During my first year in college, I was feeling overwhelmed and stressed about what the f was going on. Working out was an area of interest for me that began to be a huge stress reliever, especially when I started going with one good friend of mine. We decided that every girl deserves to have a gym buddy to share goals, push one another, and overall be an accountability partner. After that we started the first GirlGains Chapter at my school, to create a nonjudgemental safe space for women to grow. Weightlifting is an area for women that has been garnering more spotlight in the media however, a lot of girls do not know where to begin. Especially when entering college, where the gym may be intimidating from all of the stinky gym bros huffing and puffing around you. Our goals involved creating free events for our members to attend, to allow fitness to be accessible to anyone. We started with professionals teaching proper form, yoga, self-defense, and hiking. Weightlifting and physical fitness include benefits like better sleep, memory, mental health, and overall well-being. Not only does this target some major qualities that help individuals reach success and their goals, but fitness also works in decreasing other chronic diseases that are leading society to high mortality rates. Personally, the health advantages are a great plus that definitely encourages me to stay active and help others start their fitness as well, however, I think the main lesson I have learned from starting this community is that women deserve to take up space! Through fitness, I have learned that women can break the stereotype of being seen as fragile. TAKE UP SPACE. TAKE UP SPACE. TAKE UP SPACE. One of my main mottos I cannot seem to say enough this year. I often felt as a woman I needed to act in accordance with others, to make them comfortable. This in turn would diminish my light, but starting GirlGains has helped me to gain more confidence and dominance as an individual. The events I pick for my members are picked out of their best interest, without realizing that I needed it as much as they did. One prime example includes a time I started to do pull-ups at an all-women gym event this past year. Everyone started to cheer me on and encourage me to hit as many pull-ups as possible. When I got done everyone continued to let me know how strong I am through my vision of the high-fives and smiles. As I continue to learn how to take up space, I felt shy at that moment because of the spotlight, without realizing the importance that single action may have influenced the other girls in the room. We often compete with one another comparing each other to fit this ideal image of women, but being in this space allowed us to see the value in this all-women community. It is crazy to think you are able to impact others, who are going on the same journey in such a major way. We all want to reach the best versions of ourselves at the end of the day, so having this uplifting community of empowering women has instilled a mentality and life-altering perspective change that I hope to continue to carry throughout my lifetime.

One practical solution for helping more people who struggle with mental health is by building relationships. Often times, the idea of mental health is held as a negative stigma. Most all individuals are effected by struggles of their own mental health issues, however it is not talked about. By building relationships with individuals, and expressing the importance of mental health awareness it is able to e understood in a new light. For example, one of my friends had been drinking alcohol heavily due to anxiety and depression. I began to see her mental health really effect her life. As we have a close relationship, I was able to approach her with my concerns. I started giving her my books on self compassion, creating good habits, and mindfulness. I even showed her my meditation routine and expressed the ways in which I myself have seen an improvement in my mental state after such practices. Although this is approach does not apply to everyone and I am no professional, my friends was more open to trying my methods of routine. By not only building close relationships, but also having open communication, we are able to each impact others in our lives. The recognition that paying more attention to your own mental health can go a long way and translate to the communities that make up society as a whole.

One investing tip that I have really taken to heart includes, learning the most about the companies one is investing in. By simply investing in any company that looks like it will continue to gain value may not remain consistent forever. It is important to know what the company or organization performs as far as duties, and maybe even listen to leaders from that specific program. This is one of the most beneficial keys in investing since one is able to learn if the company's value is truly up to par with the numbers and rates presented. This research also includes observing trends of the company before actually investing money into the company. This tip is beneficial in making sure that the trends of the company do not have any major declines and if so, investigating why. These are learned behaviors that require thought and action overtime, so one can invest in the correct way.

I look at the road ahead and it looks like it never ends. This is how I felt and continue to feel when I am in the presence of any micro aggressive or racist comments. There are multiple instances in my life where I tend to push comments under the rug or defend others in my head. For instance, saying "he does not know any better that is how he was raised", which is definitely not an excuse for any racially motivated behavior. By growing up in a majority white neighborhood, I never quiet came to question how race plays a huge role in one's life until high school. This sounds very ironic, as it would seem I would be more aware of the differences in race rather than blending in. As I continued to get older, I realized how much of an advantage it is to be Caucasian in a nation built for the white man. Being half Asian and half African American, as well as a woman seems like I am starting at a step behind in terms of platform, however I have learned to use it to my own advantage. The biggest obstacle I have overcome is realizing my individual worth, not in the eyes of race. I guess you could say this is a concept I am continuously working on. It is so important to work towards one's own goals, but also looking at the bigger picture in what ways one can help communities. We often begin to resent and fuel a type of hatred that usually stems from our racial differences, however what happened if we operated in a world with no differences? I believe the world would lose the complex structures, beliefs, values, and ways of living that so many ethnic groups are able to share in terms of perspective. I wish that all could share the love for all rather than hatred, to observe the implications of diminishing acts of racial tensions I hope to inspire others to realize their own worth in achieving their goals no matter what skin color. Inspired by fitness, as a way to promote healthy lifestyles and wellbeing, I have started an all-women fitness club. This allows women to specifically enter a judgment free community where we can empower one another and hold each other accountable. This promotes support from women no matter race or color. I chose to start this club in order to inspire other individuals of the implications of not only a good well-being, but the community aspect of uplifting on another. Although this is a smaller change at the worldwide barriers of race, it is a change that is able to impact of community of women to continue to change and implement love to others. This helped to bring my own self hope, and a reminder that most racist remarks will remain, but where we are able to build empowering and uplifting communities to start the needed change.

I am a big planner. Each summer I experienced a new summer camp to get a taste of a future potential career. As I was not afraid to try something new, I was able to get outside of my comfort zone. My mom would continue to sign me up for a new one each year, in hopes of learning more about myself. As an eighteen year old I still feel as though I barely know myself. It is a scary thought of entering the rest of the world without a complete picture of yourself or aspirations. One of the biggest influences in my life is my mother. Although she is a therapist she is one of the people in my life who reminds me to be true to myself. She reminds me to go out and experience something new to continue to learn about myself. She has been a prime example of how hard work pays off, in terms of career and self love. Although I am a big planner, my mom reminds me to let things happen as they are supposed to happen. By not having a grip on what comes next in life, allowing oneself to listen to themselves and act accordingly. it reminds me that not everything needs a plan. Since my mom is what I call an expert on mental health, she has stressed the importance of balance in life. One of the biggest struggles for teens growing up is mental health factors or barriers. Mental health is overlooked. We must each take care of not only our bodies but our minds. Especially in the American culture, society becomes focused on possessions, money, etc. These things are difficult not to focus on as they provide temporary happiness. At the end of the day if your mental health is not in good standings, none of the other frivolous things will matter. I intend to go into the science field, but not necessarily to become a therapist. I want to implement a system that is able to shape each person's mental health. Although many across the world put their efforts in doing so, only a few listen, and only a few follow through. I want to research methods of what implements change. Humans do things for the benefit of themselves. Why does the mental health of so many fall short from the list? I believe mental health information and methods need to be implemented at a young age. This will lead to fewer depression stages that most go through in their teen years. I believe with a better system of implementing mental health into every household at a young age, will in turn effect the rising generation. Their mental health will be healthier for those around them and also lead to a happier lifestyle. By implementing this system, relationships, self-esteem, and anxiety will overall improve. Although I am still continuing to work on myself, as there is always work to be done, I am grateful for the influence of my mother. I know her guidance will positively effect those around her and I hope to enter the science field to find potential solutions for future generations. Each and every person deserves to live the happiest life possible.

As a woman who is a double minority, I often feel a though I need to take advantages I have to proceed and move up in the world. I give 100% in all efforts so that I am able to be the best version of myself. I want to use my knowledge to learn and grow into an influential and meaningful person in this world. Often times growing up, I never payed much attention to the fact that women are discriminated against in the workplace because in my mind, I was worth just as much as any other person. As I have grown older and learned more about not only the discrimination, but the abuse, income discrepancies, and overall rights of women compared to men. I believe that the idea of a women taking care of the house, children, cleaning, etc. has been imbedded within our country. This idea still lingers as women should take a step back because it is a "mans" job or a job that contains " too much responsibility". These concepts are originated from religion and history that has yet to be forgotten. For some reason, some people in society believe that a man should hold more power in terms of a relationship. These concepts begin to carry over to the workplace and are implemented in the culture of many jobs across the U.S. In order to break the stigma of women not being equal to men in the workplace, there need to be more influential women in the workforce. There are not many women that hold high positions with power in the workplace. For this reason, I strive to become a n important person regarding the health and wellbeing of so many others who are at a disadvantage. Gender is just one of the issues regarding the intersectionality in the workplace. When taking to count not only gender but race, society reveals even more discrimination. The idea that more black men suffer from oppression compared to a white female is saddening to me. I often think about the cycle of racism that appears as racial bias in the workplace. I often am one of the few people of color in my classroom, which feels normal to me. I have not experienced any racial bias attitudes in the classroom, but feel that may not be the same entering adulthood. As a half Chinese and half black female, I have found a way to look for the positives of my future. I intend to become the best version of myself in all aspects in order to break the gender and racial norms in society. I believe if each of us do our part, we will reach a point where one will solely look at skill compared to your gender and race. I will do my part to tackle the issues of intersectionality in the workplace by speaking upon the topic as well as treating each and every person as a human. We all are humans at the end of the day, so I believe we each can use our strengths to help make society a place with better values and respect. In doing so, society will progress forward together.

I believe it is truly important to be involved in one's community to work together to reach an end goal of bettering one another. A community is not an individual person, but made up of individuals. I believe it to be important to be involved to be able to positively influence those around you. If one is not concerned about any aspects of their community they are not helping the wellbeing of others. I think that those apart of their community can all work together collectively to make things better for the future. Personally, I love to volunteer to help out my community. I like the direct impact I am able to make as well as the personal connections I am able to develop. There is something to be said about giving without expecting to receive something in return that lights my heart making me feel grateful. Some others in the community may need more resources or help than others, so it is important to help those in need who need a little extra support. Volunteering also allows me to build those close relationships just for the day. A strangers life is able to be impacted in a positive way, leaving you feeling like the community is now a slightly better place. Paz De Cristo is a homeless shelter where meals are prepared, cooked and served. This is one of my favorite organizations because one is able to donate food, prepare it in the kitchen, and serve it directly after. My favorite part is most definitely sharing a meal with members of the homeless community because at the end of the day we are all human beings. My second favorite philanthropy to be apart of is UMOM. This organization provides shelter for single mothers and families that are homeless. When I go to volunteer I read to the children, so the parents are able to take a break after work. Single parents and homeless families need a little extra attention in my opinion because the children are the communities future generations. We all need to help one another to reach success. I have also helped the disabled community through the Special Olympics events. It is important for those who are disabled to have the same opportunities as everyone else. Their disabilities should not limit them from doing something they are passionate about. I am grateful to build those connections with the kids involved in Special Olympics to help fulfill their dreams. I have helped my community by painting new built houses for the community. I have helped package food for other communities in need. I love to make blankets for those in the military that need them wherever they are stationed. I also love volunteering to help children of those who are in the military to help them pick out presents for when their parents comes home. Each of these opportunities have been able to help out my community in different ways. I plan to continue to help my community by providing more resources to low income athletes that are not able to participate to the full extent. I believe this would be influential to allow younger generations all opportunities and not limiting them because of their parents income. I believe helping members of the community is important especially if one has more advantages or privilege's compared to others. If every person helped out the community in various ways, society as a whole would be better off, so we each can reach our full potential.

To this day I do not truly know who I am. Throughout school I would easily make friends. After a short period of time I found that I actually had nothing in common with those friends, or changed who I was to be more likable. I act according to what I think other people want to hear. Since I always altered myself to fit into different friend groups I was always an outsider. Many would say " Oh that is just Tiyana, she does her own thing". I felt like I was never able to truly fit into the different high school groups because my mindset was no where near typical high school priorities. I am unsure if I always felt like the odd one out because I was friends with the wrong people or because I was truly the odd one out. I am half black and half chinese, so it is difficult for me to feel a true belonging in both cultures. My ethnicity also played a role in making me feel like the misfit, as I was surrounded by people who looked nothing like me. As I grew up in this way I became accustomed to it, and payed no attention until my teenage years. The idea that my ethnicity made me feel out of place, is not something that is a good feeling. It is something that can not be instantly fixed. I was super into volleyball throughout volleyball, but was also considered a "nerd" for being in the harder classes. The labels of high school is something I do not believe in, but still played a ole in my identity of feeling like a misfit. Since I played volleyball I was considered a "jock", but since I was in hard classes I was also considered a "nerd". Since I was not friends with many people of color I was considered "white washed", despite also being chinese. The labeling in high school was something I chose to ignore because I realized they do not define me. None of those labels, describe who I am. I am still learning who I am right now, but remember to ignore outside opinions and expectations. I would like to pass my knowledge to future generations, so they recognize there is not a box one needs to fit in to be accepted in society. I believe if we remove most labels in society, we will all be able to be our true selves. The world is a place full of misfits. Each individual person should embrace every ounce of who they are with no shameful labels.

The time I spend outside of the classroom I am either volunteering, working on myself, or spending time with friends and family. Firstly, I spent hours on top of hours putting all my effort into sports in high school. If I was not studying I was playing volleyball. Volleyball allowed me to make connections with others and also taught me lessons about myself. Sports allowed me to learn how to work with a team, remain determined, and stay mentally tough. This allowed me to carry traits of 'mind over matter' into the rest of my life. Volleyball overall allowed me to realize that I need to change my mindset in order to get the results I want. Secondly, volunteering is something I became passionate about throughout high school. No matter what philanthropy or organization I always got the same feeling of gratefulness afterwards. I was grateful for the own opportunities in my life and that I was able to impact their lives in a positive way. Not only did volunteering allow me to be more grateful, but also more understanding. Volunteering in different situations surrounding myself with different types of people allowed me to widen my perspective on human beings in general. Gaining this perspective and understanding made me realize that each person is unique to their own journey. When one struggles there is someone else who has it ten times more difficult, so one should be grateful for even the little things. Since I was able to help those who need it, it made me grateful knowing that I was able to make their day a little bit better. Outside of volleyball and volunteer work I love to spend time with friends and family. One of my favorite activities to do with them is explore new places and try new things. I love going on hikes, driving to a new place for an adventure, and love the thrill of trying a new activity. I believe it is important to make time for these outside activities because it reminds one o keep exploring. Whether it is snowboarding, trying new food, or jumping out of a plan I am always up for a new adventure. These experiences allow me to feel more free and less constricted, especially in comparison with regular day activities. I believe that each and every one of these outside the classroom activities make up who I am from the lessons I have learned from each. I believe these outside of classroom are necessary to find oneself along with being able to find one's passions. Once a person figures out themselves and their true passions then they will be able to further their education. I hope to continue pursuing these interests outside of the classroom in order to truly identify my passions and start making a a living from it. From each and every outside the classroom activity I was able to learn more information about myself and others. Everyone should be focusing on other experiences other than school to grow and truly find themselves as a person.

Education is something I often take for granted. It is an idea I often dreaded because there are so many factors that go into school alone. When thinking solely about education, it determines the knowledge gained through learning. It is an idea that can decide one's future and truly shape one's life. As I have gotten older and become to gain knowledge in areas I have more passions in, I find myself more involved. When going through high school there are many set classes that are required in order to graduate. In high school, I had more of a mindset to pass and get good grades rather than truly take in the information and understand it. In many other countries children stop going to school at a young age to help out their family or may not be able to afford it. Nowadays children do not look forward to school and rather spend their time elsewhere. This upcoming generation is exposed to even more technology than before. One would think an increases in technological advancements leads to an increase in accessible knowledge that can be gained by the solely the internet. Yet, to this day there are many who use this technology for entertainment or may not be able to afford it. Knowledge is an idea that should be sought by everyone. A lot of the times money is huge factor that limits one in life. Those who are fortunate enough to pay for their education are weighed down by the payments they will make throughout their lives. Education is not something that should be seen as a chore. Education is not something that should not be accessible to all. One should seek he most knowledge possible, because it will better one's life conditions. If a person lacks knowledge to the point where they cannot perform a job, it can be a critical point in their lives because they are left without income. It makes me even more upset that in order to be successful in life one needs education, but in order to get a good education one needs enough money. Why limit the knowledge across society, to keep others down and in the dark? Why not make education accessible to all, so that we as a society develop together. If everyone in the world received the education they wished, we would be a more progressive society. Not only would we be more progressive, but an increase in education would shape even the moral choices we as humans make.

Although many may admire astounding surgeons or researchers I felt most impacted by someone who I had a close relationship with. The person who I most admire in the STEM field would be my high school Biology teacher. Mrs. Caporali was someone who expressed her own passions to be my own. I loved Biology freshmen year and took quite an interest in the subject. She later nominated me for the Nation Youth leadership program, where I was able to meet surgeons, learn about medicine, and complete hands on activities. This was an experience that truly drove my passion in the STEM field. I was able to explore my interests with others who shared the same passions. Looking back on that time now as a senior I am grateful to have had that experience where I held a human brain, or learned how to draw blood. Mrs. Caporali was the sole reason for me to attend the medical program. The National Youth Leadership Program allowed me to explore my interests and develop it further. My dream is to become a surgeon, not a nurse but a surgeon. Most want to be nurses so they have the either path. Many women are nurses, where the surgeons are men. Since I am also mixed with black and Chinese, my future of being a surgeon may seem like a reach to most people. I will prove to others in society that skin color and gender does not have to determine your career path. Once I am a surgeon, it may set a example for those around to see that women are capable of anything if not more than any male that tells you otherwise. My goal of being a surgeon, is not only to learn about the human body, not only to be able to save someone in need, but to change the gender stereotypes. The gender stereotypes of males having most positions of power. In the STEM field I hope to empower others to do the same by setting an example for the young girls growing up. I will forever admire Mrs. Caporali because she is the person who sparked my passion for the STEM field. I hope to do the same in the future to break the gender norms of society.

When talking with my peers mostly do not want to live past the age of 70 or 80. In my mind, I think why not live till one hundred years old? Why not live life to the fullest and get the most of every day. The person that has had a great impact on my life is my great grandma, who lived till she was 102. Each time I visited her, she was cheerful and happy. I rarely heard her complain, which was odd considering her age. She would wake up at 6 am almost every morning and carry out her daily routine of a morning walk, followed by the bacon cooked by the same cook. My great grandmothers routine each day is something that I found to be useful for myself. I am most productive when starting an early morning with a plan. Routine is something that allows me to be the most productive. She would then force me to walk around her senior living facility to say hello to all her friends, knowing my simple youth and smile would brighten their day. I ended up enjoying talking to her friends as they would each talk about their past or ask me questions about myself. Most would touch my face, as if they longed to be youthful again. It made me realize that each one of us are growing wiser and older each day, so not one day can be taken for granted. I am only seventeen once, so I must make the most of every moment. My great grandma and I never had long conversations. She taught me one can still be content in silence. A persons simple presence is able to be enough, nothing extravagant. She was also always positive, not a negative bone in her body. If one starts the day with positive energy it will carry out throughout the day. The energy that one gives out is what one will receive. My great grandma taught me multiple life lessons whether it was from a small tasks or a simple conversation. Each time I would visit her at the senior living facility I left with a feeling of wanting to learn more from her. Since her usual conversation is silence, she is a natural observer. Sometimes observing one's surroundings and listening to conversations can be more beneficial than the conversation itself. I can talk on and on about how much I idolize my great grandma who lived past the age of one hundred. When I think of her it reminds me to start each day for what it is worth. Routine has more value than you may know. A simple smile to those around you may alter their day. I strive to reach the age of one hundred, so that I am able to make the most of each day by spreading love at the same time. I am grateful for the time spent with my great grandmother and would not trade her for anyone else in the world.