SPEECH #7: Note to Self 25’ I entered 2025 sleeping, breaking a streak of my family tradition where my siblings and I would hold money as we counted down to midnight. I remember being super worried about it because I didn’t know what it would mean for my new year. Little did I know, 2025 would be a true awakening. I had an emotional growth spurt. While continuing to go to school, which obviously came with its challenges due to the intense working environment and workload, I m

SPEECH #6: Note to Self 24’ I was afraid of entering this year. As exciting as being 21 is, I knew the responsibilities that come with adulthood, especially at my age, given my circumstances, were knocking on the door. That left me feeling anxious. I also feared losing someone or something again, since that’s seemed to become an annual occurrence ever since Mommy passed. I had to remind myself to take things day by day. I’d say 2024 was an okay year for me. It wasn’t spectacu

SPEECH #5: Battling Loneliness With grief and the subsequent social changes that have entered my life, I have found myself often feeling lonely. This overwhelming feeling of loneliness consumes me at times, when traveling alone to places or when I am sitting alone in my bedroom. It sparks a tear in me, as I begin to riddle myself with the fear of not being protected or looked out for by anyone. I constantly engage in a tussle with myself and the anxious feelings of wondering:

SPEECH #4: Note to Self 23’ This year opened me up to adventure. In January, I traveled outside of the state by myself. Something I have never done before. I spent time with my best friend from college, and we had a blast. I was able to release one of my best songs to date and dedicate it to my mother, “741.” I finally entered my 20s in February. I shared one of the best nights of my life with my friends. By March, I fulfilled a lifelong musical goal of mine that I had; colla

SPEECH #3: TRIALS & TRIBULATIONS July 16, 2023 marks one year without my mom’s physical presence. One of the hardest obstacles I’m currently facing without her here is decision-making without her input. With everything going on in my life recently, I feel like a train approaching an intersection with no idea which direction to take. For the first time ever, I feel completely unsure about how my future is going to unfold. Don’t get me wrong. I’m not saying I’m unsure of my goa

SPEECH #2: MOM Beanie, you were the first person I spoke to in the morning, the first voice I heard, whose footsteps I would hear at night when you would get up to use the bathroom. Then you’d walk by my bedroom door and peek in, just to make sure Suki and I were okay while we slept. You definitely kept me busy, no matter what it was, I was not getting away from my chores. We spent time together. We watched YouTube videos, movies, cooked and listened to music together. I wou

SPEECH #1:Note to self 22’ I didn’t have no huge expectations for this year. I was going with the flow. January definitely hit me with a bang,so did the beginning of February, but at that point, it was my birthday month, so that’s where a lot of my focus went into. I was still a little anxious throughout March, but the highlight was turning up with my friends more than we ever did. I felt like I finally found a solid friend group. I ended the later half of the month having st