What do you hope to achieve with your writing career? Do you see yourself as an activist?

"I don't write for accolades or praise — even in my feature reporting, that idea is secondary. 90% of what I write is to help somebody understand a concept or event that [may feel] immaterial to them. And that includes pain. My hope — in putting my writing all out there — is that someone who doesn't have a 'word' for anxiety will read my description of what it feels like and then [be able to] identity that feeling and talk to somebody about it. [My hope] is that people of color will see someone who looks like them talking about things that are considered to be taboo by our elders, and they won't be afraid to express what may be happening to them. I get emails from people saying those sorts of things, saying that an essay [of mine] helped them get help. That's how I know I’ve done my job."