This has been a challenging week for My Project USA. On Saturday, we lost one of our soccer players Issa Jeylani to gun violence. This traumatic event affected the whole center and the community around it. It brought reality to the center that there needs to be a change and we need to be at the front fighting for it. At that moment, I mourned for him, as it brought back many memories of members of my community that were victims of this crime. Although I am from the north side of Columbus, we are facing the same problems as the west side. As a community, we need to unite and change the dynamics and expectations of our community members. The most impactful people are those who live in the neighborhoods. They are people who need the community to grow on a different path. If we find these individuals and help them understand their power, we can show others that a change will come.

This also helped me realize how important it is to practice self-care. I took the time to speak to pillars in my life. They helped me understand the impact something like this can have when you do not process it in a healthy matter. If we keep looking back at the past, we cannot see the future. This does not mean we cannot learn from the past. I hope that My Project USA can serve as a pillar for these students. We can teach the students to take the past and use it to help mold the future. Together we can help guide the students on a path of healing and forgiveness. These students are resilient with a bright future ahead of them, they simply deserve someone who will support them to fight against the odds.