I remember when I first met my best friend in the 4th grade and I used to go to her house all the time. I remember seeing her mom sitting quietly most of the time. This was different from all the yelling my parents did. My friend told me one day that her mom's medicine would make her mom really tired and quiet. She told me her mom was Schizophrenic. In the 4th grade, I had no idea what that meant. As we got older and I spent more time with them I would start to understand more about how it affected her mom and their family. When I was in middle school I started cutting my arms because it would give me a feeling of calmness, like a release of emotion. Eventually, I knew I was not okay and told my parents I thought I needed help. I started therapy and my own medication around that time. Then in high school, I spiraled. I missed a lot of school and was in and out of psychiatric hospitals all the time. It was there that I figured out that I wanted to help others that were like me. I never had any issues with the kids in the psychiatric wards that had more severe mental health issues than my own. I think because I always felt and showed empathy. Maybe it was that I understood them a bit from being around my friend's mom all the time but I don't know. I eventually found out I was bipolar and managing it through the years has not been easy. Somehow I have developed a good handle on things and part of that is keeping a positive outlook. I try not to think or dwell on negative things that I have no control over and that helps so much. I got pregnant at 18 and by 23 I was having my second child. There were periods of time when I would try to be off all my meds for my pregnancies but I always ended up having to be put on a low dose of something towards the end. It was like I was almost able to be without it but just couldn't. I had to learn to be better and do better for my kids though. I went to school off and on for many years but have committed to completing my Bachelor's degree in the last 2 years. I will finish that degree this year and then continue with my Master's degree. I am currently working on my Bachelor's in Business Administration because I currently work for a large corporation that manages claims for many health plans. I personally work for them as a Pharmacy Technician doing drug formulary and benefits management for Medicaid plans. My goal is to move up within the company so I can make more of an impact for our members. Our CEO for many years just passed away recently and was known for his philanthropic work. He was such a great person inspiration when it comes to helping others. I want to be able to do that, I want to be helpful in any way I can.

We all know that being a parent isn't easy. I was finishing up high school when I found out that I was pregnant with my first child. I tried going to community college for a while, but couldn't decide what I wanted to do. First, I thought I would be a preschool teacher so I took quite a few child development courses. I was also still pregnant at the time. I realized quickly that I wouldn't want to be surrounded by children all day but still be away from my own. So, I tried classes for other things including computer networking, accounting, and bookkeeping. After my son was born I couldn't continue with school because I was a single parent so work needed to be my priority. I wasn't able to return to my education again until 2012 when my son started kindergarten and I was then pregnant with my second child. I had the help of her father for a while so I was able to do school full-time. I had my daughter in July 2013 during the one semester I took off and by October I was back in school. I finished school there with my Associate in Applied Sciences and as a Pharmacy Technician. After that, I was a single parent again and had to work full-time. I was lucky enough to be hired by the company I did my pharmacy externship with and I stayed there for about 3 years. A few more years would go by to get me to where my children were old enough to understand I would need to study if I went back to school. I am currently in my senior year of my Bachelor's in Business Administration and am hoping that I can continue for my Master's degree. I still work full-time, but am able to manage my time better to allow me to continue with school also. I work as a Pharmacy Technician but in an office setting. I do drug formulary and benefits management for various health plans, so a business degree would allow me to move up more at the corporation I already work for. My hope is that eventually, I will be able to use my degree to make life much better for my kids and I. I am the only person in my family to graduate high school and am hoping to make my kids proud that I was able to go as far as I wanted to. I want them to know that they can do anything they want to in life as long as they keep trying.