People are who they are today because of the experiences that they faced. Growing up, it was always just my mother and I. I never really met my “dad” since day one. I was never able to know him or see him but I did have a mother and I am very thankful for that. I faced the odds of becoming the stereotypical kid with a single parent that ended up going down the wrong path but I never did. Having a single mother made me this strong person that I am today. I had to grow up to be more mature because I had to learn to be responsible for myself. I also had days where I was home alone because my mother was at work still. Therefore, I had to figure out ways to deal with emergencies without my mother there to help. Watching my mother live pay check to pay check when I was young was very difficult. I always wished for a way to help my mother but at the time I couldn’t do much. It was always hard for my mom to keep up with other parents but she still managed to get me everything that I wanted and more. Even though I was too young to understand, I could feel the stress and the struggles my mom faced every day. At such a young age, I saw the effects of being a single parent and the ways that it changed my mom. She not only had to be a single mother but she had to find a way to replace the void of a father, or a father figure in my life. My mother is strong, independent, and courageous. I understood as I grew up that marriage is not perfect and it takes a lot of work, time, and dedication. I got to see what its like first hand for a single mother to work very hard to support their family. Being the child of a single mother has impacted me in negative ways; being that I don’t have a father figure in my life and it was hard being around friends that grew up with both parents in their home and in their life. However, besides that, there are many advantages to being a child of a single parent and it has impacted me in such a great way. Seeing how hard my mother worked and how independent she is made me want to be independent and grow up to be successful so that I can take care of her when I get older. I love my mother and I would not want my life to be any other way!

Dogs have been known to make great companions. I’ve heard that dogs are capable of boosting your mood and your health. As a child growing up, I've had different dogs but I was so young that I don’t remember having a strong connection with them. My first dog was a small shihtzu and we had him for a couple months until he ran away. We had a beagle and my dad had to give him away. We also had a lab mix and I do not remember what happened but I believe my parents gave him back too. However, my senior year of highschool in 2019, that is when I realized that it is indeed true that dogs can change your life for the better. I remember seeing a facebook post one day and this shelter was giving dogs away for free. Yes, for free. Then I continued reading and realized that if no one came to adopt those dogs, they would be put down. It broke my hear to hear that and therefore, one day after school, I decided to go visit the shelter and see what dogs were there. As soon as I got there, I instantly felt so happy to go see the different dogs. They just brought me so much joy and I did not understand why at that moment. As I am looking around at different dogs, I notice this small tiny one with had black and brown colors and was a chihuhua mix. It was a small miniature pinscher mixed with a chihuhua and his name was Scooby. After looking at him jump up and down and continue to bark at me, I knew he was the one I wanted. He also had a brother but someone already adopted his brother. I was then told to wait in the room while they bring Scooby to me for a small meet and greet. When they brought Scooby into the room, he was super happy and friendly and it was like he knew that I wanted to adopt him. Fast forward to 3 years later, 2022, and Scooby is my best friend. He saved me from stress. Growing up in a toxic household is not easy at all. But being able to have Scooby there to cuddle me and be there by my side whenever I am crying or just feeling down really made things a lot better for me. Scooby would sleep around my neck and actually fit because of how tiny he was. We bonded so well ever since I first brought him home and he is there for me just as much as I am there for him. Watching him get him zoomies and sleep all day brings me so much joy. Scooby really bought a lot of joy and peace into my life. During my senior year, I felt alone and during the beginning of the covid lockdown, it was even worse. However, having Scooby there gave me something positive to focus on and distracted me from my emotional difficulties. Having a dog helps to combat feelings of loneliness. I often find myself talking to him even though I know he cannot speak back. He loves to snuggle and just being able to having an animal who loves spending time with you makes me feel wanted and appreciated. He changed my life for the better on an emotional level. I realized how I am able to cope with a lot of things because my dog is there for me. My dog Scooby helped me gain a sense of responsibility, he showed me unconditional love, and is always there for me whenever I need him.

Dogs have been known to make great companions. I’ve heard that dogs are capable of boosting your mood and your health. As a child growing up, I've had different dogs but I was so young that I don’t remember having a strong connection with them. My first dog was a small shihtzu and we had him for a couple months until he ran away. We had a beagle and my dad had to give him away. We also had a lab mix and I do not remember what happened but I believe my parents gave him back too. However, my senior year of highschool in 2019, that is when I realized that it is indeed true that dogs can change your life for the better. I remember seeing a facebook post one day and this shelter was giving dogs away for free. Yes, for free. Then I continued reading and realized that if no one came to adopt those dogs, they would be put down. It broke my hear to hear that and therefore, one day after school, I decided to go visit the shelter and see what dogs were there. As soon as I got there, I instantly felt so happy to go see the different dogs. They just brought me so much joy and I did not understand why at that moment. As I am looking around at different dogs, I notice this small tiny one with had black and brown colors and was a chihuhua mix. It was a small miniature pinscher mixed with a chihuhua and his name was Scooby. After looking at him jump up and down and continue to bark at me, I knew he was the one I wanted. He also had a brother but someone already adopted his brother. I was then told to wait in the room while they bring Scooby to me for a small meet and greet. When they brought Scooby into the room, he was super happy and friendly and it was like he knew that I wanted to adopt him. Fast forward to 3 years later, 2022, and Scooby is my best friend. He saved me from stress. Growing up in a toxic household is not easy at all. But being able to have Scooby there to cuddle me and be there by my side whenever I am crying or just feeling down really made things a lot better for me. Scooby would sleep around my neck and actually fit because of how tiny he was. We bonded so well ever since I first brought him home and he is there for me just as much as I am there for him. Watching him get him zoomies and sleep all day brings me so much joy. Scooby really bought a lot of joy and peace into my life. During my senior year, I felt alone and during the beginning of the covid lockdown, it was even worse. However, having Scooby there gave me something positive to focus on and distracted me from my emotional difficulties. Having a dog helps to combat feelings of loneliness. I often find myself talking to him even though I know he cannot speak back. He loves to snuggle and just being able to having an animal who loves spending time with you makes me feel wanted and appreciated. He changed my life for the better on an emotional level. I realized how I am able to cope with a lot of things because my dog is there for me. My dog Scooby helped me gain a sense of responsibility, he showed me unconditional love, and is always there for me whenever I need him.

Poor nutrition is a growing problem in the world, especially America. Many people tend to neglect their health and do not realize the negative effect that it has. A healthy lifestyle is important to me because I do not want to put myself at risk of many diseases and I want to take care of my body. There are so many benefits to a healthy lifestyle and I enjoy finding out many different ways I can improve my health and wellness. The human body is most likely to function to the best of its ability if it is kept fit and healthy. In order to continue working hard, we must be able to make the best use of our bodies. Having a healthy lifestyle makes me happy and takes away a lot of my stress. To have a good healthy lifestyle does not only mean having a disease-free life but also a life where one has mental peace and is in a state of complete social well being. Having a healthy lifestyle is not just about maintaining a balanced and nutritious diet. You also having to engage in some fitness related activity because that is what really keeps you in shape and free of sickness and disease. Exercising release hormones to your brain that enhance your mood and provide you with a sense of euphoria. That’s important to me as well because it makes me feel more confident than I ever was before. When I started exercising regularly, I noticed that I looked good and looked fit like an athlete. It gave me a higher self-esteem and it makes me feel better about myself. Another reason why a healthy lifestyle is important to me is because it helps you live longer. Studies show that if you do not smoke, you exercise regularly, and consume a healthy diet, it can extend your life by up to 14 years. That is a huge benefit to my life and my well being and I would not want to neglect it. The modern world that we live in is very stressful and those who live a healthy lifestyle have been proven to have lower levels of stress and anxiety. There are so many ways to take care of your body and listen to it but a lot of us get comfortable with ourselves and do not want to step out of our comfort zone. Stepping out of your comfort zone allows you to explore different things about yourself that you never knew you were capable of doing. I want to be able to lead by a good example for others who give up or don’t believe in themselves. Living a healthy lifestyle will rub off on those around you. Every one has their own version of what it means to have a healthy lifestyle. It is important for one to identify what makes them feel good and what brings them happiness. When making changes, you start small. Then you’re more likely to see your small successes grow into bigger benefits. That is why it is important to me because I know that I am the one in control of my journey. There is no rush and one day I will get to where I want to be.

As a child if immigrant parents, I learned to take responsibility for my family and myself at a very young age. Although my parents learned to speak English, they constantly worked in order to financially support my siblings and I. Meanwhile, my grandparents and the rest of our family members were still in Congo DRC. All we had was each other here in the United States. My parents both speak more than 4 languages, therefore, I had to translate for them growing up. Thankfully, years later, my grandfather came to the U.S. as well and my other family members started to slowly follow right after. I still teach my family conversational English and still teach them about the new things of this new generation. The more involved I became with my family, the more I knew what I wanted to be in the future. Since I was five years old, my parents pushed me to value education because they were born in Congo DRC and could not afford to go one of the top best schools for great education. My parents were rescued by the United Nations because they were escaping war. Due to that kind of disadvantage, I learned to always be thankful and appreciate of everything in life. I learned to never give up and to always remain optimistic. The horrific things my parents endured while they were thrown in jail in Congo still haunts me until today. They endured a lot of lonely nights, painful nights, starving nights, and after waiting for so long they began to lose their faith in the most high. But one day, they were rescued and was given a wonderful opportunity to start fresh and live the life they’ve always wanted. Just for knowing my parents story, it helped me figure out who I wanted to be. I realized that my parents had a lot of trauma that was hard for them to unpack because they never learned what it was like to express themselves and heal from their past. They did not believe in therapy because no one talked about it while they were growing up. They did not have access to that. Especially for men, it was known that you were weak if you talked about what you go through and express your hurt. I wanted to be that person that can help them talk about their past trauma and learn how to heal from that. I dream to become a psychologist one day. More specifically for children because thats where it all starts. A lot of things affect you when you are a child and you don't realize it until you grow older. I would like to lead by example and show my family that therapy works. Many immigrants need treatment to recover from the physical abuse, untreated health conditions, trauma, discrimination, stress, and fear. Being a child of African parents who speak more than 5 languages, I can be that individual who is able to give immigrants or refugees access to therapy because I speak multiple languages. Psychotherapy helps people make positive changes in their lives and I would love to be apart of that change. Not just for my family, but for anyone around the world.