RollinOn 3 Kentucky Presents D.B.C. Scholarship

Over the past years, I have shown courage, resilience, and growth. I am on a self-journey of overcoming my depression; all while trying to stay on the honor roll and getting my associate's degree in dual enrollment. I have experienced mental health issues due to personal reasons like stress, me and my mom having issues, my mom getting shot, and my dad passing away. While also having to balance taking care of my little sisters, and doing my schoolwork, work, and sports. At first, I thought I was having a lot of bad days. That what I was feeling inside wasn't a big deal. But I found myself in this vicious cycle where I locked myself in my room, doing nothing, and not eating. It became difficult to pull myself away. In the mornings, it was hard for me to get up because sometimes my body would just shut down. I would stay in my room all day and curl into a ball. When I'm like this, I think of nothing. I get to block everything that makes me sad and reminds me of all my stress. These issues have distracted me from my responsibilities and have impacted my academic performance greatly. My grades were slipping, and I was failing to show up to school. This was a repeated cycle for 5 years and I knew it was toxic for my future and mental health. Around late November- early December 2024, I felt as though I reached my breaking point. I have been getting triggered for a while due to my stress and I would randomly cry alone at school and home. I was in my College Tracks counselor's office crying because I got triggered by my emotions. I then began to tell her about how I just always felt sad and numb every day, how I was failing my classes and the increased amount of stress that I was putting on myself. It was a difficult thing to do, to finally talk to someone about my struggles and my mental health. I am not used to expressing my thoughts and feelings genuinely. I always thought of myself as someone who could find a solution no matter what. That I can fix all my problems easily. But it felt so comforting to finally be heard. To not feel alone and to get the help I need. My counselor made me feel safe and sane. She helped me feel heard and she made everything feel as if I am not alone, mentally. Reminding me that the future is what I make of it. This helped me realize that if I want to graduate and become the best version, I know I can be, I have to put myself first. I have to advocate for myself. I surround myself with better people and I put my goals first. I am still fighting my depression as I now get counseling every week at school, but with the support and the new strive for greatness, I am finally seeing everything differently.