Growing up I have always been interested in the human mind. It is very natural for me to question and analyze emotions, thoughts, behaviors, and motivations. I constantly find myself asking why, how, and what is behind various emotional experiences I encounter. My natural sensitivity towards others is also a foundation for who I am, I love making people feel heard and understood. Thus my pursuit always falls between science and the fundamentals of human nature. My goal has always been and will always be, to learn from and help people, to use the best of my heart and mind. In middle school, I was a bit of a nerd. It was the first time school began to click with me, and my strengths and hunger for knowledge began to show. In eighth grade, I got the highest score on an algebra final, the highest in the entire school. Yet, before this, I always had a hard time in my classes. I was notably behind compared to my peers in math, science, and English. To do as well as I did in middle school, I had to work extra hard, which I take great pride in. Learning became a platform for exploration for me as a result of my new accomplishments. Science in particular became a great personal passion and love due to my triumph. I proved to myself and others that I could be and overcome anything. However, I would be amiss not to mention the value I gained from the years I struggled. It is true, that I wasn't the best student, but I did learn what it felt like to be broken and stuck on the outside. I often was taken from my peers to do extra studying. I know, first hand, the embarrassment that comes from falling short on things that seemed so simple to others. I have been both, the underdog and the prodigy, which helped me develop perspective. I have an understanding of what it means to be ostracized, behind, and left out. This understanding and the skills I have developed, have allowed me to grow into a person excited about what I can do for others. It is hard to pinpoint exactly one moment in my life when education became important to me. My passion for learning and my compassion for others are at the core of my experiences and central to who I am. I believe these qualities I can use for good and they motivate me to excel in education. I am driven to obtain a doctorate in either psychology or philosophy. I believe if I stay true to who I am I will bring many wonderful advancements in the social sciences. At times I find myself dreaming of opening community centers to connect people of different backgrounds and challenges. I have thought about being a therapist, really listening and helping people one on one. I have found my true passion is to get lost in a world of study, that could lead someday to research or academia. My highest desire is to create and answer questions about the human mind that will make a positive impact on the world. I truly want to make a difference, and I am excited about all of the possibilities.

Tell us a little about who you are and why you wish to pursue a college education? My name is Allea Burton and I want to become a research-focused psychologist. I wish to go down this path because, for as long as I have known, the human mind has always captivated and perplexed me. Psychology has touched my interest in both very logical and scientific ways, but it also addresses personal passions and meaning for me. Things like personality, emotions, and the never-ending complexity of human nature connect both to undying love and my intellectual curiosity of mine. On one hand, I see learning about what makes up the people around me, as one of the greatest expressions of care and universal love. It is an act of appreciation in my eyes. This is because understanding is not only a question of logic and reason, but it is also a form of compassion and interpersonal connection. I am also a person who naturally loves to make observations, and ask questions about all sorts of things. Growing up I have been interested in learning about odd facts, animals, space, chemistry, philosophical thoughts, and so much more. Honestly, just about any scientific or mathematical problem easily engages me. It is not unusual to find me ecstatic in my attempts to grasp the fundamentals for about everything I come across. I simply love to analyze the world around me and I hope that I can use that passion to help others. This is why I think it’s important for me to have a college education because there I can hone my natural inclinations into a career. I can focus both my passions and love of others as well as develop the natural tools and skills to have a sharp scientific mind. What do Art and STEM mean to you and why? For me, art and science are connected in more ways than they may appear. On the surface, science is about clear and observable facts, figures, and rules, but in truth, all science is rooted in humanity. After all, things like ethics, purpose and the natural drive behind many questions ultimately come down to the well-being, harm, and curiosities of humans. Philosophy, the father of all sciences, questions religion, morals, ethics, and even itself. This questioning eventually led to answers, and then even more questions in return. This eventually caused philosophy to branch out into more specific fields. For me, this means that all science ultimately relates to the questioning of human nature, meaning, and purpose. Even when discussing hard sciences, we often have to bring our answers back to their philosophical roots. Scientists need to understand the meaning and ponder the consequences of particular findings. We can not remove STEM from humanity and humanity from STEM. This is where art is important because art is a form of communication of philosophical thought. Art is also found in the softer sciences as a tool for healing, rehabilitation, and stimulation. For the harder ones, art often comments on the effects, needs, and ethics of its work, a universal philosophical approach. Art is also a curiosity in itself. I have recently heard of the study of “memes”, a branch of social science that studies the effects and changes of a single idea throughout a culture. I find this to be rather cool, as I am curious to see what we can learn about ourselves. For me, art and psychology often go hand and hand. Art is a tool for healing and study. It is used in both art and exposure therapy. Art is often studied for its effects on our mood, biases, and perception. Art can tell us stories that are hard for us to speak or understand, in cognitive behavioral therapy for example. The connection of symbols, stimuli, and reactions brings me back to lessons of classical condition. The possibilities and connections art has to the human mind seem endless. Meaning that art can be seen almost everywhere in psychology. However, because I plan to do research I feel that art is important. Art helps when it comes to expressing, and embracing connection with the people I intend to help. Art can communicate concerns and hopes surrounding any STEM field. It can share the human impact of findings and bring forth questions about the ethics and effects of research. This is a very important social dialogue anyone should consider when dealing with human-based research. It is something that I know I should always keep in mind because I don’t want to lose touch with the sensitivities of people. Art can also express to the masses the intention and can sway funding if needed. In any way art is looked at, it is crucial for scientists, particularly psychologists, to engage with. Art is one of the major mediums of philosophy. And without it, we would lose the heart that pumps the blood of STEM discovery. Art is something we learn from and take from as scientists and I find this sentiment to be easily overlooked.

Happiness is a feeling and like all feelings, they come and go throughout life. However, this isn't necessarily a bad thing because just as happiness fades, it is always bound to return, even when you think you’ll never come across it again. Happiness always finds a way, in all sorts of small and surprising moments throughout life, and I think that is pretty cool. So the question is what makes me happy? Lately, I have found joy and comfort with my peers at work. The small acts of kindness and compassion they display towards me mean the world. Also things like goofing around with a new friend, taking naps, making art, and getting invested in a new show also bring me a lot of happiness from time to time. Helping others and gratitude also fills me with warmth, as I find meaning in helping those around me. Other things that make me happy are feeling safe to be myself around others and being appreciated for who I am. I feel this way when I am allowed to stim freely in public spaces without concern, and I love it when I miss social cues but instead of it turning people away it gives us all a good laugh. I love it when I feel respected in engaging conversations. I find a lot of joy and happiness from acceptance because it allows me to be comfortable and free with who I am. As I have found life to be a lot more fun that way when I can just relax and be myself around others. That feeling of acceptance and appreciation is shown in a million different ways. I’m grateful for every one of those moments.

What is the meaning of life? This is a difficult question to answer, even for a person who is often engrossed in philosophical thought. There are just so many angles this question could be broken down from and on top of that, the question itself can be questioned. Yet, despite this, all of this meaning is something we all seem to hold somewhat intuitively. Whether we find it in taking care of our loved ones or pursuing personal interests and goals. We somehow seem to find meaning all around us in contrast to our larger philosophical outlook on life. Meaning, during the day to day, seems to constantly shift throughout our life and/or come from multiple sources. As there are no rules to define one fixed source for ourselves. At least I can say for sure this is true for me. I cannot easily point to one thing and say this is why I wake up in the morning. However, I find there are general themes that have followed me throughout my life. Some of the most important things for me are personal growth and understanding. Trying my best to find a balance with myself, so that I can help, and give unconditional love to the people around me. Fighting for what I believe in and protecting people I care about, are also really important things for me. I often want to make people feel understood, safe, and cared for. This is what comes most naturally to me and fulfilling the needs of others often gives me the most joy. Things like volunteer work and getting to know what little things make people tick fascinates me, and allow me to express a rare love that I feel I have to offer those closest to me.