For the longest time, I lived in denial that I had anxiety and depression. I felt guilty because I knew that I had a great life with a wonderful support system of family and friends, yet I still dreaded waking up in the morning. I knew other people had it worse and I felt ungrateful. Then, while hibernating in my home due to COVID-19 last summer, I discovered an old list in the Notes app on my phone titled, “Writing Prompts.” I opened a Word document and began to spell out my thoughts on these random topics. Liking what I saw, I spontaneously decided to launch a personal blog. As a multi-passionate girl intimidated by the idea of selecting a niche, the first 12 posts on “Trisney’s Tangents” covered a miscellaneous collection of topics like having an accountability partner or learning to accept compliments. But eventually, I began to notice I was tying everything together in terms of my personal battle with mental illness. While I recommend counseling and professional help, I have also found a form of self-therapy and have been able to improve my own mental health through physical fitness, healthy food, peaceful art, authentic writing, and rewarding relationships. Out of this discovery arose the purpose-seeking question: “Does my writing bring healing?” Now, I write with clarity, seeking to share the scar in my story that motivates my mission of equipping other girls with insights and resources for facing challenges similar to mine. Further, I have always wanted to be a stay-at-home mom, yet I find myself here in college investing a significant amount of time and money to earn a degree in mass communication. I refuse to watch it go to waste. While I grow my blog as a resource for others who struggle with mental health, I am interested to explore what else I have to offer and what it would take to monetize my passions. And while I am well aware that blogging and "influencing" is a very saturated market and it takes a lot to stand out and succeed, I see this as a challenge, not a threat because I know that if the content I create is truly valuable, inspiring, and worthwhile, my audience will find me. If I can start to strengthen my online presence and business now, as a side hustle, I choose to believe that further down the road, when I am starting to think seriously about having children, I might be able to work full-time, writing and creating from my own corner of the world so that I can contribute financially, while also being fully present for my family. And if my dream ends up looking different than I imagined, I will be at peace knowing I seized every opportunity to learn the skills that might have been helpful in this pursuit. I am beginning to understand that my mental illness may not be as drastic as other people’s, but it is still a painful reality I must learn to navigate. I have also come to realize that I have a talent for the written word that would be selfish to waste, and the way I can best support others who struggle with mental health is by sharing pieces of my journey through my blog. I plan to continue empathizing and encouraging, sharing the lifestyle habits I’ve built and perspective shifts that have helped me, and hopefully, I will help heal at least one other heart.

Hibernating in my home due to COVID-19 last summer, I discovered an old list in the Notes app on my phone titled, “Writing Prompts.” I opened a Word document and began to spell out my thoughts on these random topics. Liking what I saw, I spontaneously decided to launch a personal blog. As a multi-passionate girl intimidated by the idea of selecting a niche, the first 12 posts on “Trisney’s Tangents” covered a miscellaneous collection of topics like having an accountability partner or learning to accept compliments. But eventually, I began to notice I was tying everything together in terms of my personal journey to overcome anxiety and depression. While I recommend counseling and professional help, I have also found a form of self-therapy and have been able to improve my own mental health through fitness, food, art, writing, and relationships. Out of this discovery arose my purpose-seeking question: “Does my writing bring healing?” Now, I write with clarity, seeking to share the scar in my story that motivates my mission of equipping other girls with insights and resources for facing challenges similar to mine. I have always wanted to be a stay-at-home mom, yet I find myself here in college investing a significant amount of time and money to earn a degree in mass communication. I refuse to watch it go to waste. As I grow my blog, I am interested to explore what else I have to offer and what it would take to monetize that. And while I am well aware that influencing is a very saturated market and it takes a lot to stand out and succeed, I see this as a challenge, not a threat, and I know that if the content I create is truly valuable, inspiring, and worthwhile, my audience will find me. If I can start to strengthen my online presence and business now, as a side hustle, I choose to believe that further down the road, when I am starting to think seriously about having children, I might be able to work full-time, writing and creating from my own corner of the world so that I can contribute financially, while also being fully present for my family. And if my dream ends up looking different than I imagined, I will be at peace knowing I seized every opportunity to learn the skills that might have been helpful in this pursuit.

Various forms of media are increasingly competing for our short attention spans and I recognize that fewer and fewer people are willing to commit to reading extensive blocks of text. I am a writer, but I see this as a challenge, not a threat. I live for stories and believe that each person has a unique one to tell. So, I am excited to see thousands of people becoming their own content creators. However, I understand how quickly a person can drown in the sea of information overload and, because of this, I intentionally strive to write only what is worth my readers’ time. In fact, each sentence is guided by a single question. Hibernating in my home due to COVID-19 last summer, I discovered an old list in the Notes app on my phone titled, “Writing Prompts.” I opened a Word document and began to spell out my thoughts on these random topics. Liking what I saw, I spontaneously decided to launch a personal blog. As a multi-passionate girl intimidated by the idea of selecting a niche, the first 12 posts on “Trisney’s Tangents” covered a miscellaneous collection of topics like having an accountability partner or learning to accept compliments. But eventually, I began to notice I was tying everything together in terms of my personal journey to overcome anxiety and depression. While I recommend counseling and professional help, I have also found a form of self-therapy and been able to improve my own mental health through fitness, food, art, writing, and relationships. Out of this discovery arose my purpose-seeking question: “Does my writing bring healing?” Now, I write with clarity, seeking to share the scar in my story that motivates my mission. Finally, I am well aware that influencing is a very saturated market and it takes a lot to stand out and succeed. But again, this is a challenge, not a threat, and I know that if the content I create is truly valuable, inspiring, and worthwhile, my audience will find me. If I can grow my blog now, as a side hustle, I choose to believe that further down the road I might be able to work full-time, writing and creating from my own corner of the world. And if my dream ends up looking different than I imagined, I will be at peace knowing I seized every opportunity to learn the skills that might have been helpful in this pursuit. Read a sample blog post here: https://www.trisneyjanine.com/blog/living-the-life-i-wish-i-had

The Goals of an Aspiring Public Relations Specialist I never had a “dream job” as a child, but I knew what I enjoyed and what I excelled in. It was not until the final semester of my senior year in high school, after hours of perusing university catalogs, that I pieced together the puzzle: with my social skills and my writing skills I could befriend, then compose, inspire, and ultimately, help build “mutually beneficial relationships between organizations and their publics” (PRSA.org). When I realized this potential, I decided to pursue a career in communications. This seemed broad enough for me to study a range of skills, any of which could prove to be relevant in a public relations setting. The breadth of this major would also teach me flexibility and how to juggle multiple responsibilities. However, I needed a more specific angle. So, I chose the more business-related emphasis, advertising. This would teach me more about the markets I would likely find myself engaging with. As I consider the future, I see two major goals; one short-term, and one long-term. My short-term goal is to graduate from Southern Adventist University in December of 2021 as a Southern Scholars honors student with a B.S. in mass communication-advertising. As an overachieving 2018 high school graduate, I would be very proud to graduate with my bachelor’s degree in only three and a half years, having completed more than the required courses for my major. I have managed to balance my required mass communication coursework, Southern Scholars interdisciplinary honors classes, as well as a number of classes in the School of Music to enrich my college experience and pursue deeper growth, as well as a few extra digital media-related courses that I have voluntarily scheduled to take simply because I anticipate their usefulness in the future. Ideally, I hope to graduate with a job already secured and I am continually working toward this by networking on social media, across campus, and at various conventions such as PRSA Georgia’s Real World Atlanta conference and the Society of Adventist Communicators. At present, I am on track to accomplish this short-term goal. My long-term goal is to serve as a successful freelance public relations specialist. I value variety and hope that throughout my career I can earn a rapport and good reputation that attracts potential clients to whom I can market my skills. I recognize the risk of spreading myself too thin as a freelancer. However, I envision a career, not of shallow investment in miscellaneous clients, but one of insightful diversity. In both of these goals, I see three strategies for success. First, wherever I end up, I am dedicated to acting as a leader. This does not necessarily mean holding a position of authority. It simply means earning respect and proving to be dependable. Secondly, as December 2021 approaches, it is especially important to me that I remain curious. While I have not decided about a direction of graduate schooling, if I do not become an enrolled student again after I complete my undergraduate study, I know that I will continually educate myself, always striving to learn and grow. And finally, I am committed to serving those around me with the confidence that I can make the world a better place for my generation and those to come.

Growing up, my dad always advised me: “You’ll get as much out of it as you put into it.” This same philosophy is what motivated me to join my university's honors program where I have been able to take ownership of my education, pursue deeper growth, and surround myself with fellow high-achievers for an enriching college experience. I am going to school because I believe that with a quality education, I will be able to invest more time in serving those around me, rather than spending all of my resources on trying to take care of myself. Further, with a college education, I will develop the skill of curiosity, so that I can continue to educate myself, always striving to learn and grow even beyond graduation and throughout my career. As many would observe, an educational environment provides me with guidance in honing my skills, building my portfolio, and networking with professionals. This is true, but for me, education is more than that; it is a place to refine my interests and discover my passion and purpose. Education is a place to meet new people, gain new insights, and explore new perspectives. And through it all, I can have the mentorship of others to help me while I learn, live, fail, and grow. Most importantly, though, I am pursuing further education because, by engaging with thought-provoking ideas and with inspiring fellow scholars, I will be better informed to contribute socially, politically, and economically to making the world a better place for my generation and those to come.

“I Have Decided to Follow Jesus…” The Cedarmont Kids Bible Songs played on our family’s VHS and I, at the age of three, danced around mimicking the little girl in a purple dress who was ice skating in the music video. So, for my fourth birthday, my parents signed me up for the Learn to Skate program at our local rink. They quickly realized my level of commitment and invested in high-quality gear and numerous opportunities. I continued to take regular lessons, skated three to five times per week, and eventually passed 13 US Figure Skating tests, attaining the title of a “US Figure Skating Gold Medalist.” I have been a figure skater now for over 16 years. When I came to Southern Adventist University, I really missed skating and that athletic channel for creative expression. So, last school year (despite warnings that some people at my relatively conservative university might disapprove) I decided to lead a praise dance group, inviting students to join me in choreographed worshipful routine. We were invited to worship at a university vespers service, as well as for various local organizations during the university-wide service day. Through Choreo for Christ, I was able to minister to others who resonate with athleticism and artistic expression. This year, due to social distancing precautions, Choreo for Christ is on hold. So, I have turned to jogging, yoga, and off-ice drills for COVID-19-safe exercise practices. However, fitness has always been and will always be a major part of my life. Now I am a junior mass communication major who only gets to ice skate a few times each year and has resorted to dancing alone. However, I have carried my passion for strength and elegance into all areas of my life. I often find myself applying the creativity and self-discipline I developed as a skater, dancer, and self-taught gymnast to my academic and professional careers. Throughout my skating career, my dad always advised me: “You’ll get as much out of it as you put into it.” This same philosophy is what motivated me to join my university's honors program where I have been able to take ownership of my education, pursue deeper growth, and surround myself with fellow high-achievers for an enriching college experience. The ice is a second home and will always be filled with memories of fun, failure, friends, and family. I believe everyone should find a sport they are passionate about to invest in and grow from because having a dedication to something through thick and thin for years on end cultivates a resilience that will prove to be valuable in school, ministry, work, and more.