Mya Rose | One Year Later

In the Summer of 2021, Mya Rose began her mentorship program here at TFD! Since the beginning, Mya has always had an interest in photography, which she began to take significant steps to learn during her mentorship. She is now part of the TFD team as a content creator and photographer! Mya plans to continue photography and to learn other skills within the creative field. We are so excited to see Mya’s next steps and watch her continue to grow!

Photo Credit: Jasmine, Houmam, & Suha

Jessica Rivera | One Year Later

Video Credit: Kevyn Tapia

Meet Jessica Rivera! Jessica began her journey at TFD in Spring of 2021, the very first mentorship! She has always had an interest in photography, which is a skill she began to greatly develop during her mentorship. Jessica continues to do photography and work on her creative skill sets through her church and has some big opportunities coming up! We are so excited to see how she has grown over this past year and for the great things ahead!

Photo Credit: Jasmine Lopez

Mental Health Stories

May is Mental Health Awareness Month!

To normalize the topic of mental health, we gathered a few inspirational stories from local young adults who wanted to share their mental health journey! Each person has their own beautiful and unique story. Simply sharing what we have been through and how we process it can impact those around us more than we know. It is important that mental health is talked about and that people know they are never alone!

We hope you enjoy and find comfort in the stories shared!

1. Jamia Perteet

Jamia was a Spring ‘22 Mentee. Click above to read her story about accepting herself and learning about self-importance!

Photo Credit: Mariah | Spring ‘21 Mentee

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2. Tracy Wilson

Tracy was a Spring ‘22 mentee. Click above to view his story about overcoming his struggles and never giving up!

Photo Credit: Mya Rose | Summer ‘21 Mentee

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3. Kevyn Tapia

Kevyn was a Summer ‘21 Mentee. Click above to read about his story of self-discovery!

Photo Credit: Mya Rose | Summer ‘21 Mentee

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4. Mya Rose

Mya was a Summer ‘21 Mentee. Click above to view her story about discovering the importance of the small moments in life!

Photo Credit: Suha | Summer 21’ Mentee

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5. Saffron Hurt

Saffron was a Summer ‘21 Mentee. Click above to view her story about embracing herself!

Photo Credit: Jasmyn | Summer ‘21 Mentee

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6. Amie Isfan

Amie was a Fall ‘21 Mentee. Click above to read more about her impactful story of working hard and learning to let go!

Photo Credit: Dulce | Fall 21’ Mentee

Mental Health Stories | Amie Isfan

Video Credit: Kevyn Tapia

What is your story?

My story starts with control. The lack of and the need for it. I was always a very independent kid. I felt like I needed to be where everyone else was and that tainted my own perception of success. I never liked to ask for help. It made me feel weak. Life was just me, working way to hard to live up to unattainable standards. There are days I wish I had a more childlike childhood. Less stress, more time outside. But I am where I am now and I am proud of myself for making it this far. I still have days that I can't sit still because my mind feels like it's going to explode, but one day at a time right? Healing isn't linear and I constantly remind myself to take a break. Reflect a bit. It'll get better, I just need to be patient.

How has your story impacted who you are today?

I have been negatively and positively impacted by my story. Positively, I am very self aware. I am independent and mature. I am compassionate and am good at taking care of others. Generally, I would say I am a pretty great person (not to toot my own horn). Negatively, I am almost constantly anxious. I overthink and am way too hard on myself. I have a tendency to push myself until I am no longer functioning, physically or emotionally, and when I finally break down I blame myself for not handling things better. It's an ugly cycle, but hey at least I am aware of it. I think that's the first step.

What has your mental health journey looked like?

My mental health journey has consisted of on and off therapy. I tried tai chi for a bit. Dabbled in journaling. Nothing ever stuck though. I think therapy has been most beneficial for me, but currently, I am looking for a new therapist. I hope to have one again by the summer time. I tend to fall into these seasons where I feel better for a little, so I stop taking care of myself until I fall into a bad place again. I'm not very good at consistency. I'm working on it though. Each spiral follows a better debrief and an even better plan about how to avoid another spiral. I would say compared to myself a year ago, I am doing better. More aware per-say. Hopefully by next year I can say the same.

What encouragement would you give to someone who shares a similar story?

Find things that give you comfort. People, places, experiences. Make sure not to over indulge, but definitely allow yourself to enjoy things. If that means going to the spa, inviting some friends over, or making a pb&j, do that. You deserve to experience joy. So take a minute and figure out what brings you that. You might have to start small. On my hard days, I resorted to driving with Moses Sumney in the background. On easier days, I would go shopping for clothes. My point is that we all start somewhere. You're not alone.

Photo Credit: Dulce & Jasmine

Mental Health Stories | Saffron Hurt

Video Credit: Kevyn Tapia

What is your story?

I grew up in a single-parent household, something that people thought would affect me heavily. But when I didn't show any signs, people who knew me thought I was a healthy child. Little did they know, I just taught myself to hide my feelings and then let it all out at odd times. This led to me developing different personas instead of embracing who I am, thus slowly hating myself. Anything I said, things that I did or didn't do. It was just a really confusing time for me.

How has your story impacted who you are today?

There's never a day where I don't think about what I could have done or said differently. How I missed so many opportunities because I was afraid to say something or stand out. So I guess I take every day as a "there's no need to be afraid" and "go out and do it type of day” because if I don't, then it may not happen again.

What has your mental health journey looked like?

Towards the end of my freshmen year, I started taking therapy through my current doctor's clinic. At the start, it was clear that I had some some unresolved issues and I was as transparent as I could be. But most of my journey has progressed because of the pandemic. Since I was stuck in the house, it gave me time to really think about myself and my struggles as a person. So when the quarantine was lifted, I came out of the dark and embraced myself just the way I am. Now, while I still have some things to sort out, at least I can say that I'm going to be myself. To remind myself that there are people who will love the true me.

What encouragement would you give to someone who shares a similar story?

No matter what, don't change who you are to please anybody. Whether they're in your life constantly, or once in a lifetime, it is not worth putting on a mask just to take it off when no one is around.

Photo Credit: Layla, Jasmyn, Janessa