The Mental Well Community Connections: Josephine Kasozi

In 3-5 sentences, tell us a little about you and your background. What is your name, where did you grow up, where are you now, any hobbies or other things about you that you’d like to share?

My name is Josephine Kasozi, I am 33 years old and live in Columbia MD. I have a 2 years old son named Kaleb and have been married to my husband Brian for 5 years. I grew up in Silver Spring MD, but my family is from Uganda. I love to dance and when I am not dancing, I am choreographing. I currently teach math and dance at a high school and I am currently working on my doctorate. Yes, I'm busy!

Do you prefer the mountains or beach? Why? 

That is a tough one because I love mountains for the scenery but the beach for the water. If I had to pick one, I would say the beach because I have been to more beaches then I have gone to mountains.

What is a really good book you’ve read or movie you’ve seen recently? 

I have not read any good books, but the last movie that I enjoyed watching was Encanto. I know it's a kids movie, but it had a lot of meaningful things that young adults can learn from.

Who do you look up to in your life and, if they were to read this, is there anything you would like to tell them? 

I look up to my sisters from another mother. Lucy, Julian, Chrissy, Mary, and Evelyne. I appreciate them so much because they treat me like family and I can be my whole self around them.

What is it about “mental health” that you are passionate about? Why? Any experience you’d like to share that brought this passion out?  

Mental health is very important. I am passionate about mental health because for so long, I did not take care of my mental health. And it is not until I learned about mental health that I fully could appreciate it. I thought taking a day for myself would be seen as lazy. But I know now that it is okay to take time for myself, to sit and relax, take a walk, take different dance classes, and do things I enjoy.

What's a difficult situation you survived/came through/found resilience in? What did the experience teach you about yourself? 

My senior year in high school, I had no clue what I really wanted to do. I got rejected from 10 schools and all I wanted to do was dance. I went to dance audition, after dance audition, and kept getting rejected from every dance program at a university. I wanted to give up on dancing, but I had no clue what else to do. I did not grow up in a dance studio class, because my parents did not have the money to put me in dance classes. But I knew I wanted to dance. Not going to college was not an option and staying at home with my parents would be a terrible decision. So I went to West Virginia Wesleyan College and majored in Business. Business was boring, but I thought I could find a job. During my time at WVWC, I felt very isolated and like people did not understand me. Off campus was not really a place for minorities and all I wanted to do was go back home to Maryland. I was able to find God and get closer to him. During the spring semester, I contacted the admissions office at UMBC and began the process of transferring. UMBC had a prerequisite class, and they said that I could major in dance as long as I passed the prerequisite course. I knew that given the chance, I would succeed, and I did! 

If you could tell your younger self something, what would it be and why? 

That everything is going to work out. I will accomplish anything that I set my mind to. And to believe in myself. I would also tell my younger self that it is okay to take a break because I feel like I stress so much about doing everything, that I forget to take a break. Which makes me more stressed out.

What is one of your favorite quotes and why? 

“I’ve learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel” - Maya Angelou.

We should always try to make people feel good about themselves and never show hate. As a teacher, my students may forget dance terminology and other content unless they apply it regularly. But I hope they won't forget the performances and the friendships they have made.

Do you have any aspirations for yourself over the next year or two and how do you plan to reach those goals? 

I want to finish up my doctorate in education. My professors say keep the focus. Meaning remember why you started this journey in the first place. I want to be able to help other people. The only way to do this is by completing one class at a time, with one assignment at a time. 

Mental health priorities evolve with age and experience, what are one or two important pillars that make up the foundation of who you are today? 

Support from my family and friends is very important. Surrounding yourself with people that can motivate you and encourage you is so important. I would not be who I am without my family and friends. 

How do you manage your mental health? 

I am not the best at managing my mental health, but when I do I participate in self care activities. Like getting my nails and hair done. Finding a quiet place to relax. Silencing my phone. Listening to music and closing my eyes.

In terms of “self-care” what do you do that a reader may be able to easily adopt into their life? 

Self-care: mediation and sitting in a quiet place is self care. Finding out what make you happy, not stressed and doing it.

It’s important to be supported, but how do you offer support to the people in your life? 

Checking in on people is a great way to show support. It is easy to get side tracked with busy life, but a phone call to say hi can really help friends know you care.

Anything else you’d like to tell our readers? 

There is no perfect way to do self-care or relax. You have to do what is best for you and know that you deserve to take care of yourself.