Lucy+E’s+Final+AmEx+Speech+2017

We’ve all had self doubt. Think about it. Whether it’s been as small as a negative thought, or as serious as depression. When we were assigned this final speech, Mrs. Kindred asked me something that really stuck with me. She asked, what’s the message that you want to get across? Now that was the easy part, the more complicated part was putting together my words as to how people can apply my message into their lives. My message is happiness, let me elaborate. There is an absurd amount of discrimination in America. People are discriminated on their ethnicity, culture, religion, sexual preference, sexual identification, their intelligence, the clothes they wear, their jobs, and the list sadly goes on and on. According to the California HealthCare Foundation, “nearly 1 in 6 adults has a mental health need, and approximately 1 in 20 suffers from a serious mental illness that makes it difficult to carry out major life activities. The rate among children is even higher. 1 in 3 suffers from a mental illness that limits participation in daily activities.” Putting it into perspective, that’s approximately 1 teacher and 333 students at Foothill. I don’t want to jump to conclusions, but I strongly believe that there’s a link between discrimination and mental illness. I want to grow old in an America that is more accepting. I want to be accepted for my skin color, ethnicity, and religion. I want people to be accepted for their skin color, ethnicity, and religion. People need to stop being so judgemental against others, and realize that their negative comments can stand in the way of someone's happiness. On the other hand however, people need to stop letting other people have so much power over their emotions. This brings me back to my message, happiness. Whenever I’m having a rough day, or I’m stressed out, nervous even, I heavily rely on the Bible verse Philippians 4:13. It reads “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.” When I’m on the raceline, about to play my violin in front of hundreds of people, before I begin my tests that seems impossible to pass, even when I’m being mocked or discriminated, that’s the thought that gets me through the day. Now let me set this straight, I’m not trying to push forth my religion on anyone, however, through my religion, I’ve found something that gives me a strand of hope and happiness in times of need, and that’s what I hope all of you find. As many of you know, I have an older brother named Joey. The bond between me and him is closer than that between Wessal and I, and that’s saying a lot. He was my world, my rock, my support and my happiness. We would do everything together. Unfortunately, due to some of his bad decisions, he became a heroine addict. His addiction went on for 3 years, three years of hell for me and my family. He would steal, cheat, lie, and much worse. His actions led him to jail time. He was arrested and dragged out of the house, right in front of my eyes. My whole world was shattered, gone, ripped out from under me. Since he was sleeping on an uncomfortable bed in jail, I would sleep on the floor, since he only had 3 meals a day, so did I, and so on. He was in jail for a month, and that was a month of torture for me. When released, he started to clean up his act, but keep in mind, he was still a heroine addict. He wasn’t himself. He wasn’t my Joey. Joseph had overdosed three times, on three different occasions. His actions took me through something much worse than hell. I’d constantly cry, I became distant, and at one point, I became so angry at God for allowing this to happen to my brother, however, that verse, that one strand of hope and happiness, allowed me to survive each day, for the whole 3 years. It helped me heal when my world was ripped from beneath my feet. It helped me forgive my brother for giving into the temptation of drugs rather than me. It allowed me to be happy. I want to grow old in an American where discrimination is stopped, so people can start focusing on something that gets them through the day, something that makes them happy. I want to grow old in an America where people can find their message, find their happiness. I want to grow old in an American where people can experience genuine happiness, disregarding the chaos in their lives. Like John Lennon said, “You may say I’m a dreamer, but I know that I’m not the only one.”