Name: Jana Houssari

Social Media Handle/Username: Villaindekusimp

Introduce Yourself/Tell About Yourself: Hello! I am a 17 year old girl and I’m going to graduate from school this year. I don’t really have any subjects I enjoy much other than English. I like to write, draw, read, and watch anime. I’d like to become a successful psychologist/psychiatrist.

What Inspires You Every day? : As cringy as it sounds, the characters that I look up in the books I read or in the animes I watch inspire me a lot. They drive me to become better. They make me want to be as strong or as heroic or as smart as them so that leads to me working my ass off so that I can be as amazing as they are.

What is some words of wisdom you live by?: “This too shall pass.” These all too familiar words have held my hand countless times and got me through the hard times.

What is your ultimate goal in life? : My ultimate goal is to help people. From a very young age, have always liked helping people and I never expected anything in return because the act of helping was enough of a reward for me. I believe I am a privileged person (I’m white, I’m middle class, I’m enrolled in a private school, I’m healthy…) so I think it is my duty to help others who didn’t have the fortune of getting all these luxuries that I do. I truly believe that helping others can make this world just a bit more better.

How have you been during the pandemic and how has it affected you? : This pandemic has been tough on everyone around me. I miss my friends, I miss going out to buy art supplies, I miss going to see my grandparents. Not only that but online classes are an absolute nightmare. I can barely understand anything. Not to mention, but the struggle against my mental health has been a hard battle to fight. Still, I try my best to hang on to the threads of hope and wish for the best. I still try my best to stay positive and to look at the bright side of things.

What is a message you would like to give others? : There’s always ups and downs in life. Expect after your high a low and after you low a high. If you’re in a low point in your life right now just remember that there will be an uphill soon. Just hang in there. And even when you go downhill, why not force yourself to go up? After you fail your math test for example, get yourself some ice cream. You deserve it. You did an effort, now you can try to learn from you mistakes.

What else would you like to tell others about you or your life?: I would say I had a good childhood. While my parents were a bit rough with me due to me being a firstborn and they weren’t experienced, they still tried their best to make me have a great childhood. Other than getting a beating when I get a low grade (which is kind of normal in my country) I was always happy. It wasn’t until I hit middle school that everything changed. I lost all my friends and I remember being alone for two or three years until I made two new friends. They proceeded to leave me for some cooler friends a year later because I was boring. Those two incidents tore me down like nothing ever did. I was hopeless and felt like a nothing. It wasn’t until now that I realized my worth and that maybe some friendships aren’t meant to be. I have three amazing friends right now and they mean the absolute world to me.
My point is that back when I lost everything, I felt like the world ended which is not true at all. Please don’t lose hope whenever something bad happens. I promise you that one day you’ll look back and maybe laugh at it, or maybe you’ll cringe. Either way you’ll be in a much better state than you are now. I promise you.