KELLY AMTOWER
TR student Deja Burt edits an Instagram video in the library for a campus secret agent series she works on called "Toro Too and Deja Vu" where interviews students about campus life and student culture.
Deja Burt started her brand Your Equanimity, an online space focused on the mental health struggles young people face, when she was just 16-years-old. Since then, Burt has focused on cultivating her account and resume, recently becoming a brand ambassador for Monster Energy and working as a student digital specialist for TCC on TR Campus. She shared her personal journey with mental health, the responsibilities she has to both her brand and TCC social media in an interview with The Collegian.
Q: Have you spoken to anybody who has been directly impacted by the work you’ve done? Have you felt like you’ve fostered much community in this space?
A: I definitely got a lot of DMS. I screenshotted them. All probably gone because I erased my storage, but I got a lot of messages. … I had this one post that blew up that got like over 10 million views. That gave me like over 11 to 12,000 followers just within like that day
Q: What are your future plans for Your Equanimity?
A: I guess like going back to like doing the live streams. I really want to make more products like journals and notebooks, so people can be able to and calendars too, so they can write their thoughts or start journaling, because journaling helps and brings gratitude. More merch, clothes, comfy clothes to make people feel comfortable in the things that they wear, because when you feel confident, you feel happy.
Q: Do you feel like getting to be able to build a brand on helping other people helped yourself somehow?
A: I guess it has. I noticed a lot of the times when I make posts about giving advice. It’s usually always advice that I need to hear myself too. So it is kind of when I post, it is also like a reminder for me, like, “Oh, yeah. I should also listen to myself too not just give it out, but practice what I preach.” And I guess building the community made me feel also less alone, because at the time and even younger, I used to be bullied and struggle to make friends. So it was nice seeing tons of people, of a variety of ages, come together and look at the platform that they built. And we all kind of relate to each other, and we’re all super friendly. So, I guess it just really helped me with opening up, being more open and having more connections.
Q: What do you do at TCC?
A: Earlier in August, I recently got hired to be a student worker for the TCC school district, running, being a digital specialist, curating content for Instagram, TikTok, Facebook, whatever, and it’s been going great. I’ve been hearing a lot of feedback from students and they didn’t even know it’s me that’s doing it and I’m just like, walking around doing my job. They’re like, “Holy! Have you seen what’s been posted?” Like, it was so fun.
Q: Are you the only intern or are you part of a team?
A: I’m the third ever student that they hired for that. And the first two, one was too shy to to do camera things and the other one did not do camera stuff at all, so she did graphic designing. So I guess I’m their first ever student worker that’s actually able to help them out and create their visions and their ideas and make them come to life. So I’ve been getting a lot of praise. I met a lot of the presidents of the campuses. And they’re all like, “we’re glad you’re doing this, because we really need this.” I had the greatest opportunity to meet the heads of each campus and even the chancellor of the whole district.
Q: How do you juggle so many projects and jobs?
A: That’s actually something I’m still learning currently, because I just started the TCC job in August. I just got hired for Monster Energy Drink to be a brand ambassador literally a couple of days ago. My first day is next week. So I guess just like the only thing I can really do so far is just prioritize, using a calendar and a planner, make a list of everything that needs to be due first and least important. But I really do hope that I can get used to it. … You have to know how to put yourself out your comfort zone and do things that you’re not used to doing
Q: Do you have any advice for any young entrepreneurs at TCC?
A: I haven’t been successful yet, but I would say just go for it. If you have the idea in the passion, it really takes work ethic for sure. Like people say, “Oh, I want to be an entrepreneur so I can be a millionaire and make tons of money,” but there’s so much more that goes into it that people don’t even realize. So it just really takes the work ethic, the right idea, have a lot of time and patience and be willing to take risks and not be afraid to fail and always learn from your mistakes. … You just got to keep going. And eventually, over time, it will happen and you will be successful.
Q: Do you have any advice for young students struggling with mental health?
A: I would say, definitely, never be afraid to ask for help. I feel like a lot of people suppress their feelings and try to avoid it, or they’re scared to tell people, because they don’t want people to feel sorry for them. So I would say talk to a close friend, your parent that you trust. Therapy. I like therapy. I’ve been going to it since I was 16. It works for me. Helped a lot with teenage years and even like those years … Just make sure you always prioritize yourself first before you start worrying about school, friends, relationships and work.