Our mental health is the building block of living a happy and healthy life. Just as we prioritize our physical health, it’s important to understand our emotions and how they can be affecting our behaviors and relationships. Each person may need to work on their mental health in a different way, whether that's going to therapy, taking a day off of work, or spending some time journaling, it can be very important to your health. When your mental health declines it affects more than just your thoughts, your mind and body will start suffering. It can even start affecting your decision and behaviors and may have a lasting impact on you and your relationship with others. When you let certain emotions or thoughts control your mind for too long, it can take over every aspect of your life. As mentioned before, maintaining your mental health can look different for everyone depending on how you process things and your past experiences. I personally find that writing helps me process my emotions and thoughts the best. Therapy is also something that has helped me in the past as I worked through major changes in my life and needed someone to listen and guide me. I tend to be a very organized person, so when my mind feels cluttered my first instinct is to try and organize my thoughts. I will go on a walk, journal, and talk to my friends and family to help me go through all of my thoughts and try to understand what the problem is. I also have found that it’s helpful to understand your own limits. Only you are able to fully understand how much your mind can take, and if something in your life is taking up too much space or putting too much pressure on you, it’s imperative to adjust or find help before it becomes detrimental to your health. When understanding your limits, it also helps to know what works for you. Everyone’s mind has a different instinct when they are dealing with something difficult. It’s important to recognize those tendencies and try to work through them in a healthier way if needed. One of the best strategies I found was simply leaning on those who care about you. Often when people are struggling through something, they feel very isolated mentally, and naturally, they isolate themselves physically as well. While alone time is important for processing your thoughts, humans thrive on meaningful, social connections that can help us feel heard.

I began a challenging journey with my own mental health during my freshman year of high school. The pandemic had closed down school near the end of the year and we began the summer of isolation. As an only child, I am already a more introverted person, however, not being able to see any of my friends for months made it very hard to cope with mental struggles. I became very anxious and depressed which affected every second of my life. I went back to school in the fall with hybrid classes and anxiety suffocated me every time I stepped foot in school. As the year went on my depressive thoughts began subsiding but my anxiety was still heavily affecting my ability to socialize. I eventually reached out and was able to find a therapist. The main coping strategies that helped me the most were good communication and focusing on the controllable things in life. You can't control what others may think of you or how they will act, you can only control yourself and your actions. My therapist was able to help me recognize my irrational thoughts and how to focus on the reality of situations instead. Working with my therapist became the light at the end of the tunnel. Eventually, I learned from her how to de-escalate from these anxious thoughts and behaviors on my own. From this experience, along with my love of psychology as a subject, I now have a goal of becoming a clinical psychologist where I am able to help other people like my therapist helped me. So many people deal with debilitating thoughts every day and don't know how to reach out and get help. I want to help others work through their mental struggles and learn how to thrive on their own. I also want to become a voice of change when it comes to the accessibility of therapy. I was lucky enough to be able to afford therapy, but many other children and adults don't have that privilege. Education and resources regarding mental health should be much more affordable and accessible in schools and workplaces. If people were educated on their mental well-being and had access to affordable care, many more people would be able to get the help they need. I want to use my education as a tool to help others and advocate for those who can't speak for themselves.

I have been passionate about psychology since my sophomore year when I first started dual enrollment. I had my first general psychology class and fell in love with the concepts and ideas. I spent the summer learning on my own and I took as many related classes as I could. As much as I loved learning about the subject, I also loved the idea of being able to help someone work through hard times and help them find ways to thrive no matter what they may be going through. I have worked through my own mental challenges and had the privilege of working with a therapist who has been able to help me correct my thinking and I was able to come out a much more confident and secure person. I want to use my education to become a therapist and help other people learn how to work through their thoughts in a healthy way and teach them how to thrive on their own. I want to help people understand their mental health and learn how to cope healthily so they are able to recognize and fix problems on their own eventually. While I am passionate about the subject and being able to help people, I have become aware of how inaccessible mental health help is for the general public. Many people are not fully educated on their mental well-being and how to reach out for help. Even when people are brave enough to look for help, they are not taken seriously or they are prescribed pills without it being paired with the proper therapy to help them. As my main goal in the psychology field is to become a therapist and work with individuals one-on-one, I also want to have a voice in increasing the accessibility to therapy. Especially for children in at-risk communities that may need the most help, they are not able to get it. I want to work towards more affordable care and more education on mental health in general. As a teenager, I didn't understand what I was feeling or how to make it go away. If we can help educate students and parents on how to understand what they are feeling and how to ask for help, I believe students will be more comfortable reaching out when needed instead of turning to harmful behaviors. My education will allow me to have a voice in the discussion and advocate for those who don't.

I began a challenging journey with my own mental health during my freshman year of high school. The pandemic had closed down school near the end of the year and we began the summer of isolation. As an only child, I am already a more introverted person, however, not being able to see any of my friends for months made it very hard to cope with mental struggles. I became very anxious and depressed which affected every second of my life. I went back to school in the fall with hybrid classes and anxiety suffocated me every time I stepped foot in school. As the year went on my depressive thoughts began subsiding but my anxiety was still heavily affecting my ability to socialize. Finally, I gathered the courage to talk to my parents about it. In my household, no one had ever discussed feelings or mental health before this so I wasn't sure how they would react. I tried to describe what I was feeling and asked for a therapist. They welcomed me with open arms and immediately helped me find someone to talk to. I will forever be grateful for their support. This completely changed our relationship, as they were now more conscious about discussing emotions openly and I felt more comfortable sharing my thoughts. I found a therapist and was able to find coping mechanisms that worked for me and my anxiety slowly lessened as I stepped out of my comfort zone and experienced new things. As I worked through my own behaviors and thoughts with my therapist, I started dual enrollment and took a few different introduction psychology classes. They immediately sparked my interest and I fell in love with the subject and the ability to help people with their mental struggles. While I think I would still love psychology no matter my personal experiences, I think my struggles helped me sympathize with others much more and understand the importance of this career. I am now working to get my Master's degree in clinical psychology so I can help others the way my therapist helped me. I also recognize that I was very lucky with how my family reacted and their ability to find me help. I want to be able to work in the psychology field to help make mental help more accessible for everyone. Especially for young adults and children growing up during the pandemic and trying to recover, it's more important than ever to help everyone understand their emotions and be able to openly work through their struggles. Overall, I believe my personal experiences with mental health have led me to be more empathetic with others and their perspectives. It has led me to an amazing profession where I will be able to help so many people. I have also strengthened my relationship with my parents and close friends. While I endured years of anxiety and am still working every day to improve my mental health, I am able to use my experiences to improve my own life and those around me.

My end goal after getting my education is to work as a clinical psychologist. I want to be able to work with patients one-on-one and help them work through their mental struggles and learn how to thrive on their own. I plan on attending Central Michigan University to complete my Bachelor's in psychology and then work towards my Master's in clinical psychology. Depending on my financial situation after that, I would like to work towards my Doctorate in order to open up more opportunities within the psychology field. While this seems like a daunting task ahead, I am currently working towards getting my Registered Behavior Technician Certification while also looking for part-time jobs within my field. This will help build my resume for grad school and give me more experience within the field. I hope to be able to work under experts in an internship soon and grow as a future psychologist. Luckily I have taken lots of dual-enrollment credits during high school so I have a good start toward my degree, however, finances is still a huge burden on myself and my family. I will be working part-time during the school year to help pay for my tuition and will hopefully be able to start as a teacher assistant eventually to help save some money while also making connections with professors that can help me grow within the field. I know this will be a difficult journey, however, I have a strong passion to help others who have dealt with mental health issues/disorders. I fell in love with the subject itself during my dual-enrollment classes and am eager to learn more. I want to be able to make mental health resources more accessible for children in lower-class communities and educate kids about their own mental health so they know when to ask for help and how to work through these mental struggles that many people face in their everyday lives.

I began a challenging journey with my own mental health during my freshman year of high school. The pandemic had closed down school near the end of the year and we began the summer of isolation. As an only child, I am already a more introverted person, however, not being able to see any of my friends for months made it very hard to cope with mental struggles. I became very anxious and depressed which affected every second of my life. I went back to school in the fall with hybrid classes and anxiety suffocated me every time I stepped foot in school. As the year went on my depressive thoughts began subsiding but my anxiety was still heavily affecting my ability to socialize. Finally, I gathered the courage to talk to my parents about it. In my household, no one had ever discussed feelings or mental health before this so I wasn't sure how they would react. I tried to describe what I was feeling and asked for a therapist. They welcomed me with open arms and immediately helped me find someone to talk to. I will forever be grateful for their support. This completely changed our relationship, as they were now more conscious about discussing emotions openly and I felt more comfortable sharing my thoughts. I found a therapist and was able to find coping mechanisms that worked for me and my anxiety slowly lessened as I stepped out of my comfort zone and experienced new things. As I worked through my own behaviors and thoughts with my therapist, I started dual enrollment and took a few different introduction psychology classes. They immediately sparked my interest and I fell in love with the subject and the ability to help people with their mental struggles. While I think I would still love psychology no matter my personal experiences, I think my struggles helped me sympathize with others much more and understand the importance of this career. I am now working to get my Master's degree in clinical psychology so I can help others the way my therapist helped me. I also recognize that I was very lucky with how my family reacted and their ability to find me help. I want to be able to work in the psychology field to help make mental help more accessible for everyone. Especially for young adults and children growing up during the pandemic and trying to recover, it's more important than ever to help everyone understand their emotions and be able to openly work through their struggles. Overall, I believe my personal experiences with mental health have led me to be more empathetic with others and their perspectives. It has led me to an amazing profession where I will be able to help so many people. I have also strengthened my relationship with my parents and close friends. While I endured years of anxiety and am still working every day to improve my mental health, I am able to use my experiences to improve my own life and those around me.

Throughout high school, I volunteered at multiple events through the Salvation Army. Especially during Christmas time, showing your support for everyone in the community is very important. I participated in hand-delivering presents to families all over the city and also helped at local churches collecting donations and helping parents find the perfect gifts for their children. Everyone should be able to give their children a happy, memorable childhood no matter what financial burdens they may be carrying. I have also helped at the local farmer's market as a greeter and a restoration volunteer. My job during the market was to greet and guide guests to whatever they may be looking for. It was a very satisfying position to be able to see people go into the market, mingle with new people, and explore new things. As a restoration volunteer, I helped during the off-season and planted new flowers, cleaned up the lot, and got the venue ready for the upcoming spring season. I have also done lots of volunteer work through my school's National Honors Society. We had annual events for Kid's Food Basket where we would make sack lunches from donated food and would raise money from various events to donate to the organization. We also had the opportunity to help with road clean-ups with the environmental club. All of these small acts were always very fulfilling because I was able to work with new people and help make a difference in the community. One of my favorite volunteering experiences was working as a head coach for my school's youth cheer program. I led the team and coaching staff in practices and games. I mostly worked with 5th and 6th graders and it was amazing to see them fall in love with the sport the same way I did. We taught them the basics of cheer and the core values that a team should hold. We communicated with the parents to help support the children as much as possible and ended up leading many girls to find a sport and a community they love. As I begin my journey at CMU next year, I would like to continue to find ways to support the community in times of need. College provides a unique opportunity for students to meet people from all over the world, from different families, different cultures, and different lifestyles. Being able to connect with new people with allow me to learn and understand how I can best help those around me.

As for my close family and friends, I consciously try to be open-minded and remember to reach out. Many people suffer in silence and a simple text or call can make a big difference when someone is mentally struggling. I think it's very important as a friend and a future psychologist to put any judgments to the side and try to see a person's perspective through their lens. I've found that lots of my friends may feel uncomfortable sharing their emotions so I try my best to help in whatever way makes them feel comfortable whether that's listening or just being there. As for the future, I hope to use my psychology degree to work as a therapist. I'm not completely sure what I would specialize in currently, but I know that I want to help guide people along in times when they feel lost. During the pandemic, people's minds were filled with uncertainty and anxiety about the future, however, lots of people still struggle with these thoughts in their everyday lives and I want to help people find the light at the end of the tunnel. Life is filled with unexpected situations that we are not taught how to deal with. I hope that I can give people the tools to take care of themselves and prioritize their own mental health. The discussion surrounding mental health has greatly improved and people are becoming more aware of their mental well-being. However, as people come into new information, it's important that they understand how to use the tools and strategies in their own lives. As a therapist, my goal will be to show people how they can help themselves. After the past few years of uncontrollable circumstances, it's imperative that we show people how to take control of what they can within their lives.

Going through high school as a worldwide pandemic took over caused me and lots of people in my life to struggle with isolation and loneliness. The first several months of the pandemic allowed for my depression and anxiety to grow tremendously, and even as we were allowed back into school, the long-term social isolation had permanently affected myself and those around me. I was fortunate enough to have access to a therapist who was able to work through my thinking and behavior patterns and eventually, I was able to feel more confident about myself and my place at school. As for my friends, I found it hard to reach out during isolation as I was going through my own troubles but I tried as best as I could to reach out through a simple Facetime call or a socially distanced hang out. The isolation was harder for some of my friends than others and I knew that they needed to stay in contact regularly. Since then, I have prioritized my own mental health and made sure to check up on those around me more often. Many people are silently suffering and I learned that it's important to keep reaching out so people know they are cared about. As for the future, I hope to use my psychology degree to work as a therapist. I'm not completely sure what I would specialize in currently, but I know that I want to help guide people along in times when they feel lost. During the pandemic, people's minds were filled with uncertainty and anxiety about the future, however, lots of people still struggle with these thoughts in their everyday lives and I want to help people find the light at the end of the tunnel. Life is filled with unexpected situations that we are not taught how to deal with. I hope that I can give people the tools to take care of themselves and prioritize their own mental health. The discussion surrounding mental health has greatly improved and people are becoming more aware of their mental well-being. However, as people come into new information, it's important that they understand how to use the tools and strategies in their own lives. As a therapist, my goal will be to show people how they can help themselves. After the past few years of uncontrollable circumstances, it's imperative that we show people how to take control of what they can within their lives.

Harassment inside and outside school has worsened over the past decades. Over the past few years, I have coached 5th and 6th graders and have heard about the daily bullying they endure, just for expressing themselves. I believe the best way to advocate for children is to prioritize teaching empathy and compassion. Many kids are too scared to say anything if they, or someone they know, get bullied. Teaching kids to stand up for one another can make a big difference. Even if it doesn't involve a teacher, if a student is brave enough to stand against harassment of someone, it sets an example for all the other children. I believe there has been much more advocacy for being your true self in the media within the past few years. While I hope this continues, it realistically won't solve the whole problem. Harassment will continue to be a problem no matter how much we attempt to monitor it. However, it's important to teach teachers and parents how to detect these problems and not allow them to get out of hand. Teaching adults how to look out for these problems along with teaching children how to fight it and be confident in themselves will help minimize the effects bullying can have on a child. My main motivation behind entering the mental health field is to help adolescents who feel hopeless and need a place to turn for support. I have dealt with anxiety and depression most of my teenage years. Trying to understand those emotions by yourself can be isolating and I want to be able to give kids a sense of hope that it can get better. I believe one of the biggest problems with treating mental illnesses, especially in children, is diagnosing and prescribing them too fast. Many psychiatrists attempt to give medications to children they've only talked to for a few minutes. I want to work as a therapist to take the time to truly understand my patients and help them find the correct treatment, without rushing to prescribe them unnecessary medication. I want to provide children with the correct coping mechanisms to hopefully reduce the risk of them turning to self-harm or drug abuse. Boosting self-esteem is also very important when it comes to standing up for yourself and finding a voice. I have always had bad social anxiety, and it wasn't until going to therapy that I was able to feel more confident in myself and expose myself to new social experiences that I ended up loving.