As I was scrolling on Instagram one day, I came upon a video where the creator said to share something you're struggling with. She said it was a judgment-free zone, and that she would delete the video and all the comments after twenty-four hours. As I read through these comments, I realized how broken and lost a lot of teenagers are today. They were all extremely real and vulnerable with people they didn't even know. Many of them shared about suicide and depression. I think this shows their desperate need for a support system; they needed help but didn't know how to get it. As someone who has struggled with pretty severe anxiety for years and has only recently been able to fight that battle stronger than ever before, I understand the importance of mental health. It looks different for everybody to maintain mental wellness, but I find peace in my relationship with Jesus. I have overcome anxiety through His strength, and not of my own. Mental health impacts every aspect of life. If someone is struggling with mental health, it affects physical health, can cause strain on relationships, and can cause someone to close themselves off emotionally and socially. Those aren't the only effects of poor mental health, the list goes on and on, and can vary so much based on the person. The sad thing is that many people (especially students and younger people) don't get help. That is what needs to change. I experienced a couple of those effects with my anxiety, and that experience has formed my goals for my future and career. I want to go into therapy and counseling because I have seen first-hand the effects of counseling and therapy. Not only in overcoming addiction, but in relationships within my family, and specifically, in a foster child we had. He had autism and some speech and developmental delays. We took him to an art therapist, and she found out so much through connecting with him in that way. After every session, we found new ways to better support him as a family. This is a specific career interest of mine, I think it is cool that something like art can go hand-in-hand with therapy as another form of connecting with a patient, rather than only through conversation. I want to be in a position to help people with their mental health because I know just how important it is. I know how it can completely turn someone's life around-- for the better. I want to use my career to be able to make the world a brighter place and to support people who are in desperate need of help but aren't sure how to do it on their own. I want to be the support for people who don't have support already. Whether it's through my future career or not, I want to make people feel seen, understood, heard, and loved.

Mental Health is one of the biggest and fastest-growing problems in the U.S. today. There is a reason that many scholarships are created in memory of someone who struggled with their mental health. There is a reason that these scholarships aim to support students who are going into the field of social work and human resources—because more and more people need help. This is why I want to go into therapy and counseling. I know how it can completely turn someone's life around-- for the better. I want to use my career to be able to make the world a brighter place and to support people who are in desperate need of help but aren't sure how to do it on their own. Whether it's through my future career or not, I want to make people feel seen, understood, heard and loved. Just as Jesus does. The difference between me and many others in the field of psychology is that they have taken Jesus out of the equation. Jesus is the one thing that we need in order to fix the problems people face with mental health. Jesus is truly the one thing that everybody needs, no matter who they are. As a Christian, it is my job to preach Jesus to people, and not preach myself or what I can do. It is my job to be available to the Lord and what he wants to do through me. It is my job to be his servant. This past year, I went to Timberline Bible School, a part of Torchbearers International. I learned a lot about the importance of having Jesus at the center of everything we do. Whether we go into traditional missions, into college, or a career, Jesus is the center. It is my job to love Him and love others, to know Him and make Him known. I do this through the Holy Spirit in me, the indwelling life of Christ. Because I am a Christian, and Jesus lives inside of me, I am able to do this according to His strength, and not of my own. John 15:5-6 says "5 I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me, you can do nothing. 6 If you do not remain in me, you are like a branch that is thrown away and withers; such branches are picked up, thrown into the fire, and burned." This is how I want to live my life. I want to follow God, wherever He calls me, and in whatever He calls me to do. I want to bear fruit through His strength in my career and the relationships I create through being a Christian counselor.

I am pursuing a degree in Psychology to become a therapist/counselor. Poor mental health is most likely the root of many problems that a person is facing, whether it stems from trauma, addiction, anxiety, or depression. Therapy is an amazing solution. It is a way to help people work through their problems, to guide them to becoming healthier and more capable of handling what life has dealt them with. As I was scrolling on Instagram one day, I came upon a video where the creator said to share something you're struggling with. She said it was a judgment-free zone, and that she would delete the video and all the comments after twenty-four hours. As I read through these comments, I realized how broken and lost a lot of teenagers are today. They were all genuine and vulnerable with people they didn't even know. Many of them shared about suicide and depression. I think this shows their desperate need for a support system; they needed help but didn't know how to get it. As someone who has struggled with pretty severe anxiety for years and has only recently been able to fight that battle stronger than ever before, I understand the importance of mental health. It looks different for everybody to maintain mental wellness, but I find peace in my relationship with Jesus. I have overcome anxiety through His strength, and not of my own. Mental health impacts every aspect of life. If someone is struggling with mental health, it affects physical health, can cause strain on relationships, and can cause someone to close themselves off emotionally and socially. Those aren't the only effects of poor mental health, the list goes on and on, and can vary so much based on the person. The sad thing is, that a lot of people don't get help. That is what needs to change. I experienced a couple of those effects with my anxiety, and that experience has formed my goals for my future and career. I want to go into therapy and counseling because I have seen first-hand the effects of counseling and treatment. Not only in overcoming addiction, but in relationships within my family, and specifically, in a foster child we had. He had autism and some speech and developmental delays. We took him to an art therapist, and she was able to find out so much through connecting with him in that way. After every session, we found new ways that we could better support him as a family. I want to be in a position to help people with their mental health because I know just how important it is. I know how it can completely turn someone's life around-- for the better. I want to use my career to be able to make the world a brighter place and to support people who are in desperate need of help but aren't sure how to do it on their own. I want to support people who don't have support already. Whether it's through my future career as a therapist or not, I want to make people feel seen, understood, heard, and loved.

Everybody has faced adversity in one form or another. It comes in many different forms, whether it's mental, physical, spiritual, or emotional adversity... everybody has experienced some combination of them. There are many ways people handle adversity, which determines whether they overcome it or not. Some people let it get them down and they become stuck in their struggles, some people are in denial of their troubles and don't think they need to overcome them, and some people recognize and see that they need to motivate and push themselves to overcome them. I struggled with social anxiety for a long time. It was at its worst in middle school and the beginning of high school. I was always concerned about what people thought of me. I know that a lot of people struggle with this to varying degrees, but looking back, I was worse off than I realized during that time of my life. However, I fell into the category of denial in my struggles. I didn't allow myself to accept that I had anxiety and that I needed to work through why I had anxiety to overcome it. I let it influence every part of my life. Every. Part. From what I wore to what I said, how I acted and talked to my friends, how my hair looked, and how my clothes fit. I was constantly comparing myself to others, which got in the way of the typical journey of "finding out who you are" that everybody embarks on during those formative years. A teacher of a psychology class I took in high school said that anxiety feels like you are at the top of a rollercoaster, with butterflies in your stomach. You know you're about to drop...but the drop never comes. Instead, you are suspended there, not knowing what to expect. The knot in your stomach twisting tighter and tighter. I felt like this frequently, even thinking about things that were far in my future, like college or even my career after college stressed me out and had me feeling like that. So, you might be asking, how did I overcome this thing that was consuming my whole life? The answer is that I haven't completely overcome it. However, I found peace in having a relationship with Jesus. I found peace in the fact that being Christian is my identity, and it doesn't matter what people think of me because it only matters that I am following his calling for my life, wherever that may be. I find peace in knowing that he will give me the strength to do the things that give me anxiety. I have faith in the fact that he will prepare for my future. I am by no means completely free from my anxiety, but in the times when I feel like it might start to overwhelm me, I pray and feel peace that I hadn't felt before. Overcoming that type of adversity in my life has inspired me to pursue a career in therapy/counseling. I want to be in a position to help people with their mental health because I know just how important it is. I want to use my career to be able to make the world a brighter place and to be there for people who are in desperate need of help but aren't sure how to do it on their own. I want to be the support for people who don't have support already. Whether it's through my future career or not, I want to make people feel seen, understood, heard, and loved.

I have always thought of myself as a leader. However, thinking of my answer to this prompt was pretty hard for me. When I was younger, I was always told I was a "leader" in the context of school, especially school projects. I would always take control of the group and the project, giving myself the biggest portion of the work so I could make sure it was perfect. I have since realized that true leadership is very far from that. Leadership is not being bossy or controlling, it is not about "leading" a group project because I am a perfectionist and want it to turn out according to my standard of work. Leadership is much more. Leadership is not confined to one situation, like one group project. While you may be given the title of leader of a team at work or a group project, that isn't what makes you a leader. Being a leader is about character. It is about always demonstrating confident characteristics. Characteristics like being secure in your identity, being knowledgeable yet humble in your area of expertise, and knowing your skillset and talents without getting arrogant or thinking you are superior. Leaders who have these traits earn respect. Being a leader is being the support for people who need it. It is being a person that others can go to when they need guidance, advice, or direction. It is being somebody's rock in a time of trouble. Being a leader is more of a daily lifestyle rather than your title or position at work or school. Being a leader is an around-the-clock job. I strive to live this out in my own life. I want to be a leader and a good role model for my younger brothers. Not even just for my brothers, but for everybody I come in contact with. I aim to be firm in my beliefs but gentle and humble. I want to display kindness, self-control, and patience. I want to use my skills and talents to help people. I want to always seek out opportunities to give my time and skills and to be servant-hearted rather than focus on what I can gain. This is what the life of a leader looks like. It is something I am constantly working towards. Nobody is that perfect out of their own strength. For me, Jesus is the example I live my life by. I know that not everybody believes in having a relationship with Him, but my relationship with him is the one thing that gives me the strength and determination to be a leader. I am confident because of my identity as a Christian. Through living my life as a leader, I want to help people and be the support they need by becoming a therapist/counselor. I want to be in a position to help people with their mental health because I know just how important it is. I want to use my career to be able to make the world a brighter place and to support people who are in desperate need of help but aren't sure how to do it on their own. I want to be the support for people who don't have support already. Whether it's through my future career or not, I want to make people feel seen, understood, heard, and loved, as leaders should do.

A few years ago, my family fostered a child who was about 4 years old. He had autism and some speech and developmental delays. We took him to an art therapist, and she was able to find out so much through connecting with him in that way. After every session, we found new ways that we could better support him as a family, and new ways to help him work through his feelings and how to express them. I want to be in a position to help people with their mental health because I know just how important it is. Not only adults and teens but kids specifically. The more I hear about child therapy, the more interested I am in the cause. I know how being someone's support in a therapy setting can completely turn their life around-- for the better. I want to use my career to be able to make the world a brighter place and to support people who are in desperate need of help but aren't sure how to do it on their own. I want to be the support for people who don't have support already. Whether it's through my future career or not, I want to make people feel seen, understood, heard, and loved, because that is the example I should follow as a Christian. As I was scrolling on Instagram one day, I came upon a video where the creator said to share something you're struggling with. She said it was a judgment-free zone, and that she would delete the video and all the comments after twenty-four hours. As I read through these comments, I realized how broken and lost a lot of teenagers-- and even pre-teens-- are today. They were all extremely real and vulnerable with people they didn't even know. Many of them shared about suicide and depression. I think this shows their desperate need for a support system; they needed help but didn't know how to get it. As someone who struggled with pretty severe anxiety when I was younger, I understand the importance of mental health. It impacts every aspect of life. If someone is struggling with mental health, it affects physical health, can cause strain on relationships, and can cause someone to close themselves off emotionally and socially. Those aren't the only effects of poor mental health, the list goes on and on, and can vary so much based on the person and their age. The sad thing is, that a lot of people don't get help or it isn't available to them. That is what needs to change. I experienced a couple of those effects with my anxiety, and that experience has formed my goals for my future and career. I want to go into clinical counseling because I have seen first-hand the effects of counseling and therapy. I am hoping to get my bachelor's directly followed by my master's at Trevecca Nazarene University. After I graduate I will hopefully work with kids for an existing counseling center and eventually have my own practice. I know none of this guaranteed and that it could change based on where I am feeling called, but I know that no matter where I am I want to help people in need, whether it's emotionally, mentally, physically, or spiritually.

What could go wrong? My initial answer is that anything could go wrong. But in what context? I guess in every context, anything could go wrong. In school, in work, in hanging out with friends, in accomplishing my career goals, in eating my favorite food, in submitting scholarship essays... While writing this, Murphy's law comes to mind, "Anything that can go wrong, will go wrong." Honesty, I don't know if I agree with this. This "law" begs the question, what does it mean for something to go wrong? If something happened that didn't align with my expectations, something would have gone wrong. If I was driving to school and my tire blew out, something went wrong. I didn't expect or plan on my tire blowing out. If I was eating pasta and the sauce dripped on my brand-new shirt, something went wrong because I didn't plan for it to happen. If I submitted a scholarship essay and didn't win, something must have gone wrong. When things go wrong and disrupt our plans or don't match our expectations, we get bothered by the inconvenience. Nobody likes it when things are out of our control. Our whole day could be ruined because we feel like something went wrong. But is it really up to us to decide if something went wrong? Maybe when your tire blew out it saved you from getting into an accident further up the road. Maybe you met your new best friend while you were in the bathroom getting pasta sauce off your brand-new shirt. Maybe I didn't win the scholarship because somebody needed it more than me. These examples are exaggerated, there's little chance of these things actually happening, but you never know. Maybe good can come out of something going wrong. Maybe giving up the desire for control of the little things in life can give us peace. What is the point of living if it is merely one inconvenience after another? Living life focusing on what could go wrong is draining. You would live your entire life never experiencing joy, only focusing on the negative side of every situation. Your life would be filled with stress, regret, and constant anxiety. You are always looking for what could go wrong, and soon, that becomes what you plan on. You plan on things going wrong. It is a horrible downward spiral. Who wants to live like that? Not me. We need to look on the bright side of things. We can live our lives joyfully and to the fullest when we have a positive outlook. When we live life with an "it is what it is" or a "let bygones be bygones" mentality we can roll with the punches and not get dragged down by what life throws at us. This is all great, but you're probably thinking how unattainable this seems. I mean, I know I haven't reached this point of acceptance in life. I can imagine that nobody has. But it is worth working towards. It is a constant battle to reframe our way of thinking, but I know that it is possible because I have seen the fruit of this in my own life. I am nowhere near as pessimistic or anxiety-ridden as I used to be. I still have a long way to go, but I know it's worth it. Each situation that I look on the bright side of, or every time I look for the good in a situation where I thought something went wrong, I feel better about my life. I don't feel weighed down because I let a silly little inconvenience ruin my day. So, then, the question becomes not "What could go wrong?" but "What good can come out of what seems to have gone wrong?"

I have always thought of myself as a leader. However, thinking of my answer to this prompt was pretty hard for me. When I was younger, I was always told I was a "leader" in the context of school, especially school projects. I would always take control of the group and the project, giving myself the biggest portion of the work so I could make sure it was perfect. I have since realized that true leadership is very far from that. Leadership is not being bossy or controlling, it is not about "leading" a group project because I am a perfectionist and want it to turn out according to my standard of work. Leadership is much more. Leadership is not confined to one situation, like one group project. While you may be given the title of leader of a team at work or a group project, that isn't what makes you a leader. Being a leader is about character. It is about always demonstrating confident characteristics. Characteristics like being secure in your identity, being knowledgeable yet humble in your area of expertise, and knowing your skillset and talents without getting arrogant or thinking you are superior. Leaders who have these traits earn respect. Being a leader is being the support for people who need it. It is being a person that others can go to when they need guidance, advice, or direction. It is being somebody's rock in a time of trouble. Being a leader is more of a daily lifestyle rather than your title or position at work or school. Being a leader is an around-the-clock job. I strive to live this out in my own life. I want to be a leader and a good role model for my younger brothers. Not even just for my brothers, but for everybody I come in contact with. I aim to be firm in my beliefs but gentle and humble. I want to display kindness, self-control, and patience. I want to use my skills and talents to help people. I want to always seek out opportunities to give my time and skills and to be servant-hearted rather than focus on what I can gain. This is what the life of a leader looks like. It is something I am constantly working towards. Nobody is that perfect out of their own strength. For me, Jesus is the example I live my life by. I know that not everybody believes in having a relationship with Him, but my relationship with him is the one thing that gives me the strength and determination to be a leader. I am confident because of my identity as a Christian. Through living my life as a leader, I want to help people and be the support they need by becoming a therapist/counselor. I want to be in a position to help people with their mental health because I know just how important it is. I want to use my career to be able to make the world a brighter place and to support people who are in desperate need of help but aren't sure how to do it on their own. I want to be the support for people who don't have support already. Whether it's through my future career or not, I want to make people feel seen, understood, heard, and loved, as leaders should do.

As I was scrolling on Instagram one day, I came upon a video where the creator said to share something you're struggling with. She said it was a judgment-free zone, and that she would delete the video and all the comments after twenty-four hours. As I read through these comments, I realized how broken and lost a lot of teenagers are today. They were all extremely real and vulnerable with people they didn't even know. Many of them shared about suicide and depression. I think this shows their desperate need for a support system; they needed help but didn't know how to get it. As someone who has struggled with pretty severe anxiety for years and has only recently been able to fight that battle stronger than ever before, I understand the importance of mental health. It looks different for everybody to maintain mental wellness, but I find peace in my relationship with Jesus. I have overcome anxiety through His strength, and not of my own. Mental health impacts every aspect of life. If someone is struggling with mental health, it affects physical health, can cause strain on relationships, and can cause someone to close themselves off emotionally and socially. Those aren't the only effects of poor mental health, the list goes on and on, and can vary so much based on the person. The sad thing is that many people (especially students and younger people) don't get help. That is what needs to change. I experienced a couple of those effects with my anxiety, and that experience has formed my goals for my future and career. I want to go into therapy and counseling because I have seen first-hand the effects of counseling and therapy. Not only in overcoming addiction, but in relationships within my family, and specifically, in a foster child we had. He had autism and some speech and developmental delays. We took him to an art therapist, and she found out so much through connecting with him in that way. After every session, we found new ways to better support him as a family. This is a specific career interest of mine, I think it is cool that something like art can go hand-in-hand with therapy as another form of connecting with a patient, rather than only through conversation. I want to be in a position to help people with their mental health because I know just how important it is. I know how it can completely turn someone's life around-- for the better. I want to use my career to be able to make the world a brighter place and to support people who are in desperate need of help but aren't sure how to do it on their own. I want to be the support for people who don't have support already. Whether it's through my future career or not, I want to make people feel seen, understood, heard, and loved.

As I was scrolling on Instagram one day, I came upon a video where the creator said to share something you're struggling with. She said it was a judgment-free zone, and that she would delete the video and all the comments after twenty-four hours. As I read through these comments, I realized how broken and lost a lot of teenagers are today. They were all extremely real and vulnerable with people they didn't even know. Many of them shared about suicide and depression. I think this shows their desperate need for a support system; they needed help but didn't know how to get it. As someone who has struggled with pretty severe anxiety for years and has only recently been able to fight that battle stronger than ever before, I understand the importance of mental health. It looks different for everybody to maintain mental wellness, but I find peace in my relationship with Jesus. I have overcome anxiety through His strength, and not of my own. Mental health impacts every aspect of life. If someone is struggling with mental health, it affects physical health, can cause strain on relationships, and can cause someone to close themselves off emotionally and socially. Those aren't the only effects of poor mental health, the list goes on and on, and can vary so much based on the person. The sad thing is that many people (especially students and younger people) don't get help. That is what needs to change. I experienced a couple of those effects with my anxiety, and that experience has formed my goals for my future and career. I want to go into therapy and counseling because I have seen first-hand the effects of counseling and therapy. Not only in overcoming addiction, but in relationships within my family, and specifically, in a foster child we had. He had autism and some speech and developmental delays. We took him to an art therapist, and she found out so much through connecting with him in that way. After every session, we found new ways to better support him as a family. This is a specific career interest of mine, I think it is cool that something like art can go hand-in-hand with therapy as another form of connecting with a patient, rather than only through conversation. I want to be in a position to help people with their mental health because I know just how important it is. I know how it can completely turn someone's life around-- for the better. I want to use my career to be able to make the world a brighter place and to support people who are in desperate need of help but aren't sure how to do it on their own. I want to be the support for people who don't have support already. Whether it's through my future career or not, I want to make people feel seen, understood, heard, and loved.

Before I took a gap year at Timberline Lodge, a part of Torchbearers International, I had no idea about the value of community service. I thought it was just something that my high school required of me because the government told them each student needed to meet a certain amount of hours. It was not a personal thing, and I hadn't made very many connections through all my volunteering. It wasn't about people, it was about marking down the hours. I didn't get anything out of the many hours I spent because I was merely looking for what I could personally gain. I didn't see the value in volunteering until I realized it was about what I could give, not what I could gain. At Timberline, we did a lot of homeless outreach. Whether it was at a homeless shelter, a soup kitchen, or just providing for them from our own bank accounts, we had the goal of meeting their needs physically, mentally, and spiritually if the opportunity arose. Every week, we would buy pizzas and hand them out to the homeless people in Denver. At first, I thought that it was fine to offer them the pizza and then move on, but I soon realized that isn't how it works. Sure, I could introduce myself and offer a slice, but what would that change in the grand scheme of things? They would still be homeless and just as hungry as they were in a couple of hours. This dilemma weighed on me for a long time, and then, through one specific conversation, I realized how I could positively impact the world. I realized that they needed someone to talk to. Many homeless people get passed by. People make a conscious effort to avoid eye contact with the homeless when they walk by, or even avoid them entirely. They are constantly told day in and day out that they “can’t stay here” and “need to move along.” People call them worthless and no-good. These labels from society get into their heads. They begin to label themselves this way and lose their hope. They lose their motivation to get off the streets and they accept what people have labeled them as, thinking that is all they are worth. They get stuck in this cycle. Their mental health spirals downwards, and they give up. With this in mind, I want to go back to that specific conversation I mentioned before. I was talking with a homeless man, who was rambling about his life, how bad it sucked, and how he had no idea how to get off the streets. After sharing his frustrations with us for about forty-five minutes, he stopped talking about himself. He said that nobody had ever sat down with him, on the street, and actually listened to his story. He said that we were doing a good thing and that the homeless community needed people like us. This encouraged me to keep volunteering because I learned that just listening to someone and making a connection can give them hope. This is why I want to become a therapist/counselor in the near future. I want to be in a position to help people with their mental health. I know how it can completely turn someone's life around. I want to use my career to be able to make the world a brighter place and to support people who are in desperate need of help but aren't sure how to do it on their own. I want to be the support for people who don't have support already.

Mental health is most likely the root of many problems that a person is facing, whether it stems from trauma, addiction, anxiety, or depression. Therapy is an amazing solution. It is a way to help people work through their problems, to guide them to becoming healthier and more capable of handling what life has dealt them with. As I was scrolling on Instagram one day, I came upon a video where the creator said to share something you're struggling with. She said it was a judgment-free zone, and that she would delete the video and all the comments after twenty-four hours. As I read through these comments, I realized how broken and lost a lot of teenagers are today. They were all extremely real and vulnerable with people they didn't even know. Many of them shared about suicide and depression. I think this shows their desperate need for a support system; they needed help but didn't know how to get it. Teens are dealing with this already, but with the added stress of school, students face more obstacles in improving their mental health. I know that in my own life, I felt overwhelmed with school and my social life, I didn't know how to balance the two. As someone who has struggled with pretty severe anxiety for years and has only recently been able to fight that battle stronger than ever before, I understand the importance of mental health. It looks different for everybody to maintain mental wellness, but I find peace in my relationship with Jesus. I have overcome anxiety through His strength, and not of my own. Mental health impacts every aspect of life. If someone is struggling with mental health, it affects physical health, can cause strain on relationships, and can cause someone to close themselves off emotionally and socially. Those aren't the only effects of poor mental health, the list goes on and on, and can vary so much based on the person. The sad thing is that many people (especially students) don't get help. That is what needs to change. I experienced a couple of those effects with my anxiety, and that experience has formed my goals for my future and career. I want to go into therapy and counseling because I have seen first-hand the effects of counseling and therapy. Not only in overcoming addiction, but in relationships within my family, and specifically, in a foster child we had. He had autism and some speech and developmental delays. We took him to an art therapist, and she was able to find out so much through connecting with him in that way. After every session, we found new ways that we could better support him as a family. I want to be in a position to help people with their mental health because I know just how important it is. I know how it can completely turn someone's life around-- for the better. I want to use my career to be able to make the world a brighter place and to support people who are in desperate need of help but aren't sure how to do it on their own. I want to be the support for people who don't have support already. Whether it's through my future career or not, I want to make people feel seen, understood, heard, and loved.

My dad co-founded an addiction recovery center, called Holdfast Recovery. Through talking with the therapists there and hearing stories about how therapy has helped clients overcome their addictions, I have realized the importance of mental health. Poor mental health is most likely the root of many problems that a person is facing, whether it stems from trauma, addiction, anxiety, or depression. Therapy is an amazing solution. It is a way to help people work through their problems, to guide them to becoming healthier and more capable of handling what life has dealt them with. As I was scrolling on Instagram one day, I came upon a video where the creator said to share something you're struggling with. She said it was a judgment-free zone, and that she would delete the video and all the comments after twenty-four hours. As I read through these comments, I realized how broken and lost a lot of teenagers are today. They were all genuine and vulnerable with people they didn't even know. Many of them shared about suicide and depression. I think this shows their desperate need for a support system; they needed help but didn't know how to get it. As someone who has struggled with pretty severe anxiety for years and has only recently been able to fight that battle stronger than ever before, I understand the importance of mental health. It looks different for everybody to maintain mental wellness, but I find peace in my relationship with Jesus. I have overcome anxiety through His strength, and not of my own. Mental health impacts every aspect of life. If someone is struggling with mental health, it affects physical health, can cause strain on relationships, and can cause someone to close themselves off emotionally and socially. Those aren't the only effects of poor mental health, the list goes on and on, and can vary so much based on the person. The sad thing is, that a lot of people don't get help. That is what needs to change. I experienced a couple of those effects with my anxiety, and that experience has formed my goals for my future and career. I want to go into therapy and counseling because I have seen first-hand the effects of counseling and treatment. Not only in overcoming addiction, but in relationships within my family, and specifically, in a foster child we had. He had autism and some speech and developmental delays. We took him to an art therapist, and she was able to find out so much through connecting with him in that way. After every session, we found new ways that we could better support him as a family. I want to be in a position to help people with their mental health because I know just how important it is. I know how it can completely turn someone's life around-- for the better. I want to use my career to be able to make the world a brighter place and to support people who are in desperate need of help but aren't sure how to do it on their own. I want to support people who don't have support already. Whether it's through my future career as a therapist or not, I want to make people feel seen, understood, heard, and loved.

My dad co-founded an addiction recovery center, called Holdfast Recovery. Through talking with the therapists there and hearing stories about how therapy has helped clients overcome their addictions, I have realized the importance of mental health. Mental health is most likely the root of many problems that a person is facing, whether it stems from trauma, addiction, anxiety, or depression. Therapy is an amazing solution. It is a way to help people work through their problems, to guide them to becoming healthier and more capable of handling what life has dealt them with. As I was scrolling on Instagram one day, I came upon a video where the creator said to share something you're struggling with. She said it was a judgment-free zone, and that she would delete the video and all the comments after twenty-four hours. As I read through these comments, I realized how broken and lost a lot of teenagers are today. They were all extremely real and vulnerable with people they didn't even know. Many of them shared about suicide and depression. I think this shows their desperate need for a support system; they needed help but didn't know how to get it. As someone who has struggled with pretty severe anxiety for years and has only recently been able to fight that battle stronger than ever before, I understand the importance of mental health. It looks different for everybody to maintain mental wellness, but I find peace in my relationship with Jesus. I have overcome anxiety through His strength, and not of my own. I also implemented a lot of self-care routines and practices that helped me be more physically well, which also helped me be mentally well. Mental health impacts every aspect of life. If someone is struggling with mental health, it affects physical health, can cause strain on relationships, and can cause someone to close themselves off emotionally and socially. Those aren't the only effects of poor mental health, the list goes on and on, and can vary so much based on the person. The sad thing is, that a lot of people don't get help. That is what needs to change. I experienced a couple of those effects with my anxiety, and that experience has formed my goals for my future and career. I want to go into therapy and counseling because I have seen first-hand the effects of counseling and therapy. Not only in overcoming addiction, but in relationships within my family, and specifically, in a foster child we had. He had autism and some speech and developmental delays. We took him to an art therapist, and she was able to find out so much through connecting with him in that way. After every session, we found new ways that we could better support him as a family. I want to be in a position to help people with their mental health because I know just how important it is. I know how it can completely turn someone's life around-- for the better. I want to use my career to be able to make the world a brighter place and to support people who are in desperate need of help but aren't sure how to do it on their own. I want to be the support for people who don't have support already. Whether it's through my future career or not, I want to make people feel seen, understood, heard and loved.

Mental Health is one of the biggest and fastest-growing problems in the U.S. today. There is a reason that many scholarships are created in memory of someone who struggled with their mental health. There is a reason that these scholarships aim to support students who are going into the field of social work and human resources—because more and more people need help. This is why I want to go into therapy and counseling. I know how it can completely turn someone's life around-- for the better. I want to use my career to be able to make the world a brighter place and to support people who are in desperate need of help but aren't sure how to do it on their own. Whether it's through my future career or not, I want to make people feel seen, understood, heard and loved. Just as Jesus does. The difference between me and many others in the field of psychology is that they have taken Jesus out of the equation. Jesus is the one thing that we need in order to fix the problems people face with mental health. Jesus is truly the one thing that everybody needs, no matter who they are. As a Christian, it is my job to preach Jesus to people, and not preach myself or what I can do. It is my job to be available to the Lord and what he wants to do through me. It is my job to be his servant. This past year, I went to Timberline Bible School, a part of Torchbearers International. I learned a lot about the importance of having Jesus at the center of everything we do. Whether we go into traditional missions, into college, or a career, Jesus is the center. It is my job to love Him and love others, to know Him and make Him known. I do this through the Holy Spirit in me, the indwelling life of Christ. Because I am a Christian, and Jesus lives inside of me, I am able to do this according to His strength, and not of my own. John 15:5-6 says "5 I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me, you can do nothing. 6 If you do not remain in me, you are like a branch that is thrown away and withers; such branches are picked up, thrown into the fire, and burned." This is how I want to live my life. I want to follow God, wherever He calls me, and in whatever He calls me to do. I want to bear fruit through His strength in my career and the relationships I create through being a Christian counselor.

This past year, I participated in a gap year program with Torchbearers International. Even though the center I attended was located in the United States, there was still a lot of influence from around the world. I was classmates with students from around the world. There were students from the U.S., Canada, Germany, Taiwan, and Africa. Many of the students there had diverse cultural backgrounds, and shared the aspects of their culture whenever they got a chance. I think one of the biggest ways that we were able to connect and experience other cultures was through food. We ate 21 different meals, each from a different part of the world. Students who had a connection with that certain part of the world were encouraged to lead the kitchen staff in creating an authentic meal. I tried Pork Sisig from the Philippines, Avgolemono soup and Dolmas from Greece, Pav Bhaji and Aloo Gobi from India, Tteokbokki and Hotteok from Korea, Faloodeh from Egypt, Pho from Vietnam, Mapo Tofu from China, and many other dishes and snacks from around the globe. I know that food is just a small portion of culture, and there are countless other aspects. But this small experience opened my mind to the possibility of traveling to the home countries and cities of these other cultures so I could truly immerse myself in them. I haven't yet traveled but the relationships I made this past year will allow me to go visit places like Taiwan and Germany. I think traveling and experiencing other cultures opens our minds to what it is like to live in different situations, whether it is different financial situations, social situations, or just getting to learn about cultural norms that we otherwise would have no idea about. There is a lot of value in broadening our horizons. Being closed off and only ever experiencing the city where we were born leaves us with less capacity for compassion and understanding. It leaves us with little to no interest in global news and what other people are going through. It helps us to get outside of our comfort zones in many different ways, especially socially and physically—which I experienced in trying all of those meals I wouldn't ever normally eat. Exposure to other cultures helps us learn how to build relationships, to communicate, and to really gain a better perspective of the world we live in.

I think the idea of "my truth" is one of the biggest things that stands in the way of people accepting Christianity. Nobody likes to be told what to believe, so they create their own beliefs. However, they don't realize the freedom they can find in Jesus and in the Bible's truth. In 2 Corinthians, Paul addresses our job as Christians... to be a light to the unbelievers just as Christ was. "4 The god of this age has blinded the minds of unbelievers, so that they cannot see the light of the gospel that displays the glory of Christ, who is the image of God. 5 For what we preach is not ourselves, but Jesus Christ as Lord, and ourselves as your servants for Jesus’ sake. 6 For God, who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,” made his light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of God’s glory displayed in the face of Christ." (2 Corinthians 4:4-6) In verse 4, the "god of this age" is Satan, he has "blinded the minds of the unbelievers" with worldly things. This is what stands in the way of finding Jesus. Satan can't blind a believer, only those who don't believe in God's truth. In verse 5, we see a part of our job as Christians. We are to "preach Jesus Christ as Lord" and ourselves as his servants. A commentary from Enduring Word on 2 Corinthians 4 said this about preaching yourself and not Jesus, "Often, people love it when the preacher preaches himself. It seems revealing and intimate, and it is often entertaining. It is also tempting for the preacher because he sees how people respond when he focuses the message on himself. Nevertheless, the bottom line is that the preacher himself can’t bring you to God and save your eternal soul; only Jesus can. So preach Jesus!" I think this commentary sums it up nicely. Our job is to preach Jesus and ourselves as servants to him. This is the truth and the foundation of the Christian life. Our job is to love God and Love others, to know Him and make Him known. We do this through biblical truths. Biblical truths are the main messages of the Bible, they are God's word. Everything in the Bible is true; we should use it as our "instruction manual" for life. The Bible's truth and God's truth are one and the same, this truth is the most important thing in our lives as Christians. Our truths, Biblical truths, and God's truth should all be the same. But there is usually a disconnect. The disconnect lies between my truth and the truth that comes from both the Bible and God. Whether we are believers or not, our purpose is to align these truths. We are all at different places on this journey, but God's will for us is to be eventually sanctified with Him in Heaven. With the help of the Holy Spirit, we can live out biblical truths as we strive to become more like Christ every day.

My dad co-founded an addiction recovery center, called Holdfast Recovery. Through talking with the therapists there and hearing stories about how therapy has helped clients overcome their addictions, I have realized the importance of mental health. Mental health is most likely the root of many problems that a person is facing, whether it stems from trauma, addiction, anxiety, or depression. Therapy is an amazing solution. It is a way to help people work through their problems, to guide them to becoming healthier and more capable of handling what life has dealt them with. As I was scrolling on Instagram one day, I came upon a video where the creator said to share something you're struggling with. She said it was a judgment-free zone, and that she would delete the video and all the comments after twenty-four hours. As I read through these comments, I realized how broken and lost a lot of teenagers are today. They were all extremely real and vulnerable with people they didn't even know. Many of them shared about suicide and depression. I think this shows their desperate need for a support system; they needed help but didn't know how to get it. As someone who has struggled with pretty severe anxiety for years and has only recently been able to fight that battle stronger than ever before, I understand the importance of mental health. It impacts every aspect of life. If someone is struggling with mental health, it affects physical health, can cause strain on relationships, and can cause someone to close themselves off emotionally and socially. Those aren't the only effects of poor mental health, the list goes on and on, and can vary so much based on the person. The sad thing is, that a lot of people don't get help. That is what needs to change. I experienced a couple of those effects with my anxiety, and that experience has formed my goals for my future and career. I want to go into clinical counseling because I have seen first-hand the effects of counseling and therapy. Not only in overcoming addiction, but in relationships within my family, and specifically, in a foster child we had. He had autism and some speech and developmental delays. We took him to an art therapist, and she was able to find out so much through connecting with him in that way. After every session, we found new ways that we could better support him as a family. I want to be in a position to help people with their mental health because I know just how important it is. I know how it can completely turn someone's life around-- for the better. I want to use my career to be able to make the world a brighter place and to support people who are in desperate need of help but aren't sure how to do it on their own. I want to be the support for people who don't have support already. Whether it's through my future career or not, I want to make people feel seen, understood, heard and loved.

My dad co-founded an addiction recovery center, called Holdfast Recovery. Through talking with the therapists there and hearing stories about how therapy has helped clients overcome their addictions, I have realized the importance of mental health. Mental health is most likely the root of many problems that a person is facing, whether it stems from trauma, addiction, anxiety, or depression. Therapy is an amazing solution. It is a way to help people work through their problems, to guide them to becoming healthier and more capable of handling what life has dealt them with. As someone who has struggled with pretty severe anxiety for years and has only recently been able to fight that battle stronger than ever before, I understand the importance of mental health. It impacts every aspect of life. If someone is struggling with mental health, it affects physical health, can cause strain on relationships, and can cause someone to close themselves off emotionally and socially. Those aren't the only effects of poor mental health, the list goes on and on, and can vary so much based on the person. The sad thing is, that a lot of people don't get help. That is what needs to change. I experienced a couple of those effects with my anxiety, and that experience has formed my goals for my future and career. I want to go into clinical counseling because I have seen first-hand the effects of counseling and therapy. Not only in overcoming addiction, but in relationships within my family, and specifically, in a foster child we had. He had autism and some speech and developmental delays. We took him to an art therapist, and she was able to find out so much through connecting with him in that way. After every session, we found new ways that we could better support him as a family. I want to be in a position to help people with their mental health because I know how important it is. I know how it can completely turn someone's life around-- for the better. I want to use my career to be able to make the world a brighter place and to support people who are in desperate need of help but aren't sure how to do it on their own.