Meet the team
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Kaycee - Philippines
I'm Kaycee, a 17-year old writer from Philippines. Aside from writing, my hobbies and interests are reading books and mangas, doing arts and crafts, blogging, baking, watching anime, and listening to music especially to Taylor Swift. I'm a Swiftie, a chocolate, coffee and cat lover, and my favorite genre are fantasy and mystery. Even though I am a writer, I also aspire to be an accountant or business woman. Within my 17 years of living in this world, just like others, I have had an experience with feeling insecure with my body because of the mindset that I had that I'm not beautiful like the others that have white skin and with boys liking them but, thankfully, I was over that because I learned that no matter what you look like, you are beautiful whether it is inside, outside or in both. Even after that experience I am still struggling with my mental health because of my studies but I do help my self to deal with it by giving more time for my interests.
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Somil - India
My name is Somil Pandey and I'm currently pursuing a Bachelor's in Psychology and Political Science. Recently, I have written a book based on mental health, through which I'm spreading awareness regarding the importance of mental health and self-love. And I'm a part-time photographer as well, as I love nature, which always encourages me to look differently. I'm also into sports like badminton, table tennis, cricket, tennis, and football. I love to write poems and read books, and a fun fact about me is that I'm such a shy and introverted person that I'm mostly quiet when surrounded by unknown people.
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Marisa - West Texas
Hi! My name is Marisa and I am from West Texas! I am a high-school senior with leadership positions on my school’s varsity swim team and varsity choir, and am currently a member of NHS and multiple community service groups. I love to read, listen to music, and spend time with friends and family. I have been on a journey of self-love and searching for justice for the past couple of years, and am excited to be a part of an organization looking to further social justice and self-love throughout the world!
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Advita - Rajasthan, India
Advita, a hardworking scholar, radiates a remarkable combination of passion and inherently helpful nature, which form the bedrock of their character. Advita is actively engaged in fellowships, eagerly seizing opportunities to expand their knowledge and make a meaningful impact in various fields, all while holding key positions in the core teams of numerous organizations, including the world of Model United Nations where they serve in the secretariat, contributing to the success of these educational simulations.
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Julius - St. Paul, Minnesota
Hi! I’m Julius Mims, a at the University of Minnesota, Twin Cities. I am studying Environmental Sciences, Policy and Management. I hope to go into Environmental Law. In my free time, I enjoy playing sports, writing poetry, reading, traveling, making social media content, and hanging out with and making new friends. I also have a YouTube channel where I talk about life and all its complexities, as well as a podcast that I’m working on starting. I advocate for the message of self-love and social justice because I’ve experienced what it means to be deprived of it. My goal is to be an environmental lawyer that focuses on advocating for systemic environmental issues and challenging social norms that influence us to be so careless while tending to our planet.
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Aman - Nigeria
My name is Aman and I’m a year 12 student located in Nigeria. I love to read books, write all kinds of essays, and I consider myself a self-proclaimed social justice warrior. I have a desire to go into the field of law which is why justice issues are so important to me! I serve on the writing and production team for Self First.
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Youth Voices
Please note that many of our stories are submitted by and shaped by community members across the globe, on topics of particular importance to their area and personal growth period. These works are submitted with requested recognition and anonymously. Self First would not be the platform it is today without these contributions and voices of strength. We consider all submittees valuable members of our production and education team.
Meet the Founder
Hi everyone! My name is Reesa and I am from the Twin Cities of Minnesota. I am extremely passionate about the intersection of social justice and self-empowerment strategies, as I have struggled to navigate my own ethnic identity understanding, and am continuously working to love myself in the most authentic way I can.
I learned to be self-dependent at a young age and believe strong personhood is crucial to pursuing any dream one holds. I initially began this platform as an anonymous blog where I wrote about my own battles with self-love and rising political uncertainty. I was hesitant to share this with my close friends and family, as my area was heavily concentrated with groups against social activism. It wasn’t until I found individuals as passionate as I was about these issues that I expanded this resource to the world.
I am still learning, practicing, and growing every day to become the best version of myself. Self First has allowed me to combine two things I am most passionate about: researching social and systemic issues while creating a positive coping outlet for my own and others' learning processes.
I hope you take something good away from this, too.
Who We Are
Self First is built on the pillars of self-love and personal improvement in channeling effective social activism. Our methodology lies in placing our well-being at the forefront of demanding change, which is rarely seen as a ‘productive’ element to justice studies and advancement. But without this care, our efforts and institutional demands may lead to emotional debilitation and burnout from our fight. Self-education does not just mean constant awareness to rising political threats, but sensitivity to how to uplift our personal outlook in times of grave uncertainty.
