Back in 2017, I had the best year of my life - I was going to be an older sister to 2 new babies. I never experienced true love until I met my younger sister and brother. I imagined taking them to the park, school and extracurricular activities. About a year later my life took a 360, my brother was diagnosed with SMA. First off, what is SMA? Spinal Muscular Atrophy is an extremely rare genetic disorder that starts in the central nervous system and affects all muscles in the body. 6,000 to 10,000 children in the United States are born with SMA-an autosomal recessive genetic disease. Out of the “positive” benchmark, each child had a 1 in 4 chance of having the disease; in shorter terms, a 25% chance. He lost all strength in his body; he wasn't able to hold himself up. How could the universe or whatever supreme power there is put this upon an innocent child? So how did a small 25% statistic affect 100% of my life? The numbers don’t seem to add up.
I’ve always been a quiet and reserved person. Always insecure physically and emotionally, yet I'm privileged enough to walk. My little brother does not yet comprehend the nature of his disability, and being the stubborn little boy he is, cries when he cannot get up from his wheelchair to kick a soccer ball, throw a basketball, or catch a football. How dare I be insecure of my perfectly able body when my little brother will never be able to experience the feeling of the sand on his feet when he's running on the beach or the feeling of the concrete on the ground when he's chasing the ice cream truck. All my flaws and fears have convinced me to limit myself in doing extraordinary things, but I won't allow it anymore. I choose to embrace my flaws and use those limitations in the future. I've always wondered why I couldn't see myself the way others viewed me. My little brother, Tristen taught me where real beauty and strength comes from. It's not just how people see you on the outside that matters in life, but what you do with what you were gifted on the inside. His passion, stubbornness, and courage to fight something so difficult inspires me in ways I can't even comprehend. He inspires me to better myself, and better others around me.
A woman in science is the person who diagnosed and is beginning to change Tristen's life. Because of her, my brother is able to move his feet, arms, and keep his body up. Just like how his doctor is changing his life, I want to be able to change another person's life as well. A woman in STEM is a stimulating adventure, and just because there are adversities in it doesn't mean I can't overcome it. The joy I have from watching other people strive to succeed truly excites me, and I want to begin on my journey as well. This passion began at home. I took something that I thought would negatively impact me, yet I see the beauty in it. Watching someone you love suffer truly sucks, SMA sucks, being insecure sucks, and somehow I've managed to allow those things to inspire me. So, how did that 25% statistic change 100% of my life? Well, it made me want to be a better person for my little sister who looks up to me, for my parents who think so greatly of me, for Tristen, and to prove all the insecure feelings about myself wrong.
I am a high school junior with a heart full of hope and a mind full of passion. I have always believed that our world runs on the abundant research made by men and women in the STEM fields, and that science is society’s handbook to understanding the world around us. Specifically, a branch of science that I believe is fundamental in understanding humankind is psychology. Although recognized as a social science, I still believe it should be credited as important as any other science.
Since my childhood, I have had a desire to find an explanation for everything. As I have grown older, my interests have shifted towards more mature subjects, ranging from the reason why some babies take longer to speak than others, to the reason why suicide is more prevalent in men than in women. I have taken refuge in psychology for as long as I can remember, for it provides me with the answer to all my questions and simply makes sense in my mind, in a way that nothing else ever has.
I want to be a part of the large movement of women in the clinical psychology field that educate the public on the importance of psychology in our day-to-day lives. I feel the general public must become more informed on mental health illnesses and the impacts they have on individuals. To be more specific, there is a negative stigma around mental disorders such as depression, anxiety, and a plethora of others. Society tends to believe that individuals with these disorders are ‘’crazy’’, or unable to function normally in society, and therefore should be disregarded and isolated from the section of society that is considered ‘’normal’’. This ideology has disgusted me and caused me a great deal of discomfort.
Specifically, this way of thinking is very prevalent in younger generations, like those of the elementary, middle school, and high school age range. These children and young adults tend to view those with mental illnesses as strange and unapproachable, and tend to turn a blind eye to them, which then leads to them maintaining this way of thinking throughout their adulthood.
They then proceed to not be able to see those with disorders as valuable, respectable individuals, even as they are adult, authoritative figures. This prevents mentally ill individuals from being given the equal chance to succeed in the tech world.
As a passionate student in the STEM field, I have become heavily involved with the Mental Health Awareness club at my high school and have done a handful of activities to spread awareness. Consequently, I have also been training for the past year to become the president of this club for the next school year, which is my senior year of high school.
I plan on influencing the tech world by changing how those with mental illnesses are viewed both in the STEM field and in society as a whole. By targeting those at a young age, I can inform them on how to respect and treat those with disorders fairly, in the same way that they would treat anybody who is considered ‘’normal’’ in society’s eyes.
