Imagine walking into a refugee camp in southeast Africa. You look around and see mounds of trash and homes made of dirt and cardboard. It's hot and humid. The stench of BO and human waste is almost unbearable. Crowds of people try to sell you whatever they have. Malnourished children run around you with dirty, ripped clothes and bare feet. These people are trapped, with very few resources and very little money. This was what I saw on my visit to the Dzaleka Refugee Camp just outside Lilongwe, Malawi. According to the American Psychiatric Association, approximately 1 in 3 refugees and asylum seekers experience high rates of of PTSD, anxiety, and depression. There is a great need for mental health services for refugees, however it is rarely addressed. I plan to get a degree with a major in social work and minor in nonprofit management and global impact. Then, I plan to start a nonprofit that provides mental health services for refugees around the globe. Services will include cognitive behavioral therapy, trauma therapy, recreational therapy, music therapy, and exposure therapy. This nonprofit will be stationed in the United States, as well as in international refugee camps such as the Dzaleka Refugee camp in Malawi, the Kakuma refugee camp in Kenya, the Za'atari refugee camp in Jordan, and the Kutupalong refugee camp in Bangladesh. I know what it's like to not feel like you can go on anymore. I know what it's like to deal with crippling anxiety. I know what it's like for a mental illness to completely take over your life. From ages 11 to 14, I developed severe OCD and Anorexia. Instead of enjoying school, friends, family, and the exciting stage of life I was at, the monster in my brain forced me to hyperfocus on grades, cleaning, eating, and exercise. I was miserable. On June 9, 2020, I was admitted into a residential treatment center for girls and women with eating disorders. It was there that my life changed. I received the help necessary to fight my debilitating mental illnesses, I met some amazing people, I learned important skills, and I found myself again. Since then, my life has been much happier. I want to dedicate the rest of my life to helping those in need. I have decided that after high school, I will major in social work, and then pursue my dream job of helping refugees around the world with their mental health.

How has my experience with mental health influenced my beliefs, relationships, and career aspirations? By: Allie Allen Nearly 20 percent of adults in the United States are experiencing a mental illness(1). More than half receive no treatment. In addition, an increase of 664,000 adults reported having serious suicidal thoughts compared to last year’s data. Mental illness is even more common among teenagers. In 2018-2019, 36.7 percent of those ages 12-17 reported having continuous feelings of sadness and hopelessness, while 15.1 percent had a major depressive episode(2). As it turns out, I was one of those statistics. From age 11-14, I struggled with severe OCD, anorexia, and anxiety. My OCD brain controlled my every move. As a puppet in the hands of a relentless mental monster, I knew my thoughts and actions weren’t rational. I desperately needed professional help. However, finding the right help wasn’t easy. It took years of working with various therapists, outpatient treatment programs, and finally staying in a residential mental hospital until I found the professional team that was right for me. Recovery was hard. I often felt alone. I needed a support system of well-trained and caring professionals that could bring me to a better place – Kerri, Calene, Emily, Ailli, Jess, and others. They literally saved my life. They brought me out of the dark place I was in, and into the light of a new day. Since then, I have decided that I want to give back and help those struggling with mental health challenges. After high school graduation, I plan to go to college and major in psychology. Doing so will enable me to pursue a career focused on mental health. I have so much empathy for those dealing with mental health issues, which is one of the key traits of a good therapist. The therapists that had the most impact in my life were those who could relate to me and understood how I was feeling. But empathy is not enough. Education coupled with empathy are the keys to truly making a difference in this field. There are not enough licensed professionals to help the millions in need of treatment; even fewer have the personal experience in understanding how to work through it. Going to college will allow me to become a professional in the field of psychology so that I can do my part to help those in need. College is important to me because it will fuel my passion to help others in need. I am passionate about learning how the brain works and how teaching certain skills can help one’s mental health. I am passionate about becoming a professional in something that interests me so much it keeps me up at night. College will help me fulfill my dreams and extend a hand to others at a critical time in their lives! 1 “Adult Data 2022.” Mental Health America, https://mhanational.org/issues/2022/mental-health-america-adult-data#:~:text=Adult%20Prevalence%20of%20Mental%20Illness%20(AMI)%202022&text=19.86%25%20of%20adults%20are%20experiencing,Jersey%20to%2026.86%25%20in%20Utah. 2 “Data and Statistics on Children's Mental Health.” Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 3 June 2022, https://www.cdc.gov/childrensmentalhealth/data.html.

I am a problem solver! When friends are in conflict, I feel the need to be the mediator. When dealing with a challenge at school, my first instinct is to solve the problem right away. I love solving riddles that get my brain thinking in a unique way! Math is simply solving problems! While math has not always come easily to me, as I have gotten older, I have loved it more and more. In my most recent math classes, I have worked especially hard to understand the material. Once the concepts "click" in my brain, I find the math homework fun and engaging, instead of confusing and boring. I see a math question as a puzzle that must be solved. Once all the pieces are put together correctly, a beautiful answer is achieved. I appreciate that math can help us in our everyday lives. I continue to learn about the significance of math as story problems are incorporated into my learning. During my sophomore year of high school, my math teacher, Mrs. Call, was excellent! She had such a passion for math that she helped me have a better attitude about it. By far, it was the hardest math class I had taken up until that point. However, my Mrs. Call explained the concepts so clearly that I knew I could trust and rely on her whenever I had a misunderstanding. During lessons, she had a positive attitude and continuously mentioned the beauty of math, rather than the tediousness. This way of teaching opened my brain up to new pathways and the possibility that math could be fun! I am so grateful for math! I love working hard to find the exact solution to a problem. I am grateful for the beauty math adds to this world! I am grateful for the use of math in our everyday lives! I love math!