Student debt was something I never previously had to worry about. In the state of Nevada, during the turn of the millennium, all high school graduates who were going to a Nevada college or university were given the Millennium Scholarship which essentially covered all four years of tuition and books. As long as you were motivated to finish, you could do so with that one scholarship. I was one so motivated. I still am that motivated. The job markets are shifting and the requirements are becoming more strict and the candidate pool bigger. This spurred my decision to go back to school and receive the education that will help me stand out from the crowd. As a single parent, adult learner it was not an easy decision for me to make, to go back and continue my education but it was a necessary one. In order to land the job that will help me take care of my family I need to do everything in my power to make it happen. In preparation for the student loan debt to come I have been setting aside money that will go towards paying interest and, if I can manage it, some towards the principal amount as well. Budgeting will be a big part of my life for the next few years. Tracking my spending and allowances for the essential items in my day to day life and that of my children's lives as well. I am confident that if I can get at least half of my tuition paid for in scholarships and or grants that I will be able to maintain a steady budgeting system that will allow me to pay off my loan at the end of the loan's grace period. Of course, there could be setbacks that may push my goals out further. There is always the possibility of a well laid plan falling apart. All one can do is plan for the worst and hope for the best. My worst case scenario would be not getting any grants or scholarships. If this were the case, I would need to attempt to budget a higher amount so I could stay on track with my goal completion date or I would have to push back my completion date. That would be the unfortunate worst case scenario. Either way I am continuing to try to do everything I can to make the best case scenario a reality by applying for scholarships so I can get the job I want that will help me make a positive impact on my family's lives and hopefully others' lives as well.

Uncertainty and stress have both played a huge part in shaping my life, both past and future. As a child I grew up watching my parents sit at the dining room table, pouring over their checkbooks and bills. I saw how my mother's face would fall each time she came to the realization that she could not afford a bill or the new pants my sister had wanted. I often had to forgo dinners out and new fashion trends so I didn't feel like such a financial burden to my parents. It was this mentality that shaped my financial basics. At a young age I began saving any money I had earned in order to buy what I wanted. I also learned to set money aside for spur of the moment purchases. Even with my diligence I would still find myself in a financial bind every time my car insurance was due or an unexpected expense would pop up. Every time these setbacks would happen those two confidence killers would creep back in my life. Stress and uncertainty. The uncertainty of being able to pay my own bills on time, or even at all would cause frustration and depression. I would wonder if I was doing enough to avoid these frequent financial pitfalls or what I could have done differently. Then the stress would settle in. The stress of making the deadlines to pay my bills, to keep the lights on. Stress and uncertainty became my focus instead of my finances, instead of finding ways to better my situation. These are the road blocks I've found consistently throughout my thirty-six years. Over time I have learned how to manage my stress levels and decrease my uncertainty. Now it is time to re-shape my future into something fruitful, something that I can call stress and uncertainty free. To achieve my easy-going future I have decided to go back to college and pursue a degree that I feel will help me get more and better job opportunities. Opportunities that will also help provide for my retirement too. I have found a career path that matches my future goals perfectly. With this new career path I would be able to provide for my family and myself in ways that I had not previously been able. If I play my cards right I may even be able to help my children pay for their college careers and help them aspire to live their best life too.

"Can I stay up and read you a book?" the younger of my seven year old twins asks. Smiling, I beckon her to my lap where she holds up one of the books ahe knows I adore, There Was A Wee Lassie Who Swallowed a Midgie. The book was a Christmas gift from her aunt from a few years ago when her aunt was living in Ireland. Therein lies the rub. The book is Irish and full of Irish jargon. My daughter cracks open the book and begins the rhyme, after she looks at the pictures of course. It wasn't long before she began to have trouble with some of the words. I told her to sound it out and to remember the letters that, when seen together, make a different sound. She got through a few pages like this before becoming so frustrated that she wanted to stop reading. I told her that if she gave up then she would never be able to know what the word is and subsequently would never finish the book to find out what happens at the end. After a few more minutes of convincing she picked the book up and tried sounding out the word again. We finished the book together and I told her how proud of her I was and thanked her for reading to me. There are several stories like this that all include a talk from me to one or all of my three children to never give up. Never give up on yourself. Never give up on your education. Never give up on each other. Each time I finish one of those talks I am left to reflect on the times I gave up or let someone else's influence steer me away from my goals. It was in teaching my own children to never give up on themselves that I found the motivation to pick up and try again in my own life and that motivation was boosted exponentially when my children supported my decision to return to school. They were so happy that we would all be in school together, that it was an experience we could share. As a single parent I've found that I must do more and more on my own with a small amount of support from family who live nearby. Hearing that my children wanted to do homework with me and support me warmed my heart so much it nearly brought tears to my eyes. My children remind me that even though we may not be learning the same things the four of us will never be left to struggle alone. We will all be there for one another to encourage each other to pick up that book and try again.

Affordable and accessible mental health in the United States is on the decline. Speaking locally, my town has seen the closure of one of the only in-patient mental health facilities as well as a change in the amount and type of insurance e coverage that would assist in payment for services. As many other areas in life can attest, the availability and affordability of these services is noticeably lower for minorities and impoverished people. As a woman of color who has seen first hand the myriad of ways mental health can effect a person and those around them I aim to use my education and experience to change that rhetoric. When I was growing up I had a best friend who had unfortunately been sexually abused by someone close to her. She was unable to receive adequate treatment for the mental trauma she endured which lead to her acting out in several different ways. She would steal from stores or yell at and lie to her family, she would even act out sexually. She finally met her breaking point one day and ended up in the in-patient facility that has recently closed. She spent a month there getting counseling and treatment, the cost of which was visibly taxing on her parents. When talking to them they would praise her progress but there was always something they would hold back when talking about how they were doing as a family unit. We would eventually see them with one less car or one less diamond ring. They were selling their assets to pay for the treatment their daughter was receiving. The process was mentally draining on her parents too. In that month alone it was like the situation had aged them a few years. Being on the outside of that situation and seeing each aspect of how mental trauma had effected each person in the family, not just the person receiving treatment, I was given a unique perspective that forever piqued my interest into the world of mental health. I am now a single mother of three children under the age of twelve, recent home owner, and am working for a county health department. I know I can do more for my community than data entry. With an education in forensic psychology I can move into mental health positions that will help me help the community in a more impactful way. Receiving this scholarship will help me start on this journey of achieving my ultimate goal of opening a practice that serves both the patient and the patient's family.