As a first generation Hispanic student, I understand the struggles of mental health first hand. Growing up, I suffered with mental health and was diagnosed with a general anxiety disorder at only eight years old. I grew up afraid of my mind and was constantly worried why my brain would make me feel afraid of certain places and situations. I knew at a very young age I was going to dedicate my life to help those around me. It would help me sleep better at night knowing that I could help another young girl who is going through what I went through. I earned a bachelor of science degree from The University of Texas at El Paso at only 20 years old, then went straight into graduate school majoring in Mental Health Counseling. I now do case work part time where I help children and adolescents learn healthy coping skills. It brings me so much peace and joy knowing that I am helping them with their mental health struggles. The Latinx community holds such a special place in my heart. I was born and raised in El Paso and I have seen the lack of mental health resources all around me. Not too long ago, I waited months just to see a Licensed Professional Counselor. I called all over the city trying to see who had openings and I was put onto waitlists only to never receive a call back. There is a stigma around the Latinx receiving therapy, it is practically taboo, and I hope to change that one day. I want to help this community understand that receiving therapy is not a sign of weakness, but it is seen as a sign of courage and resilience. I hope to pursue a career where I can help others who struggled like me. I hope to one day work on both sides of the border to break that stigma and show people that therapy is life changing. I can help Latinx families heal generational traumas and help change unhealthy routines/habits. The Latinx community will always be incredibly near and dear to my heart, and I am excited to see mental health be expanded and more accessible right here in El Paso.

My dream job would be to become a child psychiatrist. Growing up, I watched firsthand what mental illness can do to a person. I watched mental illness kill the people I love from the inside. I watched my mom fall prisoner to her brain, but I was too young to understand what was happening. All I could see was that she was perfectly healthy on the outside, there was nothing wrong with her from my eyes. Little did I know how bad she was struggling with her thoughts, every single day. As I grew a little older I slowly began learning what was happening to her. I always wondered how a person could be "sick" if they looked fine. I was in first grade when I began having anxiety myself, the topic of school shootings paralyzed me. I was diagnosed with a generalized anxiety disorder at such a young age. I began therapy in first grade and stayed with the same therapist for years, I stayed in therapy longer due to my parent's divorce. The divorce only caused my anxiety to worsen. I found myself having panic attacks before I even knew what panic attacks were. Such a scary feeling that happened so often, and I had no idea how to control those feelings back then. Seeing my mom go through all this loss and tragedy made me make a promise to myself. I promised myself that I would do anything to make sure I would never see my mother like that again. I graduated from an early college, earned my bachelor's degree at 20 years old, and I am a first-generation student enrolled in graduate school. My dream is to help those who feel helpless, just the way I did. I want to help those who felt the same fear I did, to help those who are experiencing sleepless nights just the way I did. I hope to teach them that they are never alone and to never be scared to ask for help. I am a firm believer in medicine and psychotherapy combined. I have watched it work miracles for hundreds of people. I have always wanted to help people, I knew from an early age that this is what has been meant for me. Important qualities are being sympathetic and being a great listener. One must learn to listen and provide advice when necessary. I know being sympathetic is one thing that will get me far in this career. To help others, one must also understand themselves. Another important quality is to make sure that I am mentally fit to be in this field. There is nothing wrong with receiving help, while helping others.

I have watched mental illness murder those close to me. I was so young when I first heard what mental illness even was. I watched as it deteriorated my mother from the inside out. I watched as she called herself sick, which I did not understand at the time because she was perfectly healthy. No cuts, no bruises, no nothing. I would watch my mother cry, I watched her happiness fade. I drew her pictures, and I danced for her for hours on end, in hopes to cheer her up. I always thought her sadness would leave and never come back for good. I am still waiting for that day to happen. A few months after that, she and my father went through such a horrendous divorce. I saw and heard everything. I could not understand what was happening, why it was happening, and if anything would ever get better. I witnessed horrific things. Once my father was out of my life for the most part, I promised myself I would do anything to make sure my mother never felt that way again. The divorce caused terrible anxiety, I was diagnosed with a general anxiety disorder before the age of 10. Nothing made sense. I found myself panicking out in public when nothing around me was going wrong. I was so confused and scared. Since then, I promised myself to make something of myself after going through a dark time during those years. I put myself through early college while juggling varsity cheer, marching band, and pom and drill. I battled my anxiety and I earned my bachelor's degree in psychology at only 20 years old. I learned from an early age that I have always wanted to help people. I have always wanted to help young children like myself, if I could help them get through what I went through, then all these years of school would be worth it. My number one goal is to help a child sleep through the night - peacefully. With my help, I hope they never experience terrible anxiety or feelings of sadness and confusion. I hope to help thousands of children who are going through those very feelings. My experience with mental illness has never been a positive one, but I plan on using those challenges to better myself through my future mental health career. As a future therapist, my dream is to help those who suffered like me.

I am a child of a single mother with two other siblings. This experience has impacted me in both negative and positive ways. My mother has always taught me to be independent and not to rely too heavily on others. I grew up watching her work full time while trying to raise us. At one point in our lives we almost lost our house. I would watch my mom cry because she was worried about not having enough food to feed us. My mother is my superhero. She supported all of my decisions in high school and was always there at every one of my performances and games. I did varsity cheerleading, marching band, and an early college program in high school, my mother was always there. Her love and support are unconditional, and I know it will always be there. My mother has also taught me to do the "manly" things in my life. Whether it be about cars or fixing small parts of the house, she taught me the importance of it all. Growing up, I was confused and upset because all of my other friends had a mom and a dad, I only had a mom. My father stopped being in my life at around 10 years old, and I give all the credit in the world to my mother. She has always given me respect, support, love, all while competing her other duties of being a mother. Her strength inspires me every day. I have watched my mother bloom into the beautiful woman she is now. When we were just kids, I would watch my mom in despair and agony, not knowing what to do next. Today, she is the main reason I am the first in our family to graduate college and being my master's degree. I owe all my success to her, and I hope she knows how much she means to me.

A healthy lifestyle is important to me because it helps regulate and control my anxiety and depression disorders. It always makes me feel great knowing that I am attempting to make a change for my mental health. A healthy lifestyle for me consists of going to the gym, no extreme workouts, just walking on a treadmill for about an hour a day helps me sleep better at night. I also began eating better, more fruits and less junk food to give me more energy during the day. All of these factors are important to me because it also allows me to perform better with my academics. I can destress using various kinds of techniques during the day to prevent burnout. This lifestyle is also important to me because it helps me get closer to my family, I now react better in certain situations, and I have learned to enjoy the smaller things in my life. Getting a new and fresh perspective at things is a euphoric feeling. I have also began discovering new creative ways to express myself. I began playing music again, playing the flute has been such an important chapter in my life. I spend more time with my siblings, and have encouraged them to reach for mental health help just like I did. This new healthy lifestyle has changed me for the better.

My dog Ginger is one of the best things to have ever happened to me. We rescued her from the city shelter shortly before my 10th birthday. The moment my mom surprised my siblings and I with her, I knew there was an automatic connection between both of us. Through the years, I have taken Ginger to most of our family functions. These include Christmas and Thanksgiving dinners, birthdays (both family and relatives), parades, and every year we take her to get pictures taken with the Easter bunny and Santa. I am relatively young, but I consider Ginger to be my child. I have watched her grow into the small, elderly dog that she is now. Her and I have done so many things together. She is there for me when I get sad, whenever I am away from home all I can think about is getting back home to see her. Ginger is quite the unique dog, she never played with chew toys or enjoyed chewing on bones, but that is what makes her so special to me. She was just a child when she was rescued. Ginger is always a ball of energy when someone walks through the door, and she loves being outside at night. I truly believe ginger provides me with great amounts of serotonin. I am an anxious person who deals with school a lot but lying next to Ginger always brightens my mood. I know whenever I am feeling down, I can pull out my phone to see my favorite pictures of her. During the COVID-19 quarantine I purchased a dog stroller so she could accompany me on my walks. I made sure to get some cozy blankets for her to lay on, as she loves lying on comfortable beds and blankets. I have different photos of her framed in my bedroom, and I even named my very first car after her. Ginger truly is the light of my life, and sometimes I think about how my life would be drastically different without her. Ginger loves to fall asleep on my bed with me, her loud snoring assures me that she is having a great night's rest. My family knows how much I love Ginger; my grandma was sweet enough to create a cap and gown for her out of scratch when I graduated college two months ago. Her and I then took lots of photos together at a nearby park. I know my younger self would have loved to see both of us together after all these years. Ginger also watched me graduate middle school, high school, college, and I hope she will be here to see me earn my master's degree. I tell Ginger everyday how much she means to me, and part of me hopes that she understands. I like to tell my family that Ginger and I are soulmates; not in a romantic way, but in the way that both of us were meant to find each other in this life. I hope everyone can experience what Ginger and I have. I am incredibly grateful to have Ginger in my life, and I will forever cherish every memory her and I have made throughout the years.