"There are too many podcasts out there. Everyone seems to have a blog. Why does everyone have a YouTube channel? I need to write a UNIQUE essay for university applications, something that isn't like everyone else."

In this age of technology, sharing our story has become easier than ever. With a click of a button, we can create a website, post a YouTube video, or record a podcast. But with this feasibility comes a feeling of oversaturation, of things done over and over too many times. How many times have we felt that we heard the same stories time and time again? Sadly, oversaturation comes with the idea that our story isn't worth being told - "it's already been done, no one's gonna listen to it." With college essays, we feel that we need to be creating this unique, marketable story that will capture admissions counselors' attention - promoting the rise of the "trauma essay."

But our stories are much more nuanced than we think. They are unique because they are us, and no one else is like us. Sure, we all have similar themes and motifs because we are human and live in communities built by humans. But our stories must be told without the fear of criticism and being misunderstood because we owe it to ourselves and the people we want to teach or comfort. "Your silence will not protect you," in the words of Audre Lorde.

Let's dive in!