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At the beginning of the pandemic, I really struggled with being alone and navigating feelings of isolation. I began tending to plants and it was extremely healing for me. This is my plant Roxanne and she has supported me during my time at HGSE - she has been a constant positive part of my life and I find joy in taking care of her ❤️

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Jade was a sacred stone of the Mayans, and the “jaguar green” color was connected to nature, life and it was believed to have healing properties. It is also believed that this stone helps us find our equilibrium on earth, gives us wisdom and serenity.

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TrailBlazHers: We uplift. We unite. We are unstoppable.

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TrailBlazHers: We uplift. We unite. We are unstoppable.

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In October of 2020, I was hit by a car while biking to campus. The fracture of my right tibia extended up into my knee joint. I couldn't walk until the new year. The healing process of both my physical and emotional beings was just that - a process. One of my strong identifiers is as a runner. For a while, I thought I wouldn't be able to run again. Run without pain, run long distances. I thought one of my joys had been stripped away from me.

My TrailBlazHers jersey symbolizes my return to running. It was the singlet I wore for my first race a year post-accident, my first race as a TrailBlazHer runner.

We outside 💜
https://trailblazhersrunco.com/

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I brought to class my rings that signify the moment I created my own family that would uplift and celebrate me in life. I grew up with complicated, painful, and unsafe conceptions of "family." We were always geographically close, but unsafe in many other definitions of healthy relationships. When I moved across the country away from my family of birth, I believed I would never have a family of my own. As I worked on myself and grew, I fell in love and began to create a family on my own terms. I began to trust myself, that I was not just a product of how I was raised. I had my own children who always feel loved and safe. The security of my family allowed me to reach out and start to build bridges with my past (with a lot of boundaries). At the beginning of the pandemic, I often thought about how luck I was. Had pandemic occurred in my childhood, with the mental health issues of my father and the limitations of my mother, I wouldn't have been safe. But my husband, children and I loved each other and pulled together as a singular unit. We were all sad to go back to our separate realms when schools and work began opening up. I can't believe how fortunate I am to have to family I can claim as my own. I am always encouraged to be my best self, to love myself, and to push to realize my hopes and dreams.

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I bought myself this candle early in the pandemic but hadn't used it for months. I would open it, smell it, and put the top back on, afraid to use it and not have my favorite candle smell anymore. I mentioned to my friend that I hadn't ever lit this candle and a few weeks later, she randomly sent me another one, slightly used because 1) she wanted to smell this heavenly scent for herself and 2) now it was slightly used so I didn't have the excuse to not light it and 3) she wanted me to know that I deserve to use my nice things without fear of using them up. I told my roommate this story who then bought me another one of these candles for my birthday! The candle is now a reminder to me that I deserve to use & enjoy the things that bring me joy, without fear that they will run out or that I need to carefully ration out the small things that make me happy.