Over coffee a couple of months ago, a friend asked me a question that I think about regularly. She asked if I had the choice to live without mental health struggles, would I? With people bustling around and birds chirping at my feet I felt as if time slowed down for a moment. This past summer, I was hospitalized for wanting to take my own life. It's one of the darkest places to be. I remember weeks prior praying to God to save my life because in my own hands I was going to lose it. Each day was a monotony of overwhelming grief and I felt like I embodied the word burden. Now this, I would gladly give up to never feel again. But through my struggles, I have learned that each hard and beautiful day is a gift. It is an opportunity to persevere through pain, and I have much more compassion for myself than I have ever had before. After my stay at the hospital, I began to reimagine what career field I wanted to pursue. The nurses and their strength and kindness stuck out to me and they cared for me at a time when I didn't even care about myself. After some thought, I changed my major to nursing, and now I am on a path to starting nursing school in the fall. My career aspirations have totally changed. I tell myself every day that even though I struggle with mental health, I am still capable of pursuing the career that I dream of. In my relationships with others, I believe I have become a more caring, kinder, and empathetic individual. I know now better than ever how important taking care of your mental health is, and I want to be a safe confidante for my friends and family to talk to. A few issues that I care deeply about are social inequality, community service, and mental health. I hope to carry this fervor in my career to better care for patients and be the best nurse possible. Destigmatizing speaking about mental health is incredibly important to the world today. In my career as a nurse,​ I would like to be a psychiatric nurse practitioner to help those who struggle with mental health. As an advocate for mental health awareness, my goals are to work towards a world where mental health is mentioned openly and discussed. I hope to contribute significantly to the treatment of mental health issues and use my own experiences to encourage others. I don’t think I ever gave my friend an answer. I guess maybe it isn’t a yes or no question. I am a different person than who I would be without mental health struggles, but that doesn’t mean there isn’t a wellspring of life inside me. I believe in perseverance, strengthening relationships, and pursuing careers. Through my walk with mental health, I have gained more knowledge about the previous subjects than I ever thought was possible, and I am thankful to be here today to help further the lives of others.

There is something extraordinary about being able to bring healing to someone's body. What can be even better than that is pointing someone on the path to true spiritual health. Being a nurse and going on medical mission trips are both extremely important to me. Jesus connected with people by healing their physical needs and creating space for faith to grow. Likewise, medical missions provide a way to address physical suffering and spiritual needs. I would like to use my skills as a nurse to serve people and share the love of God. I start nursing school in the fall at a Christian university and I will be able to take Bible classes along with medical training. This training will help equip me to do the work of a missionary. The biblical alongside the medicinal creates a powerful pair. During high school, I had the opportunity to go on three missions trips to Jamaica. When people heard I was going to Jamaica they thought it was for the beaches and vacations; however, the place that my team and I served there was physical and spiritual poverty. The people were longing to learn more about Jesus and how to feel seen. Because my church returned to the same place each year, relationships were established and I saw the benefit of consistency in the same location for mission work. This consistency is what can make a difference in a person’s life. I worked with four-six years-olds each year, and as I got to see them grow, I was also seeing them learn each year about the person and character of Jesus. I also saw the power of serving others through helping with physical needs. I hold these specific memories dear and hope for these relationships to continue. My goal is to return to Jamaica on a regular basis because of the great need and my familiarity with the people and the area. Even though Jamaica is the place where I would like to serve, I am willing to go wherever I am needed. I have a heart for others, and it would be an honor to continue to serve in this capacity in the future. A dream of mine would be to return to the exact area where we stayed in Jamaica​ and come alongside the now eight-year-olds to aid them to the best of my ability in their walk with the Lord.

If I were a highly influential figure, the main concept that I would stand for would be increasing mental health awareness. Destigmatizing speaking about mental health is very important to me and the well-being of the human population. In this way, I would love to have a positive impact on​ others​ around​ me. It is so important​ to speak on this topic to open the door​ for more conversation on the subject. I am passionate about this subject because I have had personal struggles with mental health, and in working through this I have developed more compassion and empathy for those who wrestle with mental health as well. This pressing issue deserves attention from those with influential​ power, so that a message of hope can be spread.​ However, it is encouraging to know that I can be an advocate for mental health awareness even without a huge platform. I can start small by initiating​ conversations with my friends and family. This is the first step toward​ raising awareness​ and working towards a world where mental health is openly​ talked about and discussed. With​ this awareness, I hope to create a positive impact on the people in my life and those around me. Thank you!

In my dream life, I am full of wonder and curiosity. I am able to recognize that life has its challenges, but I am not overcome by them. There is abundant hope and I am more happy than not! I have always wanted to pursue a career in nursing, publish a poetry book, and live in a coastal town in Maine where I serve others and write in my free time. Publishing my writing has been also been a dream of mine since I was young. The opportunity​ to share my poetry and prose would be the opportunity​ of a lifetime​. In my career as a nurse,​ I would like to be a psychiatric nurse practitioner to help those who struggle with mental health. This is an​ area of health I am passionate about, so being able to serve other in this capacity would be great. In my dream life,​ I also apply my medical knowledge to help others around the world get access to good healthcare.​ In addition​ to these dreams, in the future, I would also like to cultivate relationships with my family and friends. These relationships are important to me, and I want them to last well into my life. I have hope for the future! I also have a strong will that I believe​ will help my dreams come true. Thank you!

When my mother was twenty-one, she experienced a terrible migraine. Over the next year the migraine would come and go, but then one day it never went away. Decades later, my mom is still suffering from this migraine. However, I have learned perseverance, strength, grace, and hope through her and how she views the world. I am inspired by her daily. She works at an urban city non-profit that benefits the community in many ways. I have volunteered at this non-profit since 2015 by tutoring and mentoring children. Through this work, I have come to share in her desire to reach out and serve people. She has positively impacted my life by embodying the characteristics of Jesus. Gentleness, forgiveness, and mercy are a couple of traits that she emulates. I am pushed daily in my faith by the fruits that I see in my mother's life. She inspires me to want to be a better version of myself while accepting me just as I am. My mother has been instrumental in shaping me into the person I am by continually pouring love into me. I try to appreciate every moment, even if some of the moments are hard. I have learned this from her as she still has a passion for people and life even with her migraine. My mother has also taught me to be a friend to many. I have insight into how to do this through direct lessons, but also through mirroring the way she treats people and responds to adversity. I have more compassion and understanding for those with chronic illnesses than I would have had otherwise. This understanding has enabled me to be more empathic and attentive to the needs and minds of others. I believe I can transfer this characteristic of mine into my career and my future. She has helped shape me into someone who won't let adversity stop me from trying to reach my dreams and goals. I have a dream of becoming a nurse and having the chance to serve others uniquely in this capacity. I have been accepted into nursing school for the fall of 2022, and this is by the grace of God and the perseverance that my mother has instilled in me. I have missed her presence while being away at college, but I have grown to appreciate her and the rest of my family more. Life is full of surprises, and it is rarely easy, but I believe my mother has equipped me to the best of her ability to face the world with a strong heart and open arms. I am forever thankful for the opportunity to be her daughter.