“You want to write a guest blog for me about the challenges of becoming a bold, fierce, independent, confident woman?” When I received that text from my therapist, I was grateful. The gears in my head had already been turning since the written word has always been my most cherished coping mechanism.

As a first-generation American on my mother’s side, I’ve made it a point to learn all there is to know about racial disparities when it comes to the Latinx community. This is why it came as no surprise that COVID-19 was no different regarding the hardships and prejudices we face.

Instead of lowering the number on the scale being one’s primary goal, the HAES movement encourages everyone to make choices that will benefit them both physically and mentally, regardless of how many pounds may or may not be lost in the process.

Self-care doesn’t happen by accident. While it may feel good to get an extra-unexpected hour of sleep, self-care is more than that. It’s about making deliberate choices that contribute to your own well being.

For decades, we’ve had to deal with magazines, television, and movies telling us what we need to buy, do, or eat in order to achieve some unrealistic standard of beauty. Most of these standards are actually impossible considering the rise of Photoshop techniques. Now, all of these unattainable shapes and sizes are in the palms of our hands 24/7.

While a Google search for “body positivity” still turns up with mostly weight-centered articles, the movement has slowly begun to morph into something more inclusive for groups of people that are, more often than not, marginalized or ignored completely.

AAUW sponsored my trip to the University of Maryland for 2015's National Conference for College Women Student Leaders. The experience changed my life.

This piece was written over the duration of my senior year at SUNY Purchase College. It was a requirement for my bachelor's degree in journalism. I received an 'A' and went on to graduate with honors in May of 2015.

The Explore Your Opportunities (EYO) conference is a day full of workshops and lectures for young women to explore careers in science, technology, engineering and math - otherwise known as the STEM fields. AAUWʼs Westchester branch, in collaboration with the Empire State Virtual Branch, provide a unique learning experience for young women.