16-year-old Maekyla shares her story of how overachieving affected her life by costing her her passion, desires, and goals. After some time she uncovered several steps to reverse the burnout while still excelling at her goals and regaining her zest for life. Maekyla Massey is a 16-year old student from Long Island. Maekyla is dedicated to public service and the improvement of her community. She is engaging in her interests by participating in several student-led initiatives. Maekyla is the co-chair of the WNET/PBS Group's Youth Collective, a THIRTEEN initiative to amplify the voices of Gen-Z in the building of an ethical world. She is also a student task force member with ERASE Racism Long Island, in which she seeks to achieve equity in both housing and education. She hopes to start a 501(c)(3) organization that encourages high schoolers to seek change through civic engagement. Maekyla devotes her time to helping youth become active in their communities. Her accomplishments have been recognized by the New York State Senate and she was granted the Youth Leadership Recognition award. She wants to attend Columbia University, where she plans on enhancing her understanding of political science. This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. Learn more at https://www.ted.com/tedx