From a young age, the importance of school was stressed to me by my father. “School is your only job” was his famous quote that he told his kids. I’m the youngest of his five kids but was the one that found school to be the most difficult. These difficulties made me fall short many times, but I always managed to pass all my classes throughout high school. In May 2021, I walked across the high school graduation stage not knowing if college would be for me or not. I took the safe route of going to community college. I entered my first year of college with an open mind. I didn’t know that the following months would be filled with depression, struggles, and many failing grades. My transition from high school to college was rough, but not rooting from academics. My personal life had taken a full turn and not for the better. During the summer of this transition, I was left alone. I lived with my brother, grandmother, and mother. It was like that for most of my life. Growing up, my mom always joked about bringing a Uhaul truck to my graduation. Although a joke, I always knew that she was serious about moving on with her life. She raised her kids to be very independent and always said, “Once you turn 18, I'M OUT!” Of course, she will always be here for me, but I knew that the time would come when she moved out and started her own journey. With this being said, during that summer, my mom ended up moving out along with my grandmother. My brother stayed on campus at his college, leaving me alone in this house for a couple of weeks. Little did I know that one of my aunts and her three kids (on my dad's side) would be moving in with me. My relationship with my dad and his side of the family is a little complicated so I felt as if I was moving in with strangers. I did not know that this small event of them moving in would be the beginning of such a big transition for me. I had fallen into a depression. I’ve experienced depression many times before. I actually just finished therapy a couple of months before this, but this depression was different. I had absolutely no energy at all. I could not get myself up out of bed to even shower or brush my teeth. Even living in this house with four other people, nobody seemed to notice that I never came out of my room. I felt very alone. My depression carried through my first year of college. I barely went to any classes because I couldn’t gather the strength to get up. After failing my first semester with a 0.15 GPA, I knew I had to make changes. I ended up moving to another one of my aunt's houses, leaving the comfort of my childhood home. This transition also wasn’t easy as it was another one of my aunts on my dad's side, but there was no other choice. Through all the difficulties, mentioned and not mentioned, my biggest achievement through all of this is where I am at now. I currently have a 3.4 GPA which I brought up in only two semesters. I took over 9 classes in just one semester to make up for all of my failed classes. Doing all this while also working a full-time job. I went through literal blood, sweat, and tears digging myself up from this depression to get where I am today. This season of my life taught me that I can be a very determined individual. Many people doubted my ability to achieve things such as working full time while also trying to pass 9+ classes per semester given my past academic progress. I put all that noise of “you can’t do it” and turned it into motivation. I was the only one cheering for myself and I admire the fact that that did not put me down. My experiences with mental health made me realize that I want to help other people going through struggles. I am transferring to Towson University in Fall 2023 to finish getting my bachelor's degree in psychology. In the future, I plan to receive my Ph.D. in clinical psychology in hopes to encourage others going through difficulties with their struggles so they can one day look back and say “I did it”.

From a young age, we are taught to dream big and aim for the stars, but as we grow older, the pressures and responsibilities of life often make us forget about those aspirations. I was about 14 years old when my dreams started to turn into foggy afterthoughts. At that age, I never imagined that I would find myself struggling with depression. But life often throws unexpected curveballs, and I found myself amid a battle with my mental health. It was a difficult time in my life, but I persevered and learned to manage my condition. Today, as I look back on my journey, I am filled with a deep sense of gratitude for the people and experiences that helped me overcome my struggles. I am also filled with a renewed sense of purpose and passion, as it made me realize that I wanted to make a difference in the world of psychology. My journey began in high school when I first started experiencing symptoms of depression. At first, I tried to ignore them, but they only grew worse over time. I found myself struggling to get out of bed in the morning, losing interest in the things I once loved, and feeling overwhelmed by even the smallest of tasks. It was a lonely and isolating experience, and I didn't know where to turn for help. It wasn't until I started college that I finally found the courage to seek out the support I needed. With the help of a therapist, I learned coping skills that helped me manage my depression. I also started to learn more about the brain and how it works, which fascinated me. As I dove deeper into my studies, I began to see the ways in which psychology could be used to help people like me who were struggling with mental health issues. Today, as I look toward the future, I am filled with excitement and hope for what's to come. I dream of using my education to help others who are struggling with mental health issues. I hope to one day work as a therapist, using evidence-based techniques to help people overcome their challenges and live fulfilling lives.I am passionate about fulfilling this dream because I know firsthand how transformative therapy can be. It was through therapy that I learned how to manage my depression and build a life that I love. I want to help others experience the same kind of transformation that I did. But my dream goes beyond just helping people on an individual level. I also hope to use my education to advocate for systemic changes that can improve the lives of people with mental health issues. This involves lobbying for increased funding for mental health research, working to destigmatize mental health issues in society, and advocating for better access to mental health care. In pursuing these goals, I know that there will be challenges and obstacles to overcome. But I am confident that I have the resilience and determination to see them through. After all, I never thought I would make it this far in my own journey, and yet here I am. I am living proof that even the most difficult of challenges can be overcome with the right mindset, support, and resources.

Being a psychology major, I take my mental health and others' mental health extremely seriously. My career aspirations have been influenced by my mental health experiences. Struggling with mental health issues presented me with a greater desire to work in fields related to mental health advocacy, therapy, and counseling. I used to battle with depression for years on end where I would have no motivation to do anything and that was apparent in my grades for school and lack of interest in anything. In 2021, my mental health got worse when I found out that one of my cousins who was a twin passed away due to a shooting. The other twin's mental health got so bad to where he developed schizophrenia. With this disorder, he started wreaking havoc on me and my family because he started to think that everything was our fault. With this, he started to come to our houses late at night and try to break in and kill us and eventually, he ended up stabbing one of my uncles who luckily survived. The police did nothing and allowed him to stay out on the streets while my family were the ones having to live in constant fear. This made my mental health deteriorate at a fast rate causing me to fail my first semester of college with a 0.154 GPA. Not only this, but I had no energy to even get up out of bed most days. I ended up losing 25 pounds, dropping my weight to 102 pounds because I would be starving myself for days at a time. It got so bad to where I would not even get up to shower or brush my teeth. I stopped texting friends, getting on social media, or posting anything. My phone was pretty much meaningless to me at this point because I did not have any type of realization of my reality. The worst part of it all is that nobody had noticed anything wrong with me even though I practically disappeared off the face of the earth. These mental health experiences led me to have a greater awareness and appreciation for the struggles that individuals face when dealing with mental health challenges. This resulted in a more empathetic and compassionate approach to relationships and interactions I have with others. It made me develop a greater understanding of the importance of seeking support and reaching out for help when needed. Months later, I realized that I can’t stay in this slump forever and that I had to do something with my life because I am only getting older and responsibilities are only coming faster. My struggles with depression have led me to have a greater appreciation for the importance of self-care and stress management, which led me to prioritize mental health in my beliefs and values. With this, I slowly started to learn how to maintain my mental wellness by finding my motivation in things. How do I do this? I find things that I enjoy doing that give me motivation to get up every day. For example, I started taking up the gym which made me wake up every morning and have to get up out of bed. This gave me a boost of serotonin and made me want to do better with my life. I find fun in having an organized life in which I realized that I will now plan my days ahead of time. 6:00 AM: wake up, 6:30 AM: go brush teeth and shower, 7:30 AM: go to gym…. etc. This allows me to make sure that I will get many things done in a day. My life is like a checklist and it is what works for me. I make sure to do things that make me happy and not get too stressed about any particular situation that is out of my control. Now in spring 2023, I have boosted my GPA up to a 3.1 and I am only going to get better. My mental health is now at an all-time high and I could not be more proud of myself for the progress that I have made. Everyone only sees the surface level, nobody knows the challenges that I had to face to get to where I am at today, but I will personally always give myself a pat on the back because I know how hard it was. My personal experience with dealing with mental health has shaped my understanding of the world. It has led me to have a greater appreciation for the importance of mental health resources and support, as well as a deeper understanding of the stigma and discrimination that individuals with mental health challenges may face. It has also led to a greater awareness of the impact of social and environmental factors on mental health and well-being. Everyone has their bad days, but it's important to remember that bad days don't define us. We all face challenges and setbacks, but it's how we respond to those difficulties that ultimately shape our character and determine our success. It's okay to have bad days and to struggle with mental health, but it's important to seek support, practice self-care, and cultivate resilience in the face of adversity. By acknowledging and addressing our struggles, we can learn and grow from them, ultimately becoming stronger and more resilient individuals.