Keep the Faith

By Kieaundria Bellamy Editor

When you’re a kid, we always get asked the same question as we get older: “What do you want to be when you grow up?” Some may say an astronaut, a “superstar,” a doctor, or a famous actor. For Tiana Bolton, Housatonic Community College 2022 graduate, she knew that she wanted to be a help, a help to her community, family, and friends.

As she grew older, she decided to take on the journey of becoming a therapist. Mental health has always been an impactful focus for her because she believes that everyone should be internally and mentally well. This became her focus for her early 20’s, and during that time, she became a mother, and a caregiver for her grandmother who became sick with COVID-19. On the road to becoming a therapist, the mental health advocate also faced many challenges.

While attending HCC, she was a single mother, caregiver, full time worker, and full time student. “This was truly one of the hardest moments in my life,” Bolton says. “There were points in time where I wanted to give up everything when it came to my dreams of helping others. Being a full-time mother and a caregiver to my grandmother was my main focus, but I knew that getting my degree would benefit all of us.” This was a time for Bolton to sit, reflect, and analyse her next move. Because of the overwhelming lifestyle, she began to make a better schedule for herself, and began therapy. Starting therapy was truly the turning point in Tiana’s life.

One of the many reasons why she’s a mental health advocate is because she struggles with mental health issues as well. “I know first hand what it’s like to be depressed and experience anxiety,” Bolton says. “Because of this, I want to be the person that people can talk to. I take pride in giving yourself grace, and I think that everyone should do the same.”

As someone who is taking on these tasks, and also focusing on her own well-being, this can become draining and overwhelming.

Although Tiana knew what she had to do to be a successful graduate, times became harder. “My grandmother passed in January of

2022, which was the semester I was graduating.” She was overwhelmed and exhausted, but soon began to see the brighter side of things. “I’m blessed to say that I received my associates spring of 2022 throughout all of the adversity,” Bolton said. “I had to collect myself for my child, and my graduation. This was a difficult time, but I knew that giving up was never an option.”

The biggest moral: never stop believing. With her being full time with school and work, on top of being a single mother and caregiver, anyone would want to give up on certain things. “My biggest advice to anyone would be to keep the faith,” Bolton said. “Faith is what got me here. I have a dream, and I am determined to achieve it.”

If you are someone with a lot on their plate mentally, physically, and emotionally, always remember things get better, and there is always light at the end of the tunnel. Things may go wrong, but bad days aren’t forever!