I can look at the clock in 30 seconds, 20, 10, 5, now. A wave of relief washes over me. My high school life had always been controlled by numbers; time was my worst nightmare. What time is it? When can I look at the clock? I only have 5 minutes left to finish this paper or something bad will happen. These repeated thoughts took over my life with no explanation. I let these obsessions creep into my everyday activities; controlling my mood, my social life, and my days. Overtime, as I continued to struggle with my mental health it became apparent to me that I needed help, and I am so grateful I was able to take that first step. My name is Sarah, and I have obsessive compulsive disorder. I was diagnosed in my freshman year of college, but my symptoms have been around a lot longer than that. OCD is one-way mental health affects me, but I've seen mental health affect the people around me too. I used to think of mental health in a negative light, seeing what it did to the people I loved most made me angry with the world, but my view started to change when my dad started to take steps improving his mental health. My father has always struggled with depression, so when I saw him start to take action to get better it made me realize that although his depression disorder is always going to be in his life, that doesn't mean his life can't be enjoyable. I applied this way of thinking into my own life, and slowly the pieces of me that were controlled by OCD became manageable. Throughout my mental health journey, I had to come to the understanding that recovery isn't linear. For the longest time I never thought my dad was going to be okay, it always felt like one step forward and two steps back, but his mental health journey took time. I began to understand that everyone's mental health journey takes time, but without help my journey would have to be put on hold. I wanted help, so I began therapy at the beginning of my freshman year of college, August of 2023. I was officially diagnosed with obsessive-compulsive disorder in March of 2024. I began medication for OCD soon after my diagnosis. My journey has made me realize that without taking those first steps I wouldn't be in the place I am today. It has not been straightforward, it has been hard, but I am grateful that I can talk about my experience without seeing it in a negative way. My mental health journey has influenced the way I interact with my family and friends. I know it's important to share my story. The stigmas around mental health, specifically obsessive-compulsive disorder, are easy to fall into. I used to think I was crazy for having obsessive thoughts until I found articles of people bravely talking about the thoughts I was having, as they were having them too. Community was the most important thing for me when I was in the darkest part of my journey, so when the topic of mental health comes up in my relationships, I voice my story. I want my friends to know that I am someone who will listen to their feelings. The hardest, but most effective part of lending my friends an ear is telling them the thoughts and compulsions I have had before, some of which many people who are unaware of OCD would judge. My journey has taught me to be judgement free with everyone's stories, I bring this mindset into every relationship I have. I believe everyone deserves a happy life. I used to think my chance of happiness was inhibited by my OCD. My OCD, which has been the greatest personal hardship in my life, has made me into the person I am today. I have more compassion and understanding for others and that comes from my shared experiences. My happiness at times may be inhibited by my mental disorder, but my journey through OCD has broadened my view on that world, and that is something I will always be grateful for as I will carry it with me for the rest of my life. Currently, I am a sophomore in college at Ohio University majoring in Environmental Science and Sustainability. I hope to have a future career in environmental science; helping the people of our world through improving our planet's climate. Mental health will forever play a key role in my future career. Many people feel fearful for what our planet will become in the next couple of years, I want to be someone who influences change environmentally. The best way people can have hope for the future is if they see the science behind that hope, I understand why people fear for the future, but for my career I will be doing everything in my power, so those fears do not come to light.

What does the word sustainability mean to me? The dictionary definition is "the avoidance of the depletion of natural resources in order to maintain ecological balance". The definition gives an overall description, but I want to dive into why it is important to me. For starters, my name is Sarah Goecke, and I am a sophomore at Ohio University majoring in environmental science and sustainability. My passion for a sustainable world is derived from the empathy I feel for environmental issues; this began my 2nd year of high school during Covid. In 2020, I spent my days learning about the world, as I couldn't experience it for myself. Many social injustices were brought to light that year, and although all important, environmental awareness and global climate change created a personal impact for me. I decided to become a leader of environmental change, and I have continued to encourage the people around me to focus on making a change in their local environments. Majority of the environmental injustices come from big cooperations; I use my voice any chance I get to speak against them, but creating impact in my local community is a way I have been able to use my individual actions for the purpose of building a sustainable future. I am involved in sustainable volunteer work around the Athens, Ohio community. My individual actions include cutting down dead trees, hosting education tabling events for sustainability, and talking to groups of Ohio University students about the environment through an organization called Climate and Sustainability Ambassadors, where I hold the position of social media chair. Using my voice at the local level has amplified my understanding of a need for a sustainable world, and I hope that others can join my voice in the fight against the injustices on our Earth.