G.H. DePriest Memorial Scholarship

When I was 10 years old, my brother was diagnosed with hearing loss and had to have surgery to get cochlear implants. While this may not be seen as "special education," the way that people treated him made him feel that way. Because of the way he was treated just because he was a little different, it made me realize that I wanted to pursue a future career in the area of special education. My first-hand experience with the way he is treated is small compared to the way that students are treated in the special education department. I want to pursue a career in the special education field to help these students feel loved, valued, and seen in ways that they may not feel in other places. My plan for the next four years is to double major in special education and Spanish. I wanted to add a major in Spanish because some students who may not know English very well are also considered to be in the "special education" department. Ever since I was a little girl when people asked me what I wanted to do after high school, I always said I wanted to help people. This idea of helping people comes differently for everyone, but I feel like the most beneficial way I can do this is in this department. My biggest goal in my future career is to not let my students or anyone else feel less than because of something that is outside of their control. I have seen people be ridiculed, treated differently, and even bullied because of something that they were born with. I know that I can not completely stop this from happening, as it is inevitable in life, but I want to do everything in my power to help these kids feel like they have a place where they belong. My heart hurts for these kids and I hope that if they are put in my class they feel loved like never before. The way that I am working towards this career right now, is volunteering in my church's Special Buddies program. It has given me a hands-on experience into what it will be like in this career field and I feel like it has benefitted me in more ways than one. I am extremely thankful for this opportunity to prepare me for the upcoming years of my life and excited to see where this career may lead me.

During my Sophomore year, I became interested in learning about the human mind and why we do certain things. It was during the peak of the pandemic and my family had lost too many people, to health and mental battles. My mental health started to decline without me even realizing it. I became irritable and tired, I lost my appetite, and my enthusiastic views about life disappeared. I didn’t want to believe that I was depressed, mainly because of the stigma it has in the Black community. I was scared that if I mentioned it, I wouldn’t get taken seriously since my life was “good” and I “had nothing to be sad about”. I believed it too. I thought there were more important things to worry about than how I felt and that it was just a phase. The gloomy feeling of uncertainty stayed with me for a long time, but after suppressing it, I finally decided to take my mental health seriously. I started researching depression and read stories about people who felt the same way I did. I wanted to know if they “cured” themselves of it and how I could do the same. However, I slowly realized that depression isn’t some curable disease. It’s a mental health issue that can’t be fixed with a snap of a finger. It takes time. You have to be willing to get better. I changed my diet, journaled, wrote stories, and used distractions like dance, work, and anime in hopes of bettering myself. I did everything but the one thing that might’ve helped me improve. See a therapist. I’ve since gotten the courage to mention it to my parents, but to no surprise, they doubted I needed one because I seemed happy and had everything I wanted. Getting better on my own was the best option. As I worked on myself, my interest in Psychology grew. I transferred to a new school and took the Psychology course they have. By the end of my Junior year, I knew I wanted to study it in college. I aspire to use my experience with mental health and the knowledge I have and will continue to gain, to help people. Especially young Black teens who might go through the same thing I did. Becoming a therapist is the best way that I can do that. Dance was the most effective form of healing for me. When I dance, it feels like I’m in a different world where it’s just me and the music. If my body wasn’t sore, I could dance for hours. I had my happiest years when I was on that dance team. Dance has helped me remain positive in one of the darkest times of my life. I danced to distract myself. Dance gave me the freedom to express how I felt through my movement. It was therapeutic for me to use my body to release my feelings and emotions. I can’t ever see myself getting tired of dancing. Even though I’m not on a team now, I still find ways to do it. I participate in Zumba and have virtual dance parties with my sister. I intend to bring my passion to college with me. Maybe I’ll host my own Zumba class or be the coach of a dance team. I could even incorporate it into my psychology career and offer dance therapy. I like the idea of using something that helped me in a time of need to help others. Being able to incorporate something I love into my everyday life is what makes dance so meaningful to me.