Sitting in my homeroom class, I waited patiently for my friend “Alex” to arrive. We had been close for years, sharing meals, friend groups, and even a few secrets. As the minutes ticked by, and class came and went, I realized she wasn’t coming. This was the third day in a row she had been absent, and I was starting to worry. I couldn’t reach her directly, but figured her best friend, “Carly”, might know what was going on. That day, I learned that Alex had attempted to take her own life. Thankfully, she had survived. I knew she had been struggling, but I hadn’t realized the extent of her pain. Reflecting on this years later, I now see how deeply that moment shaped my life path. It pushed me to pay closer attention, not just to Alex, but to how mental health was treated in my community. I began to notice how rarely conversations around mental health occurred, especially in Black households. In fact, my own family didn’t believe in mental health diagnoses at all. This realization sparked a curiosity that led me to dive deeper into psychology. Thanks to the C5 Georgia Youth Foundation, I had my first interaction with a clinical psychologist: Dr. Chaundrissa Smith, a Black woman. During the pandemic, she spoke to us about maintaining mental health during quarantine and the importance of culturally competent care. I was fascinated by her words and reached out to speak with her one-on-one. Our conversation about her work with clients of color solidified my decision to pursue a career in mental health. I went on to earn a Bachelor of Science in Psychology at the University of Georgia, with minors in Spanish and Human Services. While there, I began seeing a therapist myself, which helped me better understand the value of care from both sides. I also became a volunteer Crisis Counselor with Crisis Text Line, where I have supported over 100 individuals during moments of crisis. While I may never know the exact impact those conversations had on their lives, I know how much they impacted mine; they reaffirmed my sense of purpose and my desire to be a part of the solution. One moment in particular confirmed that I was on the right path. While working as the Expressive Arts Director at C5 Georgia’s summer camp, I found one of the students crying outside her cabin. She told me how difficult camp had been: she had come hoping for an escape, but was feeling just as misunderstood and judged as she did at home. As we talked, I noticed signs of anxiety: shallow breathing, repetitive hand motions, distant eye contact. When I gently asked if she was feeling anxious, she opened up to me about her mental health struggles, including suicidal thoughts. I listened, validated her feelings, and encouraged her to start journaling. More importantly, I made sure she did not feel alone. That conversation brought me full circle, back to Alex, back to the moment that started everything. It reminded me why I do this work: to create spaces where people, especially young people of color, feel seen, supported, and safe.

Sitting in my homeroom class, I waited patiently for my friend "Alex" to arrive. We had been close for years, sharing meals, friend groups, and even a few secrets. As the minutes ticked by, and class came and went, I realized she wasn’t coming. This was the third day in a row she had been absent, and I was starting to worry. I couldn’t reach her directly, but figured her best friend, "Carly", might know what was going on. That day, I learned that Alex had attempted to take her own life. Thankfully, she had survived. I knew she had been struggling, but I hadn’t realized the extent of her pain. Reflecting on this years later, I now see how deeply that moment shaped my life path. It pushed me to pay closer attention, not just to Alex, but to how mental health was treated in my community. I began to notice how rarely conversations around mental health occurred, especially in Black households. In fact, my own family didn’t believe in mental health diagnoses at all. This realization sparked a curiosity that led me to dive deeper into psychology. Thanks to the C5 Georgia Youth Foundation, I had my first interaction with a clinical psychologist: Dr. Chaundrissa Smith, a Black woman. During the pandemic, she spoke to us about maintaining mental health during quarantine and the importance of culturally competent care. I was fascinated by her words and reached out to speak with her one-on-one. Our conversation about her work with clients of color solidified my decision to pursue a career in mental health. I went on to earn a Bachelor of Science in Psychology at the University of Georgia, with minors in Spanish and Human Services. While there, I began seeing a therapist myself, which helped me better understand the value of care from both sides. I also became a volunteer Crisis Counselor with Crisis Text Line, where I have supported over 100 individuals during moments of crisis. While I may never know the exact impact those conversations had on their lives, I know how much they impacted mine; they reaffirmed my sense of purpose and my desire to be a part of the solution. One moment in particular confirmed that I was on the right path. While working as the Expressive Arts Director at C5 Georgia’s summer camp, I found one of the students crying outside her cabin. She told me how difficult camp had been: she had come hoping for an escape, but was feeling just as misunderstood and judged as she did at home. As we talked, I noticed signs of anxiety: shallow breathing, repetitive hand motions, and distant eye contact. When I gently asked if she was feeling anxious, she opened up to me about her mental health struggles, including suicidal thoughts. I listened, validated her feelings, and encouraged her to start journaling. More importantly, I made sure she did not feel alone. That conversation brought me full circle, back to Alex, back to the moment that started everything. It reminded me why I do this work: to create spaces where people, especially young people of color, feel seen, supported, and safe.

During the summer of 2020, I did some research with the C5 Georgia Youth Foundation on the Policing of Black and Brown Bodies in the metro-Atlanta area. Specifically, I served as the committee chair for the Housing Committee, where I learned about the true extent of the homelessness issue in my hometown. This motivated me to make even more of a difference. I have always been involved in the community; however, I had never planned an event on my own, and I figured this would be the perfect opportunity. In the fall of 2020, my senior year, I worked closely with H.O.P.E. Atlanta, and my school's administration to plan and execute a Silent Art Auction. I collected works from the school's art club, as well as local artists in Marietta. In the end, I raised a total of $1,000 to donate to the organization. This was my first time planning an entire event essentially on my own. Of course, I had guidance from the administration as well as a close mentor, however, the majority of the planning and execution was completed on my own. From this experience I learned two things about myself: 1) What I am truly capable of. In the past, I had worked on committees where we planned a range of events - a road trip, a ball, a restaurant, etc., however, I had never worked on my own to plan an event of this magnitude. For a while, I doubted myself and my ability to complete the project. Completing the project allowed me to feel significantly more confident in myself and my capabilities. 2) My love of event planning. As I mentioned earlier, this was my first time completing something of this magnitude on my own, and although the process was stressful, I discovered that I enjoyed the entire thing. The fact that I was able to see my small idea transform into something beyond what I could have ever imagined is incredible, and I hope to do it again. In the future, I hope to continue my philanthropic efforts in a career centered around helping the youth. I have an intense passion for both helping others, and for mental wellness in children, teens, and young adults, so I hope to combine these two passions to pursue a career in either Psychological Counseling/Therapy or Social Work. Additionally, I hope to participate in, or create a program that allows young adults, and teens to seek professional psychological help free of charge, confidentially, and with ease.

My greatest achievement is the work I did with H.O.P.E. Atlanta to raise money for homelessness in the metro-Atlanta area. During the summer of 2020, I did some research with the C5 Georgia Youth Foundation on the Policing of Black and Brown Bodies in the metro-Atlanta area. Specifically, I served as the committee chair for the Housing Committee, where I learned about the true extent of the homelessness issue in my hometown. This motivated me to make even more of a difference. I have always been involved in the community; however, I had never planned an event on my own, and I figured this would be the perfect opportunity. In the fall of 2020, my senior year, I worked closely with H.O.P.E. Atlanta, and my school's administration to plan and execute a Silent Art Auction. I collected works from the school's art club, as well as local artists in Marietta. In the end, I raised a total of $1,000 to donate to the organization. This was my first time planning an entire event essentially on my own. Of course, I had guidance from the administration as well as a close mentor, however, the majority of the planning and execution was completed on my own. From this I learned two things about myself: 1) What I am truly capable of. In the past, I had worked on committees where we planned a range of events - a road trip, a ball, a restaurant, etc., however, I had never worked on my own to plan an event of this magnitude. For a while, I doubted myself and my ability to complete the project. Completing the project allowed me to feel significantly more confident in myself and my capabilities. 2) My love of event planning. As I mentioned earlier, this was my first time completing something of this magnitude on my own, and although the process was stressful, I discovered that I enjoyed the entire thing. The fact that I was able to see my small idea transform into something beyond what I could have ever imagined is incredible, and I hope to do it again. In the future, I hope to continue my philanthropic efforts in a career centered around helping the youth. I have an intense passion for both helping others, and for mental wellness in children, teens, and young adults, so I hope to combine these two passions to pursue a career in either Psychological Counseling/Therapy or Social Work. Additionally, I hope to participate in, or create a program that allows young adults, and teens to seek professional psychological help free of charge, confidentially, and with ease.

Do you take pride in your appearance? Do you take the time out of your life to take care fo your skin? I know I do. I am an African American female who takes extreme pride in her dark, smooth skin and black kinky hair. I feel that there are not enough all-natural skincare products for black women at a low price. When I walk down the aisle at the store, I see products starting at $15 just to have healthy, glowing skin. These products also don't last very long, forcing you to buy more. We as black women deserve to have products made for us, that are easy on our pockets. Beyond that, when you look at the back of any skincare product there are ingredients that you could probably not pronounce. Being an African American woman in America is hard enough, without having to compromise what makes us as beautiful as we are: our skin and hair. My goal is to provide the skincare that black women not only need to use to preserve their skin but want to use. My goal is to create products that not only look good and work well but make women feel opulent. My skincare line strives to preserve, smooth, and hydrate melanin soaked skin in a way that makes you not only look beautiful but feel like such as well. I plan to include face wash, face masks, brow and lash growth serum, as well as lip gloss. I was inspired to start my skincare line by the many questions I was getting about my skin. In school, my friends would often ask me how I keep my skin so smooth, and I would never reveal "my secret," but here it is: I only use natural products with limited ingredients, and if I can't find something that I like at a reasonable price, I make it myself. It all started with a simple face wash and face mask that I made from organic ingredients. I found that once I started using my organic and all-natural products, my skin began to glow a little brighter and fight breakouts faster. I decided that it was time to monetize something that I do anyway! I also feel that we as African American should support each other. By creating a skincare line, I am supporting my fellow black women, by helping them to maintain their melanin. My skincare line strives to send a message of self-love, self-appreciation, and self-care to all black women. I want black women to take care of their natural skin to a point where we can glow without using foundations and highlighters and mascaras. Black women are born with naturally beautiful, smooth, brown skin, and we need to take care of it. Applying makeup daily dries out and damages the skin. My all-natural products are made to save the natural beauty of all the melanin queens. Deciding to start an all-natural skincare line was the obvious option next, I have to work on product development, testing, creating packaging, and marketing. I overall, want to empower the Queens of America to take care of their melanin skin, and allow it to glow unconditionally - naturally.

A few months ago I started a new job at Subway where I met a girl named Mikayla. She also worked at Subway, and she is a current College Sophomore. She inspired me to really consider all of my college options. She carried herself unlike any black female close to my age I had seen before. She is creative, fun, educated, and carries a fascinating conversation with little to no effort. I was able to talk to her about all types of things - societal conflicts, social injustices, family and so much more. Her responses were so in depth and detailed that it made me realize how much I love those conversations. The conversations that are engaging, but still a little difficult to navigate in a contraversial or opinionated kind of way. She was actualy the one who helped me realize what I wanted to do thorugh these conversations: I want to help change society as a whole. We were talking about the biases that we as humans have towards other types of people, and how we unintentionally pass them on to the younger generations. In that moment I knew that I wanted to help the youth to understand the importance of diversity and acceptance to break the American stignma of Racism, Sexism and mental illness. So I decided to study to become a child psychologist. Mikayla told me about what her psychology and sociology classes were like, and how fascinating it was. Mikayla inspired me to follow my dreams just like she was. After meeting her, I knew that I needed to go to college to study psychology.

Hi there, My name is Samira Butts. I live in Marietta, Georgia as a High School senior (class of 2021). I have lived essentially my whole life in Marietta, but up until my Freshman year in high school, I didn't know of or understand the complex history of Georiga as a whole let alone Marietta. I simply looked at the city as a quaint town not too far from Metro-Atlanta, with lots of activities and a variety of people. I had been to Marietta Square hundreds of times with my white friends, and I never understood why they looked at me differently. I never understood why race or ethnicity was important or mattered at all until I realized that Marietta Square was the same place where they hung black people not even 100 years ago. I never used to be around black people in school. I went to an advanced Education school in Elementary school and was in advanced programs in Middle school. It was only in my sophomore year of high school, however, that I began to feel out of place with all of my white friends. I began to branch out and talk to more people who looked like me, and I realized that not only are they fun to be around, but they have the same connections and interests as me. I also began to realize that some of my new black friends never had the same opportunities as me. Slowly I began to see all the inequalities that black people had to endure, not just in the world, or in Georgia, or Marietta, but my own High school. I now see the way white people look at the black students, how the black student receive more discipline from the administration, how the only way a black girl would be nominated for school queen was if she hung out with all of the White people. As I have opened my eyes in the past two years, I have developed a passion for social justice and helping my fellow black people. I feel that we should no longer be discriminated against, or removed from our hometowns because of the intentional raise of rent, or wrongfully persecuted in a court of law, or killed in the streets just for having dark skin. My life goal is to help the community of African Americans across America. I'm not sure exactly how I want to do that, but I know what changes I want to see in American: Black people should not have to endure gentrification. In recent years, in-town Atlanta neighborhoods have experienced transformations associated with gentrification such as increased property taxes, displacement of the poor, and heightened racial tensions. As a consequence, Atlanta is discovering that gentrification is a double-edged sword. On the one hand, city boosters, including politicians, often clamor for more gentrification because it raises tax revenues by replacing low-income residents with middle- and upper-income residents. However, it displaces hundreds of black people leading to increased homelessness. Not only does this displace hundreds of men and women, but this removes the memories and history of generations. Black people should not be afraid to leave their homes in the morning. Many people don't comprehend that police brutality is real, and it happens all around us. I should not be afraid of the people who are supposed to protecting us. Black people should not be unfairly persecuted and sentenced due only to their skin color. Hundreds of thousands of black men have been put to death and given extreme sentences in jail becuase of their skin color. Many of these men were either falsely prosecuted, or given unfair sentences for simple misdemeanors. Black people should not receive less pay. African Americans are the second most common ethnicity to live under the poverty line. Due to a lack of finances, which is caused by a lack of employment (due either to conviction or refusal to be hired) and paying unnecessarily high rent prices that they cannot afford. Black people should not have to be stereotyped and classified. Black people should be able to live peacefully in the "Land of the Free." By obtaining a college education, I will be able to help my community by, if nothing else, providing them the knowledge they need to succeed. By making them aware of the millions of opportunities in America. By changing their mindset from "a black kid in America" that they expect to become a football player or basketball player, but a KID in America, that has all the opportunities in the universe. Black boys and girls deserve to know that they aren't defined by their skin tone. They should know that they have all the same opportunities as a white kid or an Asian kid. If nothing else, they deserve that.

Do you take pride in your appearance? Do you take the time out of your life to take care fo your skin? I know I do. I am an African American female who takes extreme pride in her dark, smooth skin and black kinky hair. I feel that there are not enough all-natural skincare products for black women at a low price. When I walk down the aisle at the store, I see products starting at $15 just to have healthy, glowing skin. These products also don't last very long, forcing you to buy more. We as black women deserve to have products made for us, that are easy on our pockets. Beyond that, when you look at the back of any skincare product there are ingredients that you could probably not pronounce. Being an African American woman in America is hard enough, without having to compromise what makes us as beautiful as we are: our skin and hair. My goal is to provide the skincare that black women not only need to use to preserve their skin but want to use. My goal is to create products that not only look good and work well but make women feel opulent. My skincare line strives to preserve, smooth, and hydrate melanin soaked skin in a way that makes you not only look beautiful but feel like such as well. I plan to include face wash, face masks, brow and lash growth serum, as well as lip gloss. I was inspired to start my skincare line by the many questions I was getting about my skin. In school, my friends would often ask me how I keep my skin so smooth, and I would never reveal "my secret," but here it is: I only use natural products with limited ingredients, and if I can't find something that I like at a reasonable price, I make it myself. It all started with a simple face wash and face mask that I made from organic ingredients. I found that once I started using my organic and all-natural products, my skin began to glow a little brighter and fight breakouts faster. I decided that it was time to monetize something that I do anyway! I also feel that we as African American should support each other. By creating a skincare line, I am supporting my fellow black women, by helping them to maintain their melanin. My skincare line strives to send a message of self-love, self-appreciation, and self-care to all black women. I want black women to take care of their natural skin to a point where we can glow without using foundations and highlighters and mascaras. Black women are born with naturally beautiful, smooth, brown skin, and we need to take care of it. Applying makeup daily dries out and damages the skin. My all-natural products are made to save the natural beauty of all the melanin queens. Deciding to start an all-natural skincare line was the obvious option next, I have to work on product development, testing, creating packaging, and marketing. Obtaining money would make such endeavors easier for me.