For most people graduating high school is something that they know will happen. But for me, it was never this simple. As someone with complex trauma and parents who never graduated, I never expected to get to this point. As a 14-year-old girl, I thought I would take my life long before the day of graduation would happen. Walking towards my mother with a rose in my hand, was one of my proudest moments. At that moment I realized I did it, and not only for myself but my family. I graduated. I was alive, healthy, and happy. Thank you.

I first memory that comes to mind was during my sophomore year of college. It was Fall 2020, I was doing homework for my LGBTQ+ Studies course. Throughout the course, I learned to accept my identity more and more. I learned how to stop invalidating myself for my experiences. My homework was to watch a video on two spirits in the indigenous community. I have indigenous genes in my ancestry, it was something I never got to explore to show. It felt very similar to my sexual identity. I never let it shine through. This was the first time I had these two worlds cross for me. The video showed how to love two-spirit people are within the culture. How in our society two-spirit would be LGBTQ+, two-spirit individuals were looked up at. They carried high roles in the tribe, like healers. I remember the video making me cry. Even though it was only a few minutes short, I felt so overwhelmed with emotion. It was the moment that I realized I am completely okay with you I am and I love who I am. My major is Psychology and I have a double minor which includes Women, Gender, Sexuality Studies. I believe the more I learn and educate myself, it is the biggest thing I can do as an individual to make a difference within our community. In the terms of the social realm around LGBTQ+ awareness and positivity, I think it comes down to helping educate the people around me. I want to use my privilege and education to be the voice for those who can not speak.

Instagram is @sierravoelzke What makes me proud to be a part of the LGBTQ+ community, is the pure love and support we share in the community. I did not find myself until I got into college and accepted myself as queer. Throughout my many women, gender, sexuality studies classes, I found so much support and recognition for my identity. You find support who genuinely understands what it means to not understand yourself, I love it.

My greatest inspiration in life is my mother. Throughout my life, my mother has proven to me time and time again just how strong she is as an individual. This started long before I was born. She lived through low economic status as a child, domestic violence, sexual assault, and even emotional abuse from my biological father. Throughout the past 21 years, she has taught me that money, complex trauma, or even mental health is no means to give up. Even when I was a child and she dealt with depressive episodes, she got up and went to work and took care of my siblings and me. She never gave up on us or herself, even when she wanted to. She worked her hardest to try to give us the best she possibly could. Even now in college, my mother would give me her last dime if she could afford to for me to follow my dreams. I want to get my Bachelors in Psychology and continue my educational path onto an MSW so I can help people like my mother and myself. I want to show people the strength she has taught me. I want to make my mother proud as a first-generation college student. I want to do my best and dedicate my life to serving others like she has done for her family since she was twenty years old. My mother in all that she is, is what inspires and drives me to my future.

My everything is the people around me. Those people who have fallen through the cracks. The ones who get overlooked. The ones who do not get the support and love they deserve. The people who have fought more battles than they can count. I too am one of those people and for me, if it was not for a specific person in my life I would not be here today. I would like a chance to be that specific person for someone else. To show even just one of those people the sparkle to life. The hope of everything turning out okay. To show them that even they can break those boundaries of complex trauma and follow their dreams.