If you were to ask me three years ago this question I would 100% give a different answer. Now three years into a pandemic I can truly say that my mindset on a lot of things have changed. I attend The Pennslvania State Univesity where I take pride in diversity , equity and iclousion. As well as mental health amonst the campus. I think the most important change that I would love to see in the community , country and world is the awareness of mental health. I became a mental health advocate and completed my service learning hours with the National Alliance of Mental Illness (NAMI), an organization that provides community education for Prince George’s County. As a result, I learned about coping methods, mental disorders, mental health first aid, different kinds of providers and specialities that promote mental wellness. The World Health Organization defines mental wellness as “a state of well-being in which the individual realizes his or her own abilities, can cope with the normal stresses of life, can work productively and fruitfully, and is able to make a contribution to his or her community.” I struggled to find how I can promote mental wellness on my journey to becoming a Civil Engineer and beyond. It was naive of me to think that mental health was the sole responsibility of healthcare workers but finding a connection to my desired career wasn’t easily apparent. As the severity of the pandemic increased and the trickle down effects started to become more visible (mass evictions, chronic illnesses for survivors, skyrocketing unemployment), I realized something. Covid-19 will eventually end but widespread poverty is just beginning and poverty is a pandemic too. Currently, there are 1.7 million engineers in the U.S. and only 16,000 of them are Black women; women who raised me, look like me, and women who hold the most advanced degrees in our country and yet, still get paid less than our white counterparts. By mentoring and sponsoring Black girls in Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM), I am going to mold the next generation of engineers. My intentional commitment to sharing my resources and access to my growing network as I advance in the field will change the financial trajectory of their lives. When people do not have to worry about surviving, they have time to actually thrive. Survival is dependent on financial stability and if I can open just one door for a little Black girl to achieve financial freedom by way of Engineering, then she’ll open 10 more doors, then 50, then 100. We will open all the doors until we are free and freedom is what mental wellness is made of. My big dream is simple opening the doors for African American girls like me. Currently, there are 1.7 million engineers in the U.S. and only 16,000 of them are Black women; women who raised me, look like me, and women who hold the most advanced degrees in our country and yet, still get paid less than our white counterparts. By mentoring and sponsoring Black girls in Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM), I am going to mold the next generation of engineers. My intentional commitment to sharing my resources and access to my growing network as I advance in the field will change the financial trajectory of their lives. When people do not have to worry about surviving, they have time to actually thrive. Survival is dependent on financial stability and if I can open just one door for a little Black girl to achieve financial freedom by way of Engineering, then she’ll open 10 more doors, then 50, then 100.

I am a 19 year old African American female that has been raised by a single mother who would soon show her daughter that the universe made out to best us if we don't truly understand it. Can the universe provide us with the meaning of life? The answer is Yes!.We have to look at the universe as a higher superior. “The empirical attitude is to accept life as a marvelous gift and make the best lemonade out of the lemons it brings. This It turns out that understanding the nature of the universe goes hand in hand with our understanding of who we are and how we fit into nature.reverbration can be similarly show the organic relationship between a plant and the nutrients in the soil that feeds it”. But it does not fulfil the need for a deeper meaning.I can list you a multitude of things that I would show you why understanding the nature of the universe can bring both peace and serenity in someone's life. . People can say they understand when I go in depth about what I am about to explain that needs to be the first thing changed but will truly never know until they are met with that obstacle. My mom once told me that there is no mystery more fundamental than that of the meaning of life. We often find ourselves in a place without a set script, so we obviously tend to seek a purpose and wonder. Leaving us with the question of what could it simply be all about.We know that we could simply live our life without assigning a deeper meaning to it, just as we seemingly can use our liver without dissecting it. We can start off with revolution of the universe and how humans seems to think the universe either plays apart in their life in a little way or the whole way. It is our nature to always seek out the things that pleasure us the most and not the things that we need the most. Starting with my first idea: We should always put our best interest at heart in the long run regardless if we feel like it wont help us in the now. The loveliness of keeping our pure interests at heart and stepping with them in our long journey is to understand those things that truly want what is best for themselves will see through the fog of their journey and the immense of poor opportunities of life, and will slowly realize your sight of control was truly love, wholeheartedly for them. It will be dreadful along the way, you may feel like it could potentially push you away, but don’t go give up and dont go away. Stay loyal in their best interest, continue conversing in what you , and be open with your love. But understand, with everyone surrounding you , you will keep some and lose some. Stand convicted on your true core values and morals. The universe is a very complicated thing that us humans fail to understand and enjoy.

When people do not have to worry about surviving, they have time to thrive. Mental illness in Black women; women who raised me, look like me, and women who hold the most advanced degrees in our country and yet, still get less help medically than our white counterparts. I became a mental health advocate because of my grandma's dedication to mental illness because of my aunt. I looked into the National Alliance of Mental Illness (NAMI), an organization that provides community education for Prince George’s County was also because of my aunt. As a result, I learned about coping methods, mental disorders, mental health first aid, different providers, and specialties that promote mental wellness. Learning this was so special because I have seen what battling with mental illness does to a person. Leading up to my aunt's death, I watched as she struggled with living in a society that knew nothing about mental illness. She was treated differently, people took advantage of her, and people saw her as an outcast. Very few people knew her as well as my grandma and mom did, which is why they knew what to do in all situations. As I started to research more, mental illness in a woman that has been properly diagnosed and treated was at an all-time low. This was because women medically get treated correctly and efficiently at a lower rate. I have seen my aunt go in for medicine. But tell us that the doctors barely cared to understand her thoughts. From then on I have dedicated my time for people of color specifically that battle with mental health to have a voice; To never feel like they are less than the other. I will use my voice to spread awareness about mental health in all communities Today as we are under stress due to this global pandemic, I saw that we were so busy fighting for our health that we spent little to no time fighting for our sanity.