Farewell to Manazar by James D. Houston and Jeanne Wakatsuki Houston is the book that made me fall in love with reading. I initially read the book because it was my book report book in the fourth grade, but I recall how much the book impacted me and left an imprint on me. Being in the fourth grade I was still very sheltered from the real world, so when I read a book that explain how a little girl just like me was the target of hate toward Japanese Americans during the WW2 era I could not believe it, how could Amercia my home treat a little girl who is just like me in that manner? That book redefined my whole perspective on the world and it made me question why I was never taught about Japanese internment camps in my history classes, it made me question the legitimacy of school and the knowledge that I was fed. The book in itself examines a young girl as her family is forcefully imprisoned because her father once just exchanged ship oil with Japanese shifts on the coast of California. The story follows as this young girls grow up in the internment camp, how her family broke from the stress of the world, and how she slowly became ignored and neglected. This story examined her relationship with her father, as he turned an alcoholic after attending prison, it showcased a young girl losing all her innocence whilst also examining the consequences of stealing childhood from a young girl. The book was and still is so raw, and I have a special connection as I examine much of myself in Jeanne (the little girl), the book refined my perspective on Amercia.

The biggest problem the world is facing is the lack of public health concerns. The lack of access to fresh water and food, are two things that are essential and necessary for human existence. In countries such as Pakistan, where I am from the sewer system is on the side of the road, the drains filled with fecal and urine are exposed to the public and in heavily polluted cities such as Lahore, around 12 million individuals are breathing in toxic waste and actually even getting sick from this. In places even across Amercia, there is no access to clean water, on Indian American Reserves and in Flint, Michigan there is still unequal distribution or even a complete lack of fresh drinking water, in combination with less access to good healthcare in these regions leads to sickness as well as overall worsened well being. Issues such as lack of literacy in developing countries are important, but public health and the lack of access to clean water and food is a more pressing issue as it directly leads to survival and death. I call upon the governments of nations to make public health a priority, but at a local state, I propose low-cost and efficient water filters to be distributed widely in specific regions to ensure at the very least that clean water is a reality.

(1) If the world was fantasy and possessed no boundaries I would become a professional explorer, simply exploring the world around me and its complexities. However, that is unrealistic and in this life, I want to heal, I want to help individuals feel better when all hope is lost, I want to be a doctor of psychology, a psychiatrist and, that is my ultimate passion and dream. The idea that I could help someone in their darkest time motivates me, because I know whenever I have struggled I needed someone to help me come back to life, and the possibility that one day I could help an individual reclaim their life encourages me endlessly. Modern medicine moves me and the vast amount of cures and treatments that have been derived from it gives me hope for the future and its many progressions in the communities that need healthcare and mental health treatment the most. I believe that the Cultures that don't accept psychology and mental health will one day change to accept it, which will aid the mentally ill inside of those communities and this someday motivates me more than anything else in life, and I hope I am alive to see this change. (2)STEM is exciting in how it allows and celebrates curiosity. STEM pushes for curiosity, discovery, and exploration which are all things that I naturally perform. STEM fundamentally is an experimental base, it consists of proving a hypothesis and idea through experiment and data, and this process fascinates me. Furthermore, STEM is exciting as it allows new tools, machines, medicines, etc to become available to society. STEM is what directly improves and beliefs humans, understanding it is essential to the existence of human beings. Medicine is my passion and I understand that the research and exploration of science have allowed modern medicine to become advanced, I am excited to see the progression of medicine and medical treatments. Using both my passions of Medicine and IT in the field of bioinformatics, I will research and examine gene sequences and how genetic mutations occur in individuals. My passion is medicine but using IT I will be able to fully explore the field. (3)As a child, I always fanaticized the idea of hospitals and believed them to be magical, but as life took its course and between the heart illness of my grandmother and the seizures of my drug-addicted brother I realized how the hospital was not magical, but rather it was a real place that reflected both the good and the evil of human existence, it reflected human existence in the truest form and that scared me. It wasn't until ten years later that I entered a hospital again after my brother had another withdrawal seizure. I was scared to enter before but realized that as my age increased my courage needed to as well. My love for medicine grew as I became exposed to the reality of human life, both its limitless joy and restricting despair, as I understood that like life medicine was not simple I had dilemmas on whether the study of medicine was worth it when it was filled with so much evil and heartbreak. As I grew older and my perspective widened I realized that the humanistic aspect of medicine is what attracts me toward the field, that medicine is real, not always easy but it's impactful. I looked out of my childhood bedroom to the hospital. I was sure that my destiny lay in between the walls of the hospital and that in my battle of good and evil, I could be heroic if medicine was my happily ever after

What are you doing this for? Asked my grandmother in Urdu with curious eyes as she watched me study for my math exam. She couldn’t understand my drive to study and I couldn’t understand her disapproval of my education. Growing up in my Pakistani family, I have always been aware of what education for girls meant in my family. It wasn’t necessary but rather this big dream that women had, but it was never as important as taking care of family. For me, I loved learning about science, history, and philosophy. I loved expanding my mind. Learning was my oxygen, learning was my oxygen a liberation even but my family has never understood my love for school. I have been told countless times, more than I could remember, that I had to watch my nephew and niece which forced me to give up studying. I never had a say on what I wanted to do because ultimately those around me saw education as a want and not a need. I’ve questioned whether my intense passion for education and studying was even worth it. Was it worth all the talk and the judgmental eyes could I truly carry out my dream? Because my interest in studying was never taken seriously by my family, I began to doubt whether I could make it. Could my love of studying be translated into the real world? Was I capable enough to pursue my dreams in medicine and become a doctor? Books and researching topics I loved were my escape from my drug-addicted brother, my escape from my over-controlling parents, my escape from my not-perfect life, I engrossed myself so much in learning that I could cancel out the noise of my chaotic life. My parents immigrated from Pakistan to America decades ago so that their kids could pursue better opportunities than them, but I wonder if they ever realized that both their sons and daughter would want to pursue the opportunities, I wish could bluntly say in their face that education is as important for me as my brother make them know that I appreciate how much they have done for me but let them know that their daughter is going to take her education and excel in life, no matter their restriction and reservations on the topic. I am beyond privileged to live in America today, to have access to education as a woman in this nation. I am beyond grateful to be able to attend school as a woman (my mother only finished high school and had dreams of pursuing further education but her older brothers forced her to stay at home). I am privileged to have access to education and to have the opportunity, so for me, my education is my escape, it’s my tool with which I will build my future. I will pursue my education and become a doctor not just for me but for all the women who came before me who have dreams of getting educated but were restrained by my family and by this cruel world. (1) To get a college degree means that I can finally prioritize myself and my education, that I can finally focus on myself and my growth as an individual. It means that I can escape the handcuffs of my family, that I can finally become independent and have the means to live my own life how I want. But more than anything getting a college education means I get to fulfill my dreams, I get to learn and expand my mind and I get to become one step closer to my ultimate dream to become a doctor. Getting a college education means flying towards my dream not just for me, but for all the women in my family that came before me. (2)Most of my days outside my high school are spent babysitting my nephew and niece, taking care of my brother, and studying. On the weekends is when I catch up on my school work and test preparation and organize the many aspects of my life. However I still enjoy myself and my life because life is too short to be taken for granted so I video chat with cousins back in Pakistan, I spend time with my best friends or I stay in and watch television. (3)My curiosity is filled by the world encompassed inside the pages of books, when I read I am transported to a different time and space. When I want to learn something new I open my computer and begin browsing the world internet, research is my favorite subject and I have researched everything from fashion and psychology to law to medicine just because I was interested in exploring that topic and presenting my research. To understand my internal curiosity I journal, as I do so I uncover the questions that are deep in my soul and began my life journey of answering them. (100)

Social media infographics and comics are beneficial at helping those who struggle with mental health. The sad reality is that many individuals especially children and adolescents never receive psychological treatment because of the lack of servility of mental health resources. Furthermore, cultural differences and traditions can make individuals of certain communities at risk of never receiving phycological and mental health treatment because the whole phenomenon is seen and perceived as taboo. Social media is widespread and assecible to most children and adolescents today. I have been a part of a mental health organization called Active Minds which strives to advocate for mental health in public high schools. As the social media coordinator, I have personally seen the active engagement our followers have had with Instagram posts on topics such as academic stress, suicide, and burnout. In my community and my school, there are many individuals and cultures who don't accept mental health, my own culture being one of them but through the usage of social media we have been able to unify our students and collectively aid them. The widespread usage of mental health infographics and resources online and on social media is the ultimate cure, it will allow individuals of all cultures and backgrounds access to informative resources on mental health, it will allow children and adolescents to seek the help they need without the fear of their parents and family. Good mental health is crucial for all individuals, and allowing resources to become more accessible and widespread is needed to ensure that all individuals, regardless of personal backround can receive the help they deserve.