photo: lobraumeister/ BY-NC-SA

My Fall 2009 semester at Howard University was like taking a school picture with a Jheri curl. It should have never happened. And when it was over, I looked around, as if to ask, “Who can I blame for this mess?”.

It was a semester full of responsibility going up in flames. I struggled to get classes. Outside of class, I struggled to get paid.
I was employed by seven different odd jobs at one time. I worked as a Resident Assistant. I worked as a freelance journalist. I delivered news papers for The New York Times. I maintained the social networking site for a black male mentorship group, but none of my jobs paid me on time.

It was a mess: low bank account, lower grades, and high stress. And then I began taking an online survey given by Howard University Research Center. It asked about drug and alcohol consumption, sleeping and eating habits, and how it all influences social activity.

The health survey proved to me that personal health comes first. After all, bad mental health days are worse than bad hair days.

Previously:

• Looking at Alameda's Mental Health Court
• My Depression
• Mindset for Senior Year