1. Unpaid Internships (Only If You Can!)

I took on two unpaid internships early on, and while I don’t recommend working for free long-term, they did help boost my resume. If you have the means:

• Keep it light (5-10 hours a week max).
• Treat it more like volunteering than labor: nonprofits > corporations that can pay.
• Ideal for high schoolers or college freshmen struggling to land paid roles.

2. Learning Programs & Certifications

Some of my internships came from alumni chats and learning programs, literally just from being in the right group chats. Certifications also help: they show initiative and make your resume stand out.

3. Reach Out to Small Founders & Creators

If you admire a small business owner, startup founder, or content creator, reach out! Offer to help with something specific. Many of them need extra hands, and you’ll get real experience in return.

4. Leverage Career Fairs & Company Programs

Universities and companies want to help students succeed. Look out for:

• Bridge programs (for underrepresented students)
• Case study workshops (they sometimes lead to offers)
• School resources (career fairs, alumni networks, faculty referrals)

5. Put Your Passion Project on Your Resume

Whether it’s a blog, a nonprofit, or a social media page, you need something that’s yours. Passion projects make you memorable, and trust me, recruiters remember them.

The key? Stay open to unconventional opportunities . Your first “yes” won’t always come from a job posting, it might come from a DM, a program you almost ignored, or a project you never thought would matter. Take the shot.

Step 1: Categorize Your Goals

When you have a million dreams, it’s easy to feel overwhelmed. I started by grouping my goals into several categories: Categorizing gives each passion its space and helps you focus on them individually.

Pro Tip: Whether you’re using Canva or crafting by hand, organize these sections visually with unique colors, fonts, or icons for each category.

Step 2: Link Images to Detailed Plans

Your vision board should guide you. Each image on my board links to a corresponding page in Canva that breaks down the short-term, mid-term, and long-term goals tied to it.

For Print Lovers: If you’re creating a physical board, attach QR codes to your images. For instance, the New York Times Bestseller list could link to a Google Doc with your book outline or a checklist of publishers to pitch.

Example:
One of my favorite additions to the board is the New York Times Bestseller list image, representing my goal of becoming a bestselling author. Here’s how I broke it down:

• Short-term goal: Write one chapter a month and develop an outline for my debut book.
• Mid-term goal: Secure an agent and pitch my manuscript to publishers.
• Long-term goal: See my book listed on the New York Times Bestseller list.

Step 3: Find the Overlap with a Venn Diagram

As a multi-passionate, I’ve learned the value of finding where my interests overlap. I used a Venn diagram to connect my passions and focus on projects that unite them.

Example of Overlap:
The sweet spot for me is sustainable fashion powered by tech. Here’s how:

• Fashion: Designing accessible, eco-friendly clothing lines.
• Tech: Using data science/analytics to understand pain points in sustainability.
• Advocacy: Partnering with nonprofits to educate consumers about sustainability and support workers in underserved communities.

Why This Method Works

This approach turns a vision board into an interactive, actionable system. By pairing visuals with goals and using tools like Canva or QR codes, you can create a vision board that grows with you.

Your board should inspire and empower you to act. So, dream big, map it out, and get it.

Sometimes we get so caught up change we lose awareness of what’s going on. We no longer become aware of our feelings, how our actions affect others, or what’s truly going on behind the scenes. We focus so much on the solution – “What am I going to do now that the meeting is cancelled? How am I going to get to work if my car won’t start?” – that sometimes we forget to provide care for ourselves in the moments in between. Instead we judge ourselves, telling ourselves that we shouldn’t be upset, or that this is just a part of life – a way to ignore our emotions and behave like it’s unnatural to have them.

Personally, I’ve experienced various changes this past week, and got so caught up in the situations, the consequences, and how to fix the problem, that I lacked the awareness to conceptualize that maybe all of these changes are linked.

Maybe there’s a reason I’ve been put in more out-of-my-comfort-zone situations lately. I’ve had to put in more volunteer and club hours than time on my personal hobbies or goals. I’ve also gotten my hours at work cut in half, giving me more days out of the week to be free than I’d like – but maybe both changes are a signal to me to focus on other aspects of my life.

We all know change doesn’t feel good. We’re told over and over again it’s supposed to bring you new knowledge and that all change is good in the end. But the truth is, change is a process. It’s a definite part of our universal system. Take out the words “good” and “bad”, and now you just have a part of life – change – that you don’t have to conceptualize or judge. You don’t have to see it as positive or negative, you just see it as what it is.

So although I just stated that maybe these new personal, mental, and even physical changes are happening to me, all in the quick span of a week, for some unbeknownst reason, maybe there’s truly no reason at all. Maybe this is just a part of the universal system, a system of ups, downs, and turnarounds.

So I encourage you, when you’re undergoing a series of changes (even small ones), to become aware. Are they all happening in a certain time frame? Do they all have a common denominator? Are they all school related? Health related? Or, maybe you’ll have a week like me, where your job, career goals, social life, financial security, and everything in between, changes and shifts seemingly out of nowhere.

But it’s not a bad thing, nor is it necessarily a good thing. It’s all a part of a larger cycle. So please, please, find the joy in the next week’s small daily activities. Try something new. Do something you love. And most importantly, take care of yourself in this new season of changes.

Love, Bella

Sanjita’s inspiring story underscores the pivotal role played by programs like Kode With Klossy and Girls Who Code in igniting her passion for coding. She acknowledges that it’s essential to encourage others in STEM and to tackle mental health issues head-on, rather than brushing them aside. I talked to Sanjita to discuss her takes on mental health, women in STEM, and how you can join the SereneMind team.

Bella: Ok, so tell me a little bit about yourself. Obviously, you’re passionate about mental health and STEM, which are some of my passions too.

Sanjita: Ok, great! My name is Sanjita. It’s really nice to meet you. I am currently a high school senior living in Arizona, and it’s so hot here. I love to bake; i’m all about the fall stuff happening right now. Obviously, I love to code, and one of my other passions is crocheting. I’ve made a crochet blanket, and I’m trying to get into crochet animals. Those are my basic passions right now. Would you like to hear how I got into computer science a little?

Bella: For sure! Obviously, we both did Kode With Klossy.

Sanjita: Freshman year, I heard of Kode With Klossy. They didn’t have an in-person program near me, unfortunately, which sucks, but it was such a fun time. Kode With Klossy helped me get into computer science just a little bit more. Especially because I was first placed in the mobile development camp, and when I made my own app, I thought, ‘This is actually fun.’ Later, when I joined Girls Who Code, the community was so nice. We were struggling together, but we learned Python, HTML, CSS, and more.

After that, in my junior year, after all the chaos, I joined Geneva (the Kode With Klossy Alumni Community), and I saw a post from an organization saying, ‘Hey, Executive Members Needed.’ I thought, ‘Okay, I’ll try it out. It’s my senior year, and it would be fun to share my knowledge.’ I love this organization I’m part of because the founder is so sweet. We’ve been able to teach many young girls how to code, and Kode with Klossy inspired me to want to teach other girls how to code.

Bella: First of all, I love baking too. I’m so happy to find someone who loves to bake. I swear, my brother makes fun of me and says I can’t bake or cook, but I make some good brownies.

So, you said you got interested in joining. What in particular made you passionate about STEM or mental health? I know we talked about Kode With Klossy, but did anything else inspire you or get you involved?

Sanjita: Kode With Klossy definitely inspired me mainly, but in my first robotics camp, there were only a few girls, and when I joined Kode With Klossy, it made me realize that we needed more girls in coding. My sophomore year of high school, my computer science teacher was the number one reason I wanted to continue computer science in college. She was so sweet and always encouraging, even when I struggled with new programming languages. Making websites became one of my favorite things to do. My computer science teacher really persuaded me to pursue computer science in college.

Bella: I started coding when I was 9 and made my first website when I was 10. I lost the passion for it until Kode With Klossy, and I was like, ‘Oh, let me get back into it.’ I’m really glad it’s getting more popular among women.

Okay, so I know this organization blends STEM and mental health. How do you see that happening more in the future?

Sanjita: Especially with coding, it can take a toll on mental health. When you have all these subjects in school, it can get stressful, especially during finals. I saw my friends who were in my computer science classes, and it made me realize that we needed to focus on mental health in the STEM industry. For doctorates and medicine, where there’s so much schooling and work involved, it can be exhausting. What I love about the organization is that we say, ‘What you’re doing is awesome,’ and we address people’s mental health, saying, ‘What you’re feeling is normal, and you can find a way to get through it.’

Bella: Speaking of mental health, what’s the best mental health advice you’ve personally received?

Sanjita: My number one advice is to not compare yourself to anybody. I used to do this so many times, especially in high school. You see your friends achieving things, and you feel happy for them, but you also wonder what you’re doing with your life. Especially on social media, when you see people posting their achievements, you feel happy but also think, ‘Why can’t I do that? They’re so much better than me.’ So, I think my best advice is to stop comparing yourself because you never know what the other person is going through.

Bella: Yeah, I think especially in high school, the struggles of comparison are prevalent. It’s a hot topic, and I’m glad you touched on that. So, what is one misconception about mental health that you get frustrated with or don’t like?

Sanjita: I think one common misconception is when someone says, ‘It’s okay; they’ll get over it.’ If a friend is going through a tough time and people dismiss it, thinking they’ll get over it, that’s frustrating. There are often other circumstances a person is going through, like issues at home or school. You can’t just overlook it and say, ‘They’ll be fine.’

Bella: Okay, thank you. I noticed your magazine, and I loved it. I thought it was so cute. There was an article about being addicted to phones or technology. How do you feel that technology has impacted Gen Z, especially when it comes to mental health?

Sanjita: I see both sides of it. While technology can make people sad when they see posts with seemingly perfect lives, it also has a positive side. Some influencers show the reality of their lives, which helps others relate. There are posts like, ‘Here’s what I do when I’m feeling sad,’ and it makes you feel like what you’re feeling is normal. However, I do think that some platforms like TikTok and Instagram have a big toll on mental health.

Bella: We recently received an email about my university banning Tiktok on their networks, which I found quite surprising. It led to a discussion between my friend and me about whether this might be a signal that we all need a break from social media due to its impact on mental health. But, as you mentioned, there are also positive aspects to it.

Now, what is SereneMind’s mission for those who may not be familiar?

Sanjita: Our primary goal is to help those in STEM or in the STEM industry, and we have ebooks to support people in realizing they’re not alone. But our secondary goal is to increase the number of women in the STEM industry. I believe we initiated this in May or June – June is when I joined – and in June, we launched a mentor/mentee program that I loved so much. We met many girls, and I was mentoring girls from Algeria. I remember thinking I didn’t even know I could be friends with someone from Algeria, and also girls from Morocco and Venezuela. What I love most about the mentorship program is that you help teach code to different girls living there, and I think it’s more enjoyable that way, plus you can make new friends along the way. I distinctly recall thinking that this was one of the things I loved most about SereneMind.

Bella: I’m glad you have that, a mentorship program sounds so cool.

So, what’s your favorite aspect of being on the team? I know you hold an executive position on the leaderboard. What’s your favorite part about it?

Sanjita: I think my favorite part is that when I have a specific task, such as organizing a workshop, I really appreciate how much the team members help, especially the girl who founded it. She’s so nice, and it’s challenging to organize this whole thing by yourself. But if you have a question, someone will quickly provide assistance. Especially during school, when you don’t have as much time to handle everything, they help you create more time for your tasks.

Bella: So as an executive team member, what’s your daily or weekly to-do list? What do you normally do?

Sanjita: About two weeks ago, we started working on a virtual webinar we’re hosting, and we have to spread the word a little to get people to join our webinar session. What I would do is go on google forms and see if anyone has joined or if we’ve had new members, and we’d go on canva and make some posts about it to bring more engagement. In July, we were working on an ebook – a children’s mental health yearbook – and I assisted on the writing and making sure the illustrator and writers completed everything needed. Now, my daily tasks just consist of working on our upcoming webinar.

Bella: Where do you see SereneMind in 1-5 years? What is the biggest goal right now for this organization?

Sanjita: Our biggest goal so far is increasing our coding workshop. When we first started we didn’t have as many mentees and mentors, but once we started getting more people on our executive team, they helped spread the word even more. Luckily our team has grown a lot more, especially a lot more mentees and mentors joining us. I really hope we get more people to join and engage with the program. We definitely want to help teach more girls how to code.

Grants:

For Businesses:

• Hello Alice (a hub for several opportunities)
• Coalition to Back Black Businesses
• Black Ambition Prize (no longer accepting applications for 2023, but those who sign up for their newsletter get great opportunities!)
• Amber Grant
• FundsNet Services (another hub)

For Nonprofits:

• AWS Imagine Grant
• The Grant Portal
• Grants.gov

Scholarships/Programs:

• Udacity (scholarships updated frequently, and mostly for those interested in tech and innovation).
• Founding a Startup? or already have?
• CodePath (for those interested in Computer Science/Tech)
• Edx (several free courses on topics on almost everything)
• Coursera (also a lot of free courses)

Job/Internship Opportunities:

• Job Match-Making Platform (Free!)
• Handshake (for college students)
• Home From College (Don’t let the name fool you: there’s plenty of UGC and ambassador programs for people of all ages and those who attend college or not!)

And remember, always search up your favorite/dream company along with “internship”, “grant”, or “opportunities!” And if you’re interested in building a nonprofit organization, most of that funding comes locally. Look up you state along with “nonprofit grants” and you’ll get a tonnnn of results.