Experiencing the loss of a loved one or going through any traumatic event can deeply affect a person’s life, often pulling them away from their true identity. In 2021, I faced the unimaginable loss of my husband of 28 years. Just one semester before graduating with my bachelor’s degree in social psychology, he went to be with the Lord. This was one of the most challenging times of my life. My desire was not just to survive this grief but to heal—and to heal well. Seeking counseling, I found myself in a session with a grief counselor who, while listening to my story, began to cry. She was reminded of her own loss and the passing of her husband. In that moment, I felt as though the roles had reversed, and I was there to support her. It was then that I felt a deep calling to help others heal, just as I was trying to do. Losing my husband, who was also my best friend, has profoundly shaped my personal values. It has driven me to extend more love and compassion to others and the community around me. I also realized the importance of not bypassing the need for healing, and this realization led me to establish Sozo for Life, a non-profit counseling center dedicated to helping people heal from their wounds and losses. This experience has not only impacted my personal journey but has also shaped my career aspirations. Opening the counseling center has been a labor of love, one that has reinforced my commitment to serving my community and guiding others toward healing. The work I do brings me immense fulfillment, and it continues to shape who I am. Reflecting on the highs and lows of my life, I’ve come to understand that returning to school wasn’t just a desire—it became a necessity. I’ve earned my bachelor’s in social psychology and am certified in grief and loss counseling. However, to further serve my community and reach more individuals, I recognize the importance of obtaining my LPC (Licensed Professional Counselor) license. With my LPC, I will be able to offer counseling services covered by Medicaid and insurance, expanding access to those in need. My goal is to continue impacting lives positively by earning my master’s degree in clinical mental health counseling and obtaining my LPC. This will equip me with the tools and knowledge to help more people—both within my community and beyond—to find healing and reclaim their lives.

Throughout my life, I’ve always felt a calling to serve and help others. As I reflect on my journey, I realize that my life experiences, both the highs and the lows, have shaped my personal values and led me to pursue higher education at this stage in my life. Going back to school wasn’t just a desire—it became a necessity to equip myself to help others more effectively. In 2021, I faced one of the most challenging times of my life when I lost my husband, my best friend of 28 years. We had often discussed my goal of returning to college, and just one semester before completing my bachelor’s degree in social psychology, he passed away. That time was incredibly difficult, and I sought counseling to heal in the healthiest way possible. During one of my grief counseling sessions, something unexpected happened—the counselor began to cry. She shared that my story reminded her of her own, having lost her husband as well. In that moment, I felt as though I was helping her, even though I had come for my own healing. It was in that moment that I realized I had a deeper calling: to help others on their journey to healing, just as I was being helped. This realization sparked an urgency in me to pursue a career in counseling, specifically to assist others through their grief and life challenges in a compassionate and healthy way. With the education I’m pursuing and the scholarship I hope to receive, I plan to obtain my LPC licensure and use it to make a meaningful, positive impact in my community and my field. Losing my husband has shaped my personal values, increasing my desire to extend more love and compassion to others. I am committed to ensuring that people do not bypass their need for healing but are supported through it, just as I was. This is what drives me as I continue on this path toward becoming a counselor and community servant.

Throughout my life and career aspirations I have always loved serving and helping others. As I reflect on my life's journey, and experiences they have led me to pursue higher education at this stage in my life and have shaped my personal values. All the highs and lows of my life I’ve realized that going back to school was not just a desire but a necessity to be able to help others. In 2021, I found myself losing my husband. my best friend of 28 years. We had discussed me going back to college and one semester before graduating with my bachelors in social psychology, my husband went on to be with the Lord. It was a very trial- some time in my life. I sought counseling because my greatest desire was to heal and to heal well. Only to find myself in a session with a grief counselor who began to cry as I told my story. It reminded her, of her story and her losing her husband. I sat in that chair, feeling as if I was speaking to her and helping her. It was at this moment that I realized that I wanted and felt an urgency to help other people and to help them journey their healing in a healthy way as I have needed the help myself. I plan on using my education to make a positive impact in my community and chosen field and this scholarship will assist me in achieving these goals by attaining my L.P.C licensure to get to help as many people as possible. This experience of losing my husband has shaped my personal values in that I want to extend more love and more compassion to the community. I also find that I did not want people to bypass their need for healing. It was then I opened Sozo for Life a non-profit counseling center whereby I have been helping many people heal. It has impacted me and has shaped me and my commitment to community service.

A pain that I could not put into words, felt like my heart sank to the pit of my stomach as I heard those words coming out of the doctor's mouth, I was crushed from deep within. In 2021, I found myself losing my husband of 28 years. We had discussed me going back to college and one semester before graduating with my bachelor's in social psychology, my husband went on to be with the Lord. It was a very trial-some time in my life. I sought counseling because my greatest desire was to heal and to heal well. Only to find myself in a counseling session with a grief counselor who began to cry as I told my story. It reminded her of her story and her losing her husband. I sat in that chair, feeling as if I was speaking to her and helping her. It was at this moment that I realized what I wanted. I felt an urgency to help other people and to help them journey their healing in a healthy way. After losing my husband, I wanted to quit school, quit everything. But I remembered his words to me. How he cheered me on along the way. This has shaped my personal values. I have always been compassionate towards others. The level of compassion rose in me, as I realized that many people are hurting and don't know where to go to find and seek help. I have attained my certifications in grief and loss. This has helped me to attain the knowledge that I need to be able to provide grief and loss counseling to those that have experienced loss themselves. While I went through this difficult season in my life, I found that there were few counselors specializing in grief and loss in our community. I see a great need for mental health in our community because of traumatic events that have shaped people's lives, separating them from their identity. My passion is to see people become their authentic selves—whole and healed in body, soul and mind. This has shaped my career aspirations. I have been a public speaker for various conferences in different nations for over 38 years. I have loved what I do and continue to do so. But I also find that I did not want people to bypass their need for healing. It was then I opened Sozo for life, a non-profit counseling center whereby I have been helping many people heal. We aim to make a profound impact in our community by increasing awareness about mental health. By offering essential resources and education, we can truly make a difference in the lives of individuals on their mental health journey. We have countless testimonies of women and men who were once addicted and now are pursuing their education. I 'am pursuing my master's in clinical mental health counseling and attaining my L P. C license will give me the knowledge that I need to be able to help as many more people as I can. I plan on fighting back and using my education to make a positive impact in my community and chosen field and this scholarship will assist me in achieving these goals by attaining my LPC, licensure.

Advocating for mental health in using my education to make a positive impact in my community and chosen field will assist me in achieving these goals by attaining my L P C, licensure to get to help as many people as possible. As I have needed the help myself, I know mental health is important and I see a great need for it in our community as a result of traumatic events that have shaped people's lives. As I reflect on all the experiences, the highs and the lows of my life, I have realized that going back to school was not just a desire, but a necessity to be able to help others. In 2021, I found myself losing my husband of 28 years. We had discussed going back to college, and one semester before graduating with my bachelor's in social psychology, my husband went to be with the Lord. It was a very trial-some time in my life. I sought counseling because my greatest desire was to heal and to heal well. Only to find myself in a counseling session with a grief counselor who began to cry, as I told my story. It reminded her of her story and her losing her husband. I sat in that chair, feeling as if I was speaking to her and helping her. It was at this moment that I realized that I wanted and felt an urgency to help other people and to help them journey their healing in a healthy way. After losing my husband, I wanted to quit school, quit everything but remembered his words to me and how he cheered me on along the way. This has shaped my personal values, I have always been compassionate towards others but the level of compassion rose in me, as I realized that many people are hurting and don't know where to go to find and seek help. I did not want people to bypass their need for healing. It was at that moment I opened Sozo for Life, a nonprofit Counseling Center whereby I have been helping many people heal. This has shaped my career aspirations and my commitment to community service by opening up a counseling center that can help serve the community and bring them to a place of healing. We have a group counseling for those that have been addicted to various substances and have used addiction as a numbing behavior. We have countless testimonies of women and men who were once addicted and now are pursuing their education.

As I reflect on my life's journey and experiences, I have realized that going back to school was not just a desire, but a necessity. In 2021, I found myself losing my husband of 28 years, we had discussed me going back to college. And one semester before graduating with my bachelor's in social psychology, my husband went on to be with the Lord. It was a very trial-some time in my life. I sought counseling because my greatest desire was to heal and to heal well. Only to find myself in a counseling session with a grief counselor who began to cry as I told my story, it reminded her of her story of her losing her husband. I sat in that chair, feeling as if I was speaking to her and helping her. It was at this moment that I realized that I wanted and felt an urgency to help other people and to help them journey their healing in a healthy way. After losing my husband, I wanted to quit everything but remembered his words to me and how he cheered me along the way. This has shaped my personal values. I have always been compassionate towards others but the level of compassion rose in me as I realized that many people are hurting and don't know where to go to find and seek help. This has also shaped my career aspirations; I have been a public speaker at various conferences in different nations for over 38 years. I have loved what I do and still continue to do. But I also find that I did not want people to bypass their need for healing. It was then I opened a non- profit counseling center whereby I have been helping many people heal. This shaped my career aspirations and my commitment to community service by opening up Sozo for Life counseling center that can help serve the community and bring them to a place of healing. I plan on using my education to make a positive impact in my community and chosen field and this scholarship will assist me in achieving these goals by attaining my LPC, licensure. Many of our clients cannot afford counseling and getting my LPC will help those clients and those in our community get counseling that can be paid through Medicaid or insurance. I have found that there were few counselors specializing in grief and loss in our community. I saw the need and got my certification in grief and loss which has helped me attain knowledge that I need to be able to provide counseling services to those that have experienced loss. Our mission here at Sozo is to foster emotional and mental health by addressing root issues and promoting inner healing for individual wholeness. We are dedicated to providing compassionate care that fosters recovery, restoration, and rehabilitation, all while ensuring a balanced and restored state of mind for each individual. Sozo means whole. We believe in helping individuals become whole- emotionally, mentally, and spiritually. I see a great need for mental health in our community as a result of traumatic events that have shaped people's lives, separating them from their true identity. Getting my master's in clinical mental health and attaining my LPC license will give me the knowledge that I need to be able to help as many as I can.

Mental health has influenced my beliefs, relationship with others and myself in a way that has awakened in me a greater compassion to help others. There is a great need for mental health in our community and all around the world as a result of traumatic events that have shaped people's lives, that have separated them from their true identity. Mental health problems can affect any individual whether a student, businessman or businesswomen it affects their energy level, concentration, dependability, mental ability, and optimism, can hinder our performance in life. In 2021, I found myself losing my husband of 28 years. We had discussed going back to college, and one semester before graduating with my bachelor's in social psychology, my husband went to be with the Lord. It was a very trial-some time in my life. I sought counseling because my greatest desire was to heal and to heal well. Only to find myself in a counseling session with a grief counselor who began to cry as I told my story, it reminded her of her story and her losing her husband. I sat in that chair feeling as if I was speaking to her and helping her. It was at this moment I realized that I wanted and felt an urgency to help other people and to help them journey their healing in a healthy way. This experience of losing my husband, my best friend, has shaped my personal values in that I want to extend more love and more compassion to the community. I have always been compassionate towards others but the level of compassion rose in me as I realized that many people are hurting and don't know where to go to find and seek help. This has also shaped my career aspirations; I have been a public speaker at various conferences in different nations for over 38 years. I have loved what I do and still continue to do. I also find that I did not want people to bypass their need for healing. It was then I opened Sozo for Life, a non-profit counseling center whereby I have been helping many people heal. It has impacted me and has shaped my career aspirations and my commitment to community service by opening up a counseling center that can help serve the community and bring them to a place of healing. As I reflect on all the experiences, the highs and the lows of my life, I have realized that going back to school was not just a desire, but a necessity to be able to help others I have been able to attain my bachelor's in social psychology and I 'am also certified in grief and loss. And, are now working on getting my master's in clinical mental health counseling and by attaining my L.P.C license will give me the knowledge that I need to be able to help as many more people as I can in our community as well as those that live outside the city.

In 2021, I found myself losing my husband of 28 years. We had discussed me going back to college and one semester before graduating with my bachelor's in social psychology, my husband went on to be with the Lord. It was a very trial-some time in my life. I sought counseling because my greatest desire was to heal and to heal well. Only to find myself in a counseling session with a grief counselor who began to cry as I told my story. It reminded her of her story and her losing her husband. I sat in that chair, feeling as if I was speaking to her and helping her. It was at this moment that I realized what I wanted. I felt an urgency to help other people and to help them journey their healing in a healthy way. I plan on using my education to make a positive impact in my community and chosen field and this scholarship will assist me in achieving these goals by attaining my LPC, licensure. After losing my husband, I wanted to quit school, quit everything. But I remembered his words to me. How he cheered me on along the way. This has shaped my values. I have always been compassionate towards others. The level of compassion rose in me, as I realized that many people are hurting and don't know where to go to find and seek help. I have attained my certifications in grief and loss. This has helped me to attain the knowledge that I need to be able to provide grief and loss counseling to those who experienced loss themselves. While I went through this difficult season in my life, I found that there were few counselors specializing in grief and loss in our community. I see a great need for mental health in our community because of traumatic events that have shaped people's lives, separating them from their identity. My passion is to see people become their authentic selves—whole and healed in body, soul, also mind. This has shaped my career aspirations. I have been a public speaker for various conferences in different nations for over 38 years. I have loved what I do and continue to do so. But I also find that I did not want people to bypass their need for healing. It was then I opened Sozo for Life, a non-profit counseling center where I have been helping many people heal. We aim to make a profound impact in our community by increasing awareness about mental health. By offering essential resources and education, we can truly make a difference in the lives of individuals on their mental health journey. We have countless testimonies of women and men who were once addicted and now are pursuing their education. I 'am pursuing my master's in clinical mental health counseling and attaining my L P. C license will give me the knowledge that I need to be able to help as many more people as I can.

There are many intriguing books to read that captivate your attention and arouse your curiosity that you cannot stop reading. If I could have everyone in the world read just one book that is a tough question, I would have everyone read Evidence That Demand A Verdict by Josh & Sean McDowell or Captivating by Stasi Eldridge. Both of these books reflect a personal story of experience with religion and faith but lead you towards a more intriguing hunger for what the truth is. These books are intended for the reader to understand someone greater than themselves. So naturally they feed you into an unquenchable thirst for more of what they have provoking inside of you to draw near to the evidence of Jesus. So even for non believers, it grips you with knowledge and emotion, meets you with the reason and a new perspective. These books leave you wanting to know more about God and they are incredibly lovely. Also, To kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee everyone should read this too. It deals with racial prejudice in it's time, sounds like nowadays but it is a long love letter to her father, whom she idolized as a man with deep held moral convictions. Atticus the father is clearly the hero of this novel, and functions as a role model for his children. This book is endued with compassion. These books intricate together, they are all based on the longing of truth, love, forgiveness and passion for one another.

As I reflect on my life's journey and experiences,, I have realized that going back to school was not just a desire, but a necessity. In 2021, I found myself losing my husband of 28 years, we had discussed me going back to college. And, one semester before graduating with my bachelors in social psychology, my husband went on to be with the Lord. It was a very trial-some time in my life. I sought counseling because my greatest desire was to heal and to heal well. Only to find myself in a counseling session with a grief counselor who began to cry as I told my story, it reminded her of her story of her losing her husband. I sat in that chair, feeling as if I was speaking to her and helping her. It was at this moment that I realized that I wanted and felt an urgency to help other people and to help them journey their healing in a healthy way. After losing my husband, I wanted to quit everything but remembered his words to me and how he cheered me along the way. This has shaped my personal values. I have always been compassionate towards others but the level of compassion rose in me as I realized that many people are hurting and don't know where to go to find and seek help. This has also shaped my career aspirations, I have been a public speaker in various conferences in different nations for over 38 years. I have loved what I do and still continue to do. But, I also find that, I did not want people to bypass their need for healing. It was then I opened a non- profit counseling center whereby I have been helping many people heal. This shaped my career aspirations and my commitment to community service by opening up Sozo for LIFE counseling center that can help serve the community and bring them to a place of healing. I plan on using my education to make a positive impact in my community and chosen field and this scholarship will assist me in achieving these goals by attaining my LPC, licensure. Many of our clients cannot afford counseling and getting my LPC will help those clients and those in our community get counseling that can be paid through Medicaid or insurance. I have found that there were few counselors specializing in grief and loss in our community. I saw the need and got my certification in grief and loss which has helped me attain knowledge that i need to be able to provide counseling services to those that have experienced loss. I see a great need for mental health in our community as a result of traumatic events that have shaped peoples lives, separating them from their true identity. Getting my masters in clinical mental health and attaining my LPC license will give me the knowledge that I need to be able to help as many as I can.

As I reflect on my life's journey, and experiences they have led me to pursue higher education at this stage in my life and have shaped my personal values. All the highs and lows of my life I’ve realized that going back to school was not just a desire but a necessity to be able to help others. As I have needed the help myself. In 2021, I found myself losing my husband of 28 years. We had discussed me going back to college and one semester before graduating with my bachelors in social psychology, my husband went on to be with the Lord. It was a very trial- some time in my life. I sought counseling because my greatest desire was to heal and to heal well. Only to find myself in a session with a grief counselor who began to cry as I told my story. It reminded her, of her story and her losing her husband. I sat in that chair, feeling as if I was speaking to her and helping her. It was at this moment that I realized that I wanted and felt an urgency to help other people and to help them journey their healing in a healthy way. I have loved what I do and still continue to do so. I do, also find that, I did not want people to bypass their need for healing. It was then that I opened Sozo for Life a non- profit counseling center whereby I have been helping many people heal. This has shaped my career aspirations and my commitment to community service by opening up a counseling center that can help serve the community and bring them to a place of healing. This experience of loosing my best friend, my husband has shaped my personal values in that I want to extend more love and more compassion to the community. I plan on using my education to make a positive impact in my community and chosen field and this scholarship will assist me in achieving these goals by attaining my L.P.C licensure. Many of our clients can not afford counseling and getting my L.P.C will help those clients and those in our community get counseling that can be paid through Medicaid or insurance. Attaining my master’s in clinical mental health counseling and attaining my L.P.C license will give me the knowledge that I need.

Experiencing the loss of a loved one or any traumatic event in life are never easy and have shaped peoples lives, that has also separated them from their true identity. In 2021, I found myself losing my husband of 28 years. We had discussed me going back to college, and one semester before graduating with my bachelor's in social psychology, my husband went to be with the Lord. It was a very trial-some time in my life. I sought counseling because my greatest desire was to heal and to heal well. Only to find myself in a counseling session with a grief counselor who began to cry as I told my story, it reminded her of her story and her losing her husband. I sat in that chair feeling as if I was speaking to her and helping her. It was at this moment I realized that I wanted and felt an urgency to help other people and to help them journey their healing in a healthy way. This experience of losing my husband, my best friend has shaped my personal values in that I want to extend more love and more compassion to the community. I also find that I did not want people to bypass their need for healing. It was then I opened Sozo for Life a non-profit counseling center whereby I have been helping many people heal. It has impacted me and has shaped my career aspirations and my commitment to community service by opening up a counseling center that can help serve the community and bring them to a place of healing. I have loved what I do and still continue to do so. As I reflect on all the experiences, the highs and the lows of my life, I have realized that going back to school was not just a desire, but a necessity to be able to help others I have attained my bachelors in social psychology and I’am also certified in grief and loss. Getting my LPC will help those clients and those in our community get counseling that can be paid through Medicaid or insurance. I envision impacting positively by getting my master's in clinical mental health counseling and attaining my L.P.C license this will give me the knowledge that I need to be able to help as many more people as I can in our community as well as those that live outside the city.

As a result of traumatic events that have shaped peoples lives, separating them from their true identity. Mental health plays a big role in our society and have found that there were few counselors specializing in grief and loss in our community. I plan on using my education to make a positive impact in my community and chosen field and this scholarship will assist me in achieving these goals by attaining my L.P.C licensure. In 2021, I found myself losing my husband of 28 years. We had discussed me going back to college, and one semester before graduating with my bachelor's in social psychology, my husband went to be with the Lord. It was a very trial-some time in my life. I sought counseling because my greatest desire was to heal and to heal well. Only to find myself in a counseling session with a grief counselor who began to cry as I told my story, it reminded her of her story and her losing her husband. I sat in that chair feeling as if I was speaking to her and helping her. It was at this moment I realized that I wanted and felt an urgency to help other people and to help them journey their healing in a healthy way. This experience of losing my husband, my best friend has shaped my personal values in that I want to extend more love and more compassion to the community. I also find that I did not want people to bypass their need for healing. It was then I opened Sozo for Life a non-profit counseling center whereby I have been helping many people heal. It has impacted me and has shaped my career aspirations and my commitment to community service by opening up a counseling center that can help serve the community and bring them to a place of healing. As I reflect on all the experiences, the highs and the lows of my life, I have realized that going back to school was not just a desire, but a necessity to be able to help others I have been able to attain my bachelors in social psychology and I’am also certified in grief and loss. And, are now working on getting my master's in clinical mental health counseling and by attaining my L.P.C license will give me the knowledge that I need to be able to help as many more people as I can in our community as well as those that live outside the city.

There is a great need for mental health in our community and all around the world as a result of traumatic events that have shaped peoples lives, that has separated them from their true identity. Mental health problems can affect any individual wether a student, business man or business women their energy level, concentration, dependability, mental ability, and optimism, can hinder our performance in life. In 2021, I found myself losing my husband of 28 years. We had discussed me going back to college, and one semester before graduating with my bachelor's in social psychology, my husband went to be with the Lord. It was a very trial-some time in my life. I sought counseling because my greatest desire was to heal and to heal well. Only to find myself in a counseling session with a grief counselor who began to cry as I told my story, it reminded her of her story and her losing her husband. I sat in that chair feeling as if I was speaking to her and helping her. It was at this moment I realized that I wanted and felt an urgency to help other people and to help them journey their healing in a healthy way. This experience of losing my husband, my best friend has shaped my personal values in that I want to extend more love and more compassion to the community. I also find that I did not want people to bypass their need for healing. It was then I opened Sozo for Life a non-profit counseling center whereby I have been helping many people heal. It has impacted me and has shaped my career aspirations and my commitment to community service by opening up a counseling center that can help serve the community and bring them to a place of healing. As I reflect on all the experiences, the highs and the lows of my life, I have realized that going back to school was not just a desire, but a necessity to be able to help others I have been able to attain my bachelors in social psychology and I’am also certified in grief and loss. And, are now working on getting my master's in clinical mental health counseling and by attaining my L.P.C license will give me the knowledge that I need to be able to help as many more people as I can in our community as well as those that live outside the city.

As I have needed the help myself I know mental health is important I see a great need for it in our community as a result of traumatic events that have shaped peoples lives. As I reflect on all the experiences, the highs and the lows of my life, I have realized that going back to school was not just a desire, but a necessity to be able to help others. In 2021, I found myself losing my husband of 28 years. We had discussed me going back to college, and one semester before graduating with my bachelor's in social psychology, my husband went to be with the Lord. It was a very trial-some time in my life. I sought counseling because my greatest desire was to heal and to heal well. Only to find myself in a counseling session with a grief counselor who began to cry, as I told my story. It reminded her, of her story and her losing her husband. I sat in that chair, feeling as if I was speaking to her and helping her. It was at this moment that I realized that I wanted and felt an urgency to help other people and to help them journey their healing in a healthy way. After losing my husband, I wanted to quit school, quit everything but remembered his words to me and how he cheered me on along the way. This has shaped my personal values, I have always been compassionate towards others but the level of compassion rose in me, as I realized that many people are hurting and don't know where to go to find and seek help. I did not want people to bypass their need for healing. It was at that moment I opened Sozo for Life a nonprofit Counseling Center whereby I have been helping many people heal. This has shaped my career aspirations and my commitment to community service by opening up a counseling center that can help serve the community and bring them to a place of healing. We have a group counseling for those that have been addicted to various substances and have used addiction as a numbing behavior. We have countless testimonies of women and men who were once addicted and now are pursuing their education. Advocating for mental health in using my education to make a positive impact in my community and chosen field will assist me in achieving these goals by attaining my L P C, licensure to get to help as many people as possible.

Mental Health is important as I reflect on all the experiences, the highs and the lows of my life, I have realized that going back to school was not just a desire, but a necessity to be able to help others. As I have needed the help myself. In 2021, I found myself losing my husband of 28 years. We had discussed me going back to college and one semester before graduating with my bachelor's in social psychology, my husband went on to be with the Lord. It was a very trial-some time in my life. I sought counseling because my greatest desire was to heal and to heal well. Only to find myself in a counseling session with a grief counselor who began to cry. As I told my story. It reminded her of her story and her losing her husband. I sat in that chair, feeling as if I was speaking to her and helping her. It was at this moment that I realized that I wanted and felt an urgency to help other people and to help them journey their healing in a healthy way. After losing my husband, I wanted to quit school, quit everything, I remembered his words to me and how he cheered me on along the way. This has shaped my personal values. I have always been compassionate towards others but the level of compassion rose in me as I realized that many people are hurting and don't know where to go to find and seek help. It was then that I opened Sozo for life a nonprofit Counseling Center whereby I have been helping many people heal. This shaped my career aspirations and my commitment to community service by opening up a counseling center that can help serve the community and bring them to a place of healing and to a state of mental wellness. We have group counseling for those that have been addicted to various substances and have used addiction as a numbing behavior. We have countless testimonies of women and men who were once addicted and now are pursuing their education. I have had the opportunity to attain a certification in grief and loss, this has helped me to attain the knowledge that I need to be able to provide grief and loss counseling to those that have experienced loss themselves. While I went through this difficult season in my life, I found that there were few counselors specializing in grief and loss; I see a great need for mental health in our community as a result of traumatic events that have shaped people's lives separating them from their true identity getting my master's in clinical mental health counseling and attaining my L P. C license will give me the knowledge that I need to be able to help as many more people.

In 2021, I found myself losing my husband of 28 years. We had discussed me going back to college and one semester before graduating with my bachelor's in social psychology, my husband went on to be with the Lord. It was a very trial-some time in my life. I sought counseling because my greatest desire was to heal and to heal well. Only to find myself in a counseling session with a grief counselor who began to cry as I told my story. It reminded her, of her story and her losing her husband. I sat in that chair, feeling as if I was speaking to her and helping her. It was at this moment that I realized that I wanted and felt an urgency to help other people and to help them journey their healing in a healthy way. After losing my husband, I wanted to quit school, quit everything. But I remembered his words to me. How he cheered me on along the way. This has shaped my personal values. I have always been compassionate towards others. The level of compassion rose in me, as I realized that many people are hurting and don't know where to go to find and seek help. I have attained my certifications in grief and loss. This has helped me to attain the knowledge that I need to be able to provide grief and loss counseling to those that have experienced loss themselves. While I went through this difficult season in my life, I found that there were few counselors specializing in grief and loss in our community. I see a great need for mental health in our community as a result of traumatic events that have shaped people's lives, separating them from their true identity. This has shaped my career aspirations. I have been a public speaker for various conferences in different nations for over 38 years. I have loved what I do and still continue to do so. But, I also find that, I did not want people to bypass their need for healing. It was then that I opened Sozo for life a non-profit counseling center whereby I have been helping many people heal. We have group counseling for those that have been addicted to various substances and have used addiction as a numbing behavior. We have countless testimonies of women and men who were once addicted and now are pursuing their education. I’am pursuing my master's in clinical mental health counseling and attaining my L P. C license will give me the knowledge that I need to be able to help as many more people as I can.

As I reflect on my life's journey and experiences, the highs and the lows of my life, I have realized that going back to school was not just a desire, but a necessity to be able to help others. As I have needed the help myself. In 2021, I found myself losing my husband of 28 years, we had discussed me going back to college. And, one semester before graduating with my bachelors in social psychology, my husband went on to be with the Lord. It was a very trial-some time in my life. I sought counseling because my greatest desire was to heal and to heal well. Only to find myself in a counseling session with a grief counselor who began to cry as I told my story, it reminded her of her story of her losing her husband. I sat in that chair, feeling as if I was speaking to her and helping her. It was at this moment that I realized that I wanted and felt an urgency to help other people and to help them journey their healing in a healthy way. After losing my husband, I wanted to quit everything but remembered his words to me and how he cheered me along the way. This has shaped my personal values. I have always been compassionate towards others but the level of compassion rose in me as I realized that many people are hurting and don't know where to go to find and seek help. This has also shaped my career aspirations, I have been a public speaker in various conferences in different nations for over 38 years. I have loved what I do and still continue to do. But, I also find that, I did not want people to bypass their need for healing. It was then I opened a non- profit counseling center whereby I have been helping many people heal. This shaped my career aspirations and my commitment to community service by opening up Sozo for LIFE counseling center that can help serve the community and bring them to a place of healing. I plan on using my education to make a positive impact in my community and chosen field and this scholarship will assist me in achieving these goals by attaining my LPC, licensure. Many of our clients cannot afford counseling and getting my LPC will help those clients and those in our community get counseling that can be paid through Medicaid or insurance. I have found that there were few counselors specializing in grief and loss in our community. I saw the need and got my certification in grief and loss which has helped me attain knowledge that i need to be able to provide counseling services to those that have experienced loss. I see a great need for mental health in our community as a result of traumatic events that have shaped peoples lives, separating them from their true identity. Getting my masters in clinical mental health and attaining my LPC license will give me the knowledge that I need to be able to help as many as I can.