I come from a family who has struggled with mental health and I have as well. My mother and brother were very vocal about their issues, which as a child made me think I didn't want to be a burden and bother them with mine. This lead to me turning to coping mechanisms involving drugs and alcohol. With no one knowing about my mental health issues, they only worsened and I thought I was not capable of furthering my education after high school. I wanted to escape, and I moved across the country to Los Angeles at 18 years old with no direction. While living there, I was able to stray away from bad habits like drugs or alcohol because I had no choice but to work constantly to afford rent. This is when I learned how to have a hard work ethic and how it may pay off. This being said, my mental health was still poor because I was very alone and isolated while living there and felt like I had skipped my emerging adulthood phase. Knowing that I was capable of a strong and hard work ethic I decided to move back home and attend college. I have done this independently and work every day to become better than who I was before. I now have above a 3.0 and am also the president of the undergraduate club for my major. I also work part time and volunteer when time permits. I still struggle with mental health every day, and I have coped with knowing it may always be a battle for me. What helps in the times I am struggling is reflecting on my past and seeing how far I have come and how I have transformed. In my youth I had no one to turn to, and if I did things may have been a little easier for me. In my future career, I want to be the person to turn to for people in this world, because I know how it feels to be in their shoes, and I don't want anyone feeling like how I have.

In the future I hope to make an impact on people struggling in my community mentally and/or physically. With my degree I aspire to go into drug and alcohol abuse counseling, or am also interested in helping families whom are affected by disabilities or illnesses. This scholarship will help fulfill my goals by lessening the weight of a financial burden so I am able to give my clients or patients my full potential and capabilities. I work part time as a nanny as well as a teaching assistant for a HDFS writing course. As a nanny, some of my day to day skills vary from quick problem solving among various ages, creating age appropriate activities, and patience. Through the opportunity of being a teaching assistant, I have developed my professional writing skills, collaborative skills, and time management skills. I am a capable and consistent problem-solver skilled at prioritizing and managing tasks with proficiency that will allow me to excel in my career. I know that with support I will succeed at this role and am eager to get my degree and start my career path.