Ariella Westreich is a freshman majoring in secondary Social Studies education with a minor in political science and special ed. She has been working to make an impact on campus and in the world in many ways since before coming to college.
Westreich is working to create an Equal Rights Amendment Club on campus. Her goal is to be an activist and a teacher.
In Westreich’s senior year of high school, she published her first book titled “Disappointingly Me.” The book is spilt up into three sections: a memoir, poetry and thoughts.
“So, I wanted to write it to kind of de-stigmatize a lot of people who struggle with mental issues ’cause I’ve struggled throughout a big part of my life…I want people to de-stigmatize it and kind of understand it from a teenage girl who’s gone through that,” she said.
Westreich has wanted to write her own book since she was young.
“Disappointingly Me” is compiled of things written from her 10th through 12th grade.
“There’s a lot of teen angst in there and I’ve edited it a lot. People have [asked], ‘Is there anything you would change as [you’ve] gotten older and more mature?’ And I was like, ‘no,’ cause I want it to be from that perspective of somebody who’s been going through it.”
Westreich would write how she was feeling in her note’s app for those years, which she compiled into her book.
“I feel like there’s a lot of stigma around mental issues. A lot of people are just regular people who struggle with this stuff,” Westreich said.
“My favorite thing is, I’ve showed it to my friends and things like that and they said that they feel seen. When people feel seen by my work it just makes me so happy, that’s how I know I made a difference. I want to help people, and I really want people to read it and be like, ‘oh I relate to that, thank you,’ and I have gotten that before, and it feels so nice.”
Westreich was able to self-publish her book through Kindle Direct Publishing on Amazon.
“I didn’t get an editor. I did it all myself and I wanted it to be completely authentic, and that kind of resonates with the theme of my book stripped down,” she said.
Back in November, Westreich talked to a staff member who was at a table asking students to fill out a survey for library feedback.
“She said, ‘do you like to read?’ I was like, ‘Yeah, I like to read, I love writing too. I actually wrote a book,” Westreich said.
The Bailey Library then purchased three copies that individuals can borrow.
The book gives perspective on what it is like for a teenage girl struggling with mental health.
“I feel like it’s so important to have people’s voices really heard who experience that, especially from a younger person like a teenager. And people don’t like talking about that, its uncomfortable,” Westreich said.
Westreich really enjoys writing and wants to help make an impact on individuals.
“This was a passion project. This is something I’ve wanted to do for a long time and I’m so happy I could finally do it,” Westreich said.
Westreich is working on balancing activities and other avenues while being a college student.
“I’ve really been trying to take breaks for myself, I’m kind of doing things in moderation. It’s hard for me to just balance everything in general, so I’ve really been trying to work on that: taking more time for myself this semester, practicing self-care. You don’t have to do everything all the time and you can’t do everything all the time,” Westreich said.
The book can be found on Amazon if individuals are interested in reading it.
“I think a lot and I feel a lot, and that’s definitely evident in the book and in the themes. I think a lot about my feelings, about society, about everything,” Westreich said. “People don’t realize how much of a difference they can make by sharing their story, by sharing their voices.”
