# data[].attributes.body
I have struggled with being black for most of my life. I prefer not to be the center of attention and being one of the few black kids in school makes it hard to blend in. It wasn't until high school that I started to realize its okay to not look like everybody else. I am now proud of my ethnicity. I have realized as an African-American we were forced to create our own culture. I now embrace it and am no longer ashamed of the color of my skin.

# data[].attributes.body
I have struggled with mental health issues my entire life. Anxiety and depression run in my family. I am learning to get through it. I do believe everyone will experience some type of mental health issue in the future and its okay to ask for help. Its okay if your not okay, were only human. There is still so much research to be done on the brain so if yours isn't working correctly don't feel broken.

# data[].attributes.body
Animals, in my opinion, deserve the world. I have a dog who I would die for. I wanted to be a veteran but I know I wouldn't be able to put any animal down. Without them I do believe we wouldn't be here. They should be treated with respect. They are here to keep this world going round, even though humans are quickly destroying it. We should all do our part in helping protect this Earth from them. Whether its recycling, taking the train or even just using less plastic a little goes a long way.

# data[].attributes.body
Music was my escape as a child. I was always singing and did choir in elementary, middle school and high school. I have these giant lists of songs from each grade that meant something to me during that time in my life. It brings people together and has this power to really transform an environment. I do believe it is a universal language that everyone should be able to experience.

# data[].attributes.body
Growing up, my favorite Christmas present was the $5 gift card I would get to the movies. Whether it may be indie, rom-com, action, scary, documentary, etc I will see it.  I watch the Oscars every year and will tweet about the results as if my opinion matters. To me, there is always a story to be told. With film you are able to reach that one person and make them feel a little less alone. Watching films from different countries is so eyeopening. Just seeing how their cultures are different from yours and what jokes you miss. I encourage everyone to give a foreign film a chance.

# data[].attributes.body
I use to hate writing. Growing up, I never enjoyed writing projects because I didn't know how to get my ideas onto the paper. My vocabulary was limited and I couldn't express myself the way I wanted to. I still struggle with this but with the help of a few teachers I now love it. Whether its writing in my journal, researching an article or poem I'll do it. That feeling you get at the end of writing a long paper makes it all worth it in the end.