Kiera Phillips
Category: 2023 College Winner

Kiera Phillips

Iyanla Vanzant was an African American woman who inspired me. I heard Mrs.Vanzant speak on the Oprah Winfrey Network. “Iyanla Fix My Life” was the name of her program. She specialized in spiritual life coaching. I enjoy taking advice from older people because they wish to spare young people from having to go through what they have. I appreciate how Ms. Vanzant shares her strategies for navigating the challenging journey that is life. Whenever I have enough life experience to benefit future generations, I will surely consider becoming a spiritual life coach.I am so impressed by this woman and how she used healing methods to get these families back on track.The families she featured were dealing with generational traumas like losing loved ones at an early age, being left without a mother or father, being abused in romantic or platonic relationships, and child molestation that they had to deal with as adults. Mrs.Vanzant helped people work through their emotions and trauma by providing tools to help them figure out and go on with their life. By providing tools to help people understand and go on with their lives, Mrs. Vanzant helped people work with their emotions and trauma. She is one of the people who inspired me to major in psychology because I want to assist my community heal from historical traumas that have affected generations of people. I want my community to understand that seeking treatment for anxiety, depression, and other problems this world may bring about is acceptable. I believe the African American community doesn’t ask for assistance because there isn’t enough African American representation and it’s considered taboo in the group. Iyanla Vanzant once stated, “Your willingness to look at your darkness is what empowers you to change,” which is a quote I really like. This is a quote that offers encouragement: Just when horrible things happen to them, it doesn’t mean you have to stay there; instead,they can face the darkness and persevere. Confront the darkness that has been holding you back, the people who have wronged you cannot halt your transformation. Mrs. Vanzant always said that no one could compel someone to do the work; they had to be willing to do it. You must be able to declare to yourself that you are ready to heal. This is just another reason why I choose to study psychology: it will put me on the right path to become a marital and family therapist. I want to be the representative that members of my community can trust and look to for advice. Mrs. Vanzant has positively impacted countless individuals and families by imparting her knowledge and strategies for navigating this challenging thing we call life. I feel inspired to help my community change the culture of avoiding dealing with the dark. Mrs. Vanzant has motivated me to pursue my degree in psychology and assist those in need in my community so they can achieve healing and wellness.