Every experience shapes who we become, but some experiences fundamentally redefine our purpose. For me, becoming a single mother while pursuing higher education did not simply add responsibility to my life — it clarified my calling. Navigating financial strain, emotional stress, and academic pressure simultaneously has required resilience, discipline, and unwavering determination. These challenges have not weakened my ambition; they have strengthened my commitment to pursuing a career in mental healthcare.
As the sole provider for my children, I have learned firsthand how deeply mental health intersects with every aspect of life. Financial instability affects emotional well-being. Chronic stress impacts physical health. Lack of access to support systems can alter the trajectory of a family. I have experienced what it feels like to carry the weight of responsibility while striving to build a better future. Through those experiences, I began to recognize a profound truth: healthcare is not limited to physical treatment. Mental healthcare is foundational to stability, safety, and long-term well-being.
My academic path in psychology reflects that understanding. As an undergraduate student, I am driven by a desire to study human behavior at its core — particularly in areas where mental health intersects with trauma, crisis intervention, and systemic barriers. I am especially interested in forensic and clinical psychology, where professionals work with individuals navigating complex life circumstances, including involvement in the justice system. In these spaces, mental healthcare can prevent recidivism, support rehabilitation, and restore dignity to individuals who often feel unseen.
The resilience required to balance full-time work, motherhood, and college has shaped the way I approach both education and life. There have been evenings spent studying after my children were asleep and mornings that began long before sunrise. There have been financial sacrifices and moments of doubt. Yet, through perseverance, I have maintained academic progress and remained focused on long-term goals. Each obstacle has reinforced my belief that meaningful impact requires endurance.
Growing up and later raising children in a single-parent household also gave me insight into how systems often overlook families like mine. Navigating healthcare, education, and social services can feel overwhelming without adequate support. These lived experiences have deepened my empathy and strengthened my resolve to advocate for accessible, trauma-informed mental healthcare. I want to be a professional who not only understands diagnostic criteria and evidence-based practices, but who also understands what it feels like to sit on the other side of the desk — searching for guidance, stability, and hope.
Mental healthcare is preventative healthcare. Untreated psychological distress contributes to addiction, chronic illness, family instability, and incarceration. By addressing mental health early and compassionately, we create ripple effects that improve communities as a whole. My goal is to contribute to a healthcare system that recognizes the interconnectedness of mind and body and prioritizes intervention that is both evidence-based and humane.
The RELEVANCE Scholarship emphasizes ambition, drive, and impact. My ambition is not rooted in prestige, but in purpose. My drive has been tested and strengthened through personal and financial adversity. My desired impact is clear: to serve individuals and families who feel overwhelmed by circumstance and to offer them competent, compassionate mental healthcare.
My challenges have not deterred me from pursuing a career in healthcare — they have defined why I must. Every experience has shaped who I am becoming: a resilient student, a determined mother, and a future mental health professional committed to making healthcare more accessible, empathetic, and effective for those who need it most.
Growing up, I was known as the quiet kid, always eager to help. I still remember how proud I was to win the “Smile Award” in elementary school, a small reminder of the person I was trying to be for others, even when things felt overwhelming at home. After losing her sister in 2009, my mom fell into a deep depression and began using alcohol to cope. After my parents’ divorce, I was raised by my mom, and though I was just a child, I felt responsible for her well-being. I took on a caregiver-like role for her and my siblings, doing my best to create stability despite the constant tension in our home. It was an exhausting and isolating time. With support from my other aunt, my mom eventually entered rehab and has now been sober for two years. While I’m grateful for her progress, those experiences left a lasting emotional impact that I continue to work through.
Over the past seven years, I’ve struggled with severe depression and anxiety. Still, I’ve held on to a steady determination to move forward, and that resilience led me to pursue nursing. I’ve seen how trauma, untreated mental illness, and substance abuse can affect families, especially when support systems are absent. I want to become the kind of healthcare professional who offers that support, someone who advocates for others and provides steady, compassionate care.
Mental health care hasn’t always been accessible to me. Financial barriers and college pressures made prioritizing my needs difficult. For a long time, I pushed those struggles aside to focus on taking care of others. But during my first year of college, I realized that wasn’t sustainable. Though it was hard, I started therapy, began medication, and built healthier routines. Opening up to my family was another important step. While their advice came from concern, it often felt like surface-level solutions (“go outside more” or “just try to stay positive”), overlooking the depth of what I was experiencing. That kind of oversimplification, especially from those closest to you, can make moving forward harder. It also reflects a broader issue: a lack of education and empathy around mental health. Mental health shouldn’t be treated as an afterthought, and no one should have to reach a crisis point before receiving care. I want to help build a healthcare system and culture that recognizes mental and emotional well-being as central to overall health.
I’m currently pursuing my Bachelor of Science in Nursing, where I’ve gained a deeper understanding of systemic gaps impacting patient care. One of my professors, who served on her state’s Board of Nursing, helped me see how nurses can advocate beyond the bedside. Her example encouraged me to think critically about how access, policy, and equity shape patient outcomes. My long-term goal is to become a nurse practitioner specializing in maternal-child health, focusing on postpartum mental health and reducing maternal mortality in underserved communities. I’m also pursuing a minor in international relations and plan to study abroad, where I’ll explore how different healthcare systems support maternal and infant health, particularly in resource-limited settings. These experiences will broaden my perspective, strengthen my cultural competence, and prepare me to deliver equitable care to all patients.
Learning to prioritize my well-being has taught me that caring for others starts with caring for yourself. My experiences have shown me the invisible burdens many carry and the importance of approaching others with patience and compassion. That lesson continues to guide me as I grow into the nurse I hope to become, someone who brings both competence and empathy to every patient interaction.
