Last summer, I was in the woods training and doing exercises with my partner. Throughout the thick of the woods and summer heat, he placed a small brass bell on the ground. The goal: simply to capture it. Except it wasn't easy, as I had to get past him. He was fast, agile, knew mixed martial arts, and was a quick thinker. I dodged, blocked, and tried all the MMA moves he taught me, but I could never get near the bell. Keep this story in mind; it has a purpose.

My family on both sides immigrated here and eventually all became naturalized. One side escaped during the Vietnam War, and the other came on a student visa pursuing a nursing career. They went through many hardships but made it through. My mom became an LPN and eventually retired to become a stay-at-home mom. My father worked in the medical field as well at a small children's hospital. There they met and had my 4 siblings and me down the line. Although she never became a nurse, she passed on that desire to me. I am currently working on my nursing degree. It's a slow but steady process. My partner aspires to become a doctor one day. We both met in college and fell in love.

In today's generation, navigating mental health and self-reflecting isn't always easy. We both have our imperfections, but we continue one step at a time. While his story isn't all for me to tell, he and his family have also gone through a lot of struggles being in a low-income family. But they have heart and find joy in the simple things and have good humor. While we take on mental health struggles (i.e., depression, anxiety) together, we always remember our goal to build a life better than the ones that came before us while honoring the sacrifices they made for us... their children. We're just college students ready to take on life.

In our everyday lives, we may struggle with the distractions that take us away from our goals. Like dodging our buried traumas or issues, blocking the hidden stresses, or trying every move on the little things that get in the way of life. When our real goal is the bell. Focus on the bell, the end goal. Our life together while pursuing degrees in the medical field. So with that said and our new addition on the way... we hope to continue pursuing our degrees and building a life focused on positive mental, emotional, physical, and spiritual health. With a special addition on our way, we hope to take it as a blessing and not as an inconvenience or something to wrestle with that takes us away from our goal. Rather, this special addition to our growing family is a part of our goal, our bell.

We would greatly appreciate any help to get us started on this new part of our journey. Of course, student bills and prenatal bills are expensive, we just need a little help to at least take care of the medical part. To ensure a healthy new addition!