makes me happy to know that I break the unhealthy college student stereotype through my use of habits in knowing that anybody could achieve it.

In the second grade, I was diagnosed with ADHD and was put into my first special education class. Books without pictures were something I had trouble falling in love with. I had seen plenty of kids of my age get praised for reading heavy chapter books and felt frustrated I could not accomplish the same. My reading comprehension was one big factor that was heavily impacted by my ADHD. In this class, however, I was forced to face my fear of chapter books. During my first month of being a part of the special education class, we were assigned to read The Island of the Blue Dolphins. The book follows a Native American girl, who gets stranded on her home island and has to learn to survive independently. Each paragraph was set to be analyzed and broken up piece by piece. I remember within the first paragraph of the book it had used figurative language to describe a boat that was nearing their island. My teacher had us ponder on how the boat could relate to what they were referencing by drawing out a sketch. Through all of the figurative language and excessive detail about the sights and smells the main character was experiencing, I was able to read the book as if I was there. Sometimes my teacher would insert sound effects to mock how a scene was set up. I believe that this book would help remind others to recognize that books are not made with the intention of people to feel bad about themselves and that they are only made for certain people. Books are supposed to share stories in hopes that those stories will change how the reader views the world. Looking at the world at only the surface level and through only your eyes will not allow you to grow as a person. It is more than likely that not everyone in the world has been a Native American girl stranded on an island for years. Expanding one’s knowledge of other regions and cultures through thoughtful writing can help open up an eye to a world they had never seen or understood before. Through reading this book I was able to be a part of a world I had never been in before. I would want people to read this book in hopes they would experience how books can transform their perspective.

There is a big misconception I often see within the Disney community. Too often I find that Cinderella is shamed upon for being a model of the 'you need a man to save you' mindset. However, I strongly disagree with this notion and find Cinderella to be the most independent, strong, and inspiring Disney character. In the movie, Cinderella never states that she wants a man or that she believes that she needs someone to get her out of her abusive household. It was just by chance she happened to meet the prince. I think focus too much on this part of the movie and happen to overlook all that Cinderella did leading up to getting there. The part I see overlooked is how Cinderella's kindness and optimism are what helped bring her out of her abusive home life. A reason I believe I really connect to Cinderella personally is due to the similarities I find between her and my mother in that regard. While my mother was not in an abusive household, she was often picked on and treated poorly by her sisters. But my mother's optimism and hard work made her the first person in her family to go to college despite being the youngest. Her optimism still shines today and has helped her to overcome many obstacles in her life to this day. People often remark that Cinderella is a doormat character but I think what they fail to see is that when you are in a household that treats you poorly you don't really have any other choice. The misconception of Cinderella is something that bothers me deeply. Cinderella's persistence of kindness, patience, and love for others even when treated wrong is something I aspire to. I find that Cinderella's persistence is the embodiment of true strength.

I think the purpose of our lives is to be happy, but what the meaning of life is how you define happiness. There is no one meaning life because everybody defines happiness differently. This includes a multitude of things outside of hobbies. I feel too often hobbies can be seen as someone's sole reason to live. However, I find that small things can be someone's meaning to life. In a podcast I listened to a few years back they conducted a study for those who had attempted suicide. A majority of them said that their breaking point was not one horrendous event that made them want to attempt, but rather one small bad thing that lay on top of all of their stress and depression that had been building up. I think it goes both ways that when a lot of little good things add up, we find our purpose, but when the bad things add up, we lose our purpose. My purpose is to be the person who waves to my neighbors, my purpose is to always tip, my purpose is to compliment strangers, my purpose and happiness comes from being the reason someone can find their meaning by helping them find their happiness in the small good things.

While it might sound cliché, I find that possibility fuels my life. My brain is hyperactive, as a result of this I have the habit of thinking of every good or bad scenario in the books. Whenever I am getting ready to leave my house, I can’t stop thinking about all the possibilities of who or what I might see. What I find so fascinating about the possibilities in my head is that generally, they are not impossible. Maybe I will find twenty dollars on the ground, or maybe someone will compliment my outfit while I am out. Who is to say it isn't possible? I have planned out so many scenarios in my head of what my future will hold for me. These possibilities keep me optimistic and help me to jump into the world with a positive mindset.

The night my friend was admitted into the mental hospital I was overcome with grief. I stayed up sobbing, my emotions pouring out everywhere. After staring at the wall for several minutes I decided I needed to put my emotions into something. I picked up my brushes and pulled out a piece I had started three months prior but gave up on it due to artist burnout. The wet paint on my canvas became slick with the grief I had poured into my brush strokes.   Water is what I first decided to paint. I incorporated hues of lilac into the dark cobalt waves. When I first started painting, I was doing it with no particular idea in mind. But as I continued to paint everything began to make sense. The pungent smell of paint filled my room as I kept adding more and more paint onto my palette. Soon enough it felt as if what I was creating had a plan for it all along. Once I finished my piece, I rewarded myself with a well-deserved long nap. Three weeks later, my friend was permitted to leave the mental hospital. I presented my piece to her and told her it was devoted to her. She teared up and became overcome with joy and gratitude. Through this experience I realized how much painting meant to me. Painting used to be something that I just did for a grade. Now, I try to paint as much as possible, in this I have truly become in love with the process of creating art for others to enjoy.

After coming home on a stressful day, I find all I want to do is to lock myself in my room and sleep forever. However, when I open the door and find my room to be a mess it adds on to my stress as it reminds me of everything that still must be done before I can reward myself to sleep. To fix this, I have found through cleaning that I can reduce my personal stress and with assistance, the stress of my friends. I have been devoting myself to making sure my room is as free of stress as possible within the past three years. I find that I am happier and more productive when my room is clean. In order to ensure my room can be a space I am happy with; I spend five minutes every day doing a small task to tidy up. Whether it’s making my bed, taking down dirty dishes or just putting away dirty laundry, I make sure I hold myself to do one task every day. In this, I have found cleaning to be a therapeutic task for myself. I have become so in love with cleaning that I have been invited to my friends' house to help them create a less stressful space. Using this tool to take care of myself I have found I also can help others around me. Through working on helping avoid extra stress and helping my friends I have been able to take care of myself better.

Remembering definitions and formulas is something I used to heavily struggle with due to my severe case of ADHD. Growing up in the special education program I was taught to strengthen my memory through using flashcards, rewriting out notes, and filling out study guides. However, what has really come to help me through my studies is to apply what I learn to the pieces of media I enjoy. Last month in my Chemistry class we learned the eight gas laws along with the eight-gas law formulas. In order to remember all the formulas, I had each letter in the formula's remind me of a contestant off Rupaul's Drag Race. Through looking into who had won and lost in the show I was able to apply it to the formulas. I did this by associating the first letter of the contestant's names to temperature, pressure and volume. I chose the drag queen Tatianna who had lost as a contestant in the second season of RuPaul's Drag Race to help me remember where temperature is placed in the formulas. As her name starts with a T, standing for temperature this would be placed in the denominator. I remembered this by recalling that she ranked low as a contestant therefore, leaving her at the bottom. Similarly, in order to remember whether pressure and volume was in the denominator or numerator I found drag queens who had won to represent that pressure and volume are in the top of the formula. Using this technique, I was able to enjoy my studying more and found I was more successful when I had found clever ways to incorporate the pieces of media I enjoyed into my studies.

Ever since I was little, I have felt famous because of my mom. My mom has taught as an elementary school teacher for the last 10 years. Without fail, the eyes of my peers light up at me mentioning who my mom is. I am often told what an inspiration she is, and how they have been encouraged by her guidance. Seeing her light in others has inspired me to want to become a teacher of my own. I plan to inspire and lift the kids of the future through teaching them art. I find that many teachers have lost their passion and love for their job and students. This is what has led me to further inspire me to become a teacher as well as to help the future generation to have all the support and love it needs. Kids are a passageway into what we want our future to look like, I believe the nurturing towards children will help the world become a better place. Having experiences of teachers who didn’t believe in me, or my success have hurt me down the road as their discouragement enticed me to decline opportunities. Encouragement and optimism are something I find lacking in areas of the school system, I hope to change this. A quote that comes to mind when thinking about how love and art go hand in hand comes from Pablo Picasso where he states, “The purpose of art is washing the dust off our daily life off our souls.” This brings me to believe creation and gratification of art is proof of love. Understandably I do not expect all my future students to be passionate about art as I am as it is unreasonable to ask. However, I hope I can be a teacher so excited about what I teach that it inspires my students to be excited as well. Art does not have to be ideal for it to be good, sometimes the best pieces are from something that was fun to make, and the memories made in the process of creating it. I hope through my career I can help change the lives of children in a positive way. I want my career to be meaningful and fulfilling to my life. I find that being a teacher is the best way to execute this. While teaching may not pay the most the fulfillment and meaningful rewards, I anticipate receiving outweighs any desire for money.

My favorite book is The Outsiders by S. E. Hinton. I read this book in 8th grade during middle school along with my English class. My 8th grade was a rocky year as I got suspended. The reason for my suspension was because I had threatened to hurt someone who was bullying my friend. Through this suspension I learned a lot about how important it is to think before you act. When we read this book in class I connected with the characters instantly. I found the plot to be similar to my situation. The book follows the violence between the gangs of the upper and middle class. In this book it follows Ponyboy Curtis and his friend Johnny as they have to face the realities of gang violence after accidentally killing someone in self defense. This happened during a scene where the rival gang is holding Ponyboy underwater in an attempt to drown him. Johnny see’s this and stabs one of the members of the rival gangs without processing the severity of this idea before hand. I think the reason I became so attached to this book is because of how heavily I related to Johnny. Johnny states numerous times after the fight how guilty he feels and how he just wanted to protect his friend. In the case of my suspension I felt the same kind of guilt and helplessness in knowing that what I did could not be taken back. Now that I am older I reread this book every year to remind myself about the valuable lesson to think through every action. Even with all guilt and sorrow, once you have done something you can never take it back.