Anastasia, 26, is an adventurous, fun and kind person. She has wonderful dreams for herself and for others, and sees herself making a great difference in the world. She’s lived and taught in Japan, completed her MA in the UK, and there’s no doubt that she already has, and someday will, touch even more lives. She told me, “It’s only recently that I defined what I want to do. I would sincerely like to pursue a career in Education for Sustainable Development. Working for the United Nations is my end goal. For me, their work is extremely inspiring and I strongly empathise with their charter. I believe that teaching is the noblest of professions, but also the most important. It’s nurturing the seeds that will grow into the Earth’s future. I aspire to create opportunities for all in this regard, especially children, to help them have access to quality education. I have two role models that have greatly influenced how I live, and their words always stick with me throughout: “Hasta la victoria siempre” [Always towards victory], Che Guevara; and “Be the change you want to see in the world”, Mahatma Gandhi. My vision, as cliché as it sounds, is to make the world a better place, no matter how small. I also have other dreams, like travelling around the world and petitioning people to close down all zoos worldwide; spending some time with indigenous tribes, experiencing their way of life… then of course there is that personal side where I would like to be happily married to the love of my life and experiencing all these things with him too.” As it happens though, despite all her great dreams and plans for herself, moving forward has been a challenge. “I’m actually going through a difficult time right now. I’ve had an ongoing bout of depression and insomnia, say about a year and a half now. I’ve recently completed my MA, and I had blind hope that pursuing postgraduate studies would help me get a good job, but to date I’ve been rejected from more than one hundred posts I applied for and I went from a happy-go-lucky person to a pessimist quite quickly. No matter how hard I try, for some reason my dreams seem to be slipping out of my hands. Dramatic, I know- but that’s what it feels like”. What’s really beautiful about her story though is her perseverance even when she feels bogged down. She continued, “For me, giving up isn’t an option. It’s engraved into my very being and I have wonderful friends who encourage me and help me through. Even though I don’t feel 100% roughly 90% of the time recently, I do not intend on giving up. If anything, it makes me really reflect on the kind of person I am and where I want to be, and it drives me to push myself harder – as long as I’m able to find a little ounce of motivation, I’ll do my best towards a dream. I would say that… no matter how difficult a time you may be going through, confiding in someone is important. Sometimes you may not want to bother others with thoughts that might seem trivial, but deeply affect you. But sometimes it’s dangerous to be alone with those thoughts. Secondly, try your hardest to believe, and to not give up. The universe is not your enemy. “ 🙂