“I wish I could tell you that you’re yelling at someone who wanted to commit suicide just a couple of days ago” were the words in my head as a friend was yelling at me to do more for our Filipino community. She was yelling suicide rate numbers at me, teenage suicide rates in San Diego. She had real passion for social justice and I truly respected her for that. In my own way, I tried my best to advance the cause of Asian American students at UCSB in the way I knew how, but all I could think while I was being yelled at was how I wish I was the one being helped. I was seen as the one with influence, someone who had the power to make changes yet here I was, someone who needed help as well.

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