Mental health is something I have struggled with for as long as I can remember. From the young age of 8 wondering if I was ever going to feel happy to not liking the way my body looked. I never really understood why I had no reason to be sad, I was an average size child. It felt like there was no way to fix it. I was labeled as a shy quiet kid that always cried in school. That's not how I wanted to be, I wanted to be the funny bubbly kid in class. I just couldn't understand why I was so different. When I turned 10 I was diagnosed with selective mutism and anxiety. I started taking anxiety medication. In middle school I started to have a lot of teenage drama girls who were constantly bullying me. It got so bad I had to get my classes changed multiple times. The school even recommended that I get homeschooled. I didn't want to leave my school friends or not be able to play instruments in school, so I decided I was going to stay. The bullying continued into high school where it progressed into something even worse. I was constantly getting trapped by other girls in the bathrooms or getting threatened in between classes. The bullying continued out of school. People would make fake accounts after I blocked them or contact my mom and say hurtful things about my family. The cops and school tried to get them to stop so many times. There's not much anyone could actually do to stop it or help. This really started to affect me. I felt so different, I felt like I didn't belong anywhere. I stopped wanting to dance. I wouldn't eat, I couldn’t sleep. I was becoming a horrible person to have to be around. I just wanted to be a normal high school student. I wanted to have friends, get invited to parties. I wanted to enjoy high school the way it looked like everyone else did. In my senior year most of the bullying had stopped because everyone finally only cared about themselves and their future or they had already graduated or dropped out. I started to feel little to no emotions even in big situations. I just was too tired mentally I couldn't care anymore. I decided that when I got out of high school I wasn’t going to take the medication anymore. I thought that was going to fix the way I felt. So when I graduated in June, I just randomly stopped taking it. I started to always have so much emotion whether I was mad, angry or crying for no reason. I got to college and realized I needed to change because I didn't want to be like this anymore. I started making goals for the day to get happy and healthier. I started to eat 3 meals a day, go to the gym, and started trying to keep a positive mindset while starting my freshman year of college. I started to read and watch things that were more positive. One of my favorite quotes I read once was “no one else makes your story only you can. You only get one chance so take it” When I read that quote It helped me understand that no change was going to happen if I didn’t try. Over the last few months I have been happier than I ever had before, even when I have a bad day I always remember it's better than before.

Not much made my dad upset, but he looked upset. My dad called me and my brother out to the kitchen. He told us my grandparents wouldn't be coming from Texas because my poppop had fallen. My dad told us he was in surgery for a brain bleed but everything was expected to go good. That night we got a lot of good updates, until we get a call that he was in a coma. I went to school the next day, I was sitting in my class reading. When I got a text from my mom that we had to fly out to Texas. My heart dropped and I started crying. My teacher asked what's wrong through my tears I told her I needed to leave my poppop is doing bad so I need to go to Texas. Once I was in the office with my mom waiting for my brother I asked what was going to happen. My mom said he wasn't going to make it and we need to leave in less than an hour to get on the plane. We get home and packed, I just wanted to go see my poppop. We leave and go to my uncles so he can take us to the airport. once we got to the airport we had 2 flights to get on but it was after seven already, we were still boarding the first plane. After we landed my aunt came to pick us up. We got to the house around two in the morning. We went right to bed. We got up the next day at 5:30 we had to a two hour drive to the hospital. Once we get there my parents went back with my mommom to go see my pop pop. My parents came back and they asked if I wanted to spend time alone with him. I talked to him for an hour, even tho he couldn't answer back. We spent the day being with him. Before the end of the night we were all in the waiting room with my family. my mommom called my parents into the other room. Everyone came back looking more upset than before. They told us the nurse and my mommom decided it would be best if he was taken off the breathing tube within the next few days. An hour past visiting time we had to go home for the night. We woke up the same time the next day with the plan of it being similar to the day before. They decide early that morning they want to talk the breathing tube out. We were still over an hour away when my mom mom called to say he passed away. When we got there my mom mom said the doctors expected him to do okay for a little bit but it was going to be longer then two days, but his body just couldn't handle it anymore. My parents when back first. when they came back I talked to my pop pop for the last time. I didn't know what to say, I couldn't even move. The world felt so heavy and unreal. We spent the next few days at my mommom's house to help her with everything before we had to fly back. when we got back life was supposed to return to normal but everything made me think about my pop pop. things that never made me think of him before. Now something I always remember in life is you never know the last time u get to talk to someone.

During my sophomore year of high school I started having hip pain. Everyone just thought it was a pulled muscle from me dancing so much. I started to take it easy, not dancing or being as active. My hip continued to get worse. I could barely stand or walk on my own. My mom decided I needed to go to the doctor. The doctor decided I needed to get an MRI. The MRI determined my labrum was torn. Three days later I started going to physical therapy four times a week, to help me learn to walk normally and function on my own. After twelve weeks my hip was getting worse and my back started to hurt. The doctors decided I needed to go to a diagnostic doctor to find out what was wrong. I went to the doctors and they diagnosed me with amplified musculoskeletal pain syndrome. They decided I needed to start a different physical therapy. They also took my school and dance restrictions away, leaving me to figure out how to function and do my daily activities again. The next week I went back to school and dancing. Over the next three months I wasn't getting any better. I was still in therapy three times a week, and my grades started dropping. Everyone in school started noticing I was still off. I went back to the doctors feeling hopeless. The doctors were concerned about me not making any progress. After getting different tests done, the doctor explained I also had Ehlers-Danlos. They explained how it was a condition that would make my muscles weaker, along with many other issues I was already having. The doctors said I needed to try to be active and less stressed. Later that appointment the doctor deceived to take me out of physical therapy. They also decided to sign papers explaining my conditions, so I could get accommodations to pass school. Shortly after it was the summer, I was back to dancing and going to the beach. I started to get a little bit stronger and had less flair ups. I went back to school in September, I was still trying to learn how to live my life with chronic conditions. By Christmas, I basically had figured out what I could and couldn’t do, as well as started going to a chiropractor. Throughout the rest of my junior year I started to feel like myself again. My grades also improved. I started my senior year with a very good mindset which helped my conditions a lot. There were still many things I couldn’t do but I learned to do other things instead. Most people in school knew I had “pain issues”. There were many times kids or teachers would say I was being “dramatic” or “lying” about how I felt. That taught me to be stronger. I finished my senior year of school and dance stronger and happier than ever. After graduating my conditions became easier to manage because I had more freedom. I have taken a gap semester this spring to help me take care of my body as well as change to a college that will better suit me.This scholarship would help me cover the cost of my college tuition which would help me have more money to get my treatments that I still have weekly. I feel if I can worry less it will help me be more motivated which makes my conditions easier to manage and help me pass college.

Growing up I always had a lot of anxiety. I thought I was just shy. I never realized I was different from so many kids until the doctors started explaining it wasn't normal. From the very young age of 3 in daycare I didn't talk to the other kids or teachers, when it was playtime I just wanted to sit and watch. I only wanted to play if one of two people would come sit with me. The daycare teachers pushed it off telling my mom I was just shy and I would grow out of it. I started kindergarten then grade school, nothing was changing. I would cry every time someone tried to interact with me. I wouldn't talk all day. I didn't understand why I was so different then the other kids. The teachers kept ignoring it until I got to fourth grade. My teacher decided that I was getting older and not any less "shy". After my teacher, mom and guidance counselor decided I needed to go to a doctor and get diagnosed with anxiety so that my schooling will not be affected poorly. It didn't take long for me to get a diagnosis, I got to the office I shut down just like at school or at the store. I was diagnosed with selective mutism and put on medication for anxiety. After a few months I started to have less anxiety. I wouldn't still play at the playground if other kids were there, I started whispering to my teachers. I still wasn't a "normal" kid. I was going to therapy twice a week. I was getting so many ways to cope with anxiety but nothing was helping. When I got into fifth grade I started to talk to other kids if it was just me and them, I started to make friends. I also started to get bullied for many things. people were making rumours about me, making social media posts about me, anything they could do. Nobody could get the other kids to stop, not the principal, teachers, or even the police. I eventually got to middle school after what felt like forever. My anxiety was different everyday at that point, sometimes I could raise my hand in class and answer all the questions, and I would goof off with my friends. There were still so many days and moments I was shutting down. I was managing to get through the year as the bullying also continued. Then COVID hit and everything changed again. My classes were all online. I did all my work and passed all my classes. I graduated and get ready for high school. High School was so different, lockers, changing classes, different lunches, more people. I quickly made many friends with upper class men, because they seemed so much calmer and mature. I still had many times as a freshman and sophomore I would shut down in school and not do anything. As I have become a junior and senior I have gone through many other things that have changed me so much. Since a young age I have loved helping animals. I knew I wanted to be a veterinarian. I never thought I would find my courage but over the years I learned to cope or find ways around the problem. I think that going to college and working in a vet office will help me even more. I will get to talk to different people everyday and work in many different high stress situations.

Sabrina Carpenter has always been a big inspiration to me in many different ways. Even from a young age I loved watching her on Disney Channel, I thought she was so cool and fearless. I loved her happy personality on the show. As I grew older I started to listen to more of her music. I loved the beat to the music, but I never really understood what they where about till the last few years. I quickly learned her words stuck with me, I understood the words to the songs and the meaning behind them. I have also related to many of the songs. Especially as a highschool girl something else I love about her is doesn't just sing random things she creates her songs based her emotions and things she went through, causing her music to be more meaningful and creative. I think Sabrina Carpenter being so fearless when it comes to making music and writing songs is something that makes it more powerful. Something else I love about Sabrina is how she is very heavy on mental well-being and embracing yourself. I think she is one of the most inspiring and empowering artists to children and my generation.

Deciding my career choice wasn't ever a hard decision for me. As a very young child I was very scared of animals. My parents decided they wanted to help me get over my fear, they decided we were going to get a puppy. The summer of 2019 my family got a puppy. At first I was very scared of the puppy, but after I realized how shy and scared the puppy was in the new house, I decided I needed to be brave to help her. I knew she was even more scared than me. Over the next few months I started to really warm up to the puppy. I started wanting to be around other peoples pets. I started to release animals weren't actually scary they were amazing creatures to watch and be around. By the time I got to high school my dog was old enough to get spayed. Unforchally a few weeks later she had gotten very sick due to an infection. Thankfully we took her to the vet. After the vet finished her examine she came back into the room. The vet explained everything that was needed to be done to get her healthy again. I was so upset but conferred by everything being explained to me in a way a child would understand. Something about me as a child understanding what was going on in a scary situation would always help make it seem less scary. Quickly I decided I wanted to help other children feel safe around animals while understanding them. This past summer I worked at South Paw Animal Hospital. One of the most amazing things was watching the animals get very lively as they recovered. I learned working in a vet office is something that is very sad and stressful for many owners and pets. I want to help people understand the process there animal is going through to help comfort them. While I also want to be able to help the animals get better because I believe they deserve just as good of life as people do. I also want to help inspire kids to be brave, similar to how my dog's vet encouraged me to learn about the process instead of just staying quiet and afraid. I have decided even after the many hours it's something I want to do for the rest of the life it was never something I have had to twice about.

Everyone knows I want to be a vet tech, there's something many people don't know. When I was a young child I was terrified of animals. You might be wondering why I want to work in a vet office. When I was born my parents already had a cat, I would always avoid her, I didn't want to pet her or feed her. My mom went outside to feed the cat, but she found a different very sickly and skinny cat in the cat box. my parents knew they had to do something to save her. My parents introduced me to this tiny sick kitten. I started petting her I realized cats aren't scary, I was still very scared of dogs. As I got to fifth grade, my parents decided to get a dog to help me get over my fear of dogs. When we first got the puppy I was so scared but I wanted to hold her and pet her. We took her home and over the next few days we started becoming very attached to each other. Over the next months I started being around my friends and family's dogs. I started to love every dog I saw, I wanted to pet every animal I saw. I always knew I wanted to work in some type of medical field but I was never sure what I wanted to do. in 2019 my dog was spayed, she ended up getting an infection and needed much more care then more dogs would. I had to help my mom give the dog different medicines and help watch over her. Shortly after that I was in school doing an assignment on what I wanted to do with my future, I thought it would be cool to look into being a vet and learning about it. As I got to highschool I still wanted to be a vet. I didn't ever find anything else that I could see myself doing for the rest of my life. As a freshman and sophomore I started looking at different types of vets and different jobs in the animal field. When I got to the summer before my senior year I got the opportunity to work in a vet office. It was amazing I never wanted to leave at the end of my shift, I wanted to learn more and help care for more animals.

Chappell Roan's music has impacted me in maybe ways. You feel her music emotionally and personally. Her music has a very different taste of pop with some indie sounds, her music and songs always have a personal meaning to me. I love how Chappell Roan's music is catchy but meaningful. Some of my favorite somes from Chappell are hot to go because it's a song that makes me feel happy and light hearted, it makes me want to sing and dance around. Another one of my favorite Chappell songs is Casual because its a powerful song while still sounding upbeat. Her music is very easy to listen to, it's something you can jam out to or just have on while you're doing something else. Chappell has been very inspiring because she has so much perseverance and dedication to her career. While she has faced many setbacks but kept pushing to be the artist she became. Something else I admire about Chappell is her confidence, she seems like she has no fear when it comes to writing songs or looking a certain way. I think that people should listen to her music because its fun, but I also think that people should observe how amazing she is as a person.

Not much made my dad upset, but he looked upset. My dad called me and my brother out to the kitchen. He told us my grandparents wouldn't be coming from Texas because my poppop had fallen. My dad told us he was in surgery for a brain bleed but everything was expected to go good. That night we got a lot of good updates, until we get a call that he was in a coma. I went to school the next day, I was sitting in my class reading. When I got a text from my mom that we had to fly out to Texas. My heart dropped and I started crying. My teacher asked what's wrong through my tears I told her I needed to leave my poppop is doing bad so I need to go to Texas. Once I was in the office with my mom waiting for my brother I asked what was going to happen. My mom said he wasn't going to make it and we need to leave in less than an hour to get on the plane. We get home and packed, I just wanted to go see my poppop. We leave and go to my uncles so he can take us to the airport. once we got to the airport we had 2 flights to get on but it was after seven already, we were still boarding the first plane. After we landed my aunt came to pick us up. We got to the house around two in the morning. We went right to bed. We got up the next day at 5:30 we had to a two hour drive to the hospital. Once we get there my parents went back with my mommom to go see my pop pop. My parents came back and they asked if I wanted to spend time alone with him. I talked to him for an hour, even tho he couldn't answer back. We spent the day being with him. Before the end of the night we were all in the waiting room with my family. my mommom called my parents into the other room. Everyone came back looking more upset than before. They told us the nurse and my mommom decided it would be best if he was taken off the breathing tube within the next few days. An hour past visiting time we had to go home for the night. We woke up the same time the next day with the plan of it being similar to the day before. They decide early that morning they want to talk the breathing tube out. We were still over an hour away when my mom mom called to say he passed away. When we got there my mom mom said the doctors expected him to do ok for a little bit but it was going to be longer then two days, but his body just couldn't handle it anymore. My parents when back first. when they came back I talked to my pop pop for the last time. I didn't know what to say, I couldn't even move. The world felt so heavy and unreal. We spent the next few days at my mommom's house to help her with everything before we had to fly back. when we got back life was supposed to return to normal but everything made me think about my pop pop. things that never made me think of him before. Now something I always remember in life is you never know the last time u get to talk to someone.

One of my favorite Billie Eilish song is "Birds of a feather" because no matter the mood I'm in it's a song that can make me feel the way I want to feel. It's not a "happy" or "sad" song. The song birds of a feather is about being deeply in love and wanting a person to stay. Another song I love is "What Was I Made for". The song is about Billie eilish and the way she feels and felt growing up. As a teenage girl I can relate to this because there's times I think similar things. From going through things in school and family life. One of the other Billie songs that mean a lot to me is "The greatest". The greatest is about feeling defeat, loneliness, anger for what something could have been. I love that all of Billie Eilish songs have a meaning behind them. A lot of the songs have talk about things that happened in her life. Like many other people, I relate to some of her songs so it makes the song feel more personal. Billie eilish is also someone who cares about others before herself. she has done many things for many different people regardless of the ways others act.

Not much made my dad upset, but he looked upset. My dad called me and my brother out to the kitchen. He told us my grandparents wouldn't be coming from Texas because my poppop had fallen. My dad told us he was in surgery for a brain bleed but everything was expected to go good. That night we got a lot of good updates, until we get a call that he was in a coma. I went to school the next day, I was sitting in my class reading. When I got a text from my mom that we had to fly out to Texas. My heart dropped and I started crying. My teacher asked what's wrong through my tears I told her I needed to leave my poppop is doing bad so I need to go to Texas. Once I was in the office with my mom waiting for my brother I asked what was going to happen. My mom said he wasn't going to make it and we need to leave in less than an hour to get on the plane. We get home and packed, I just wanted to go see my poppop. We leave and go to my uncles so he can take us to the airport. once we got to the airport we had 2 flights to get on but it was after seven already, we were still boarding the first plane. After we landed my aunt came to pick us up. We got to the house around two in the morning. We went right to bed. We got up the next day at 5:30 we had to a two hour drive to the hospital. Once we get there my parents went back with my mommom to go see my pop pop. My parents came back and they asked if I wanted to spend time alone with him. I talked to him for an hour, even tho he couldn't answer back. We spent the day being with him. Before the end of the night we were all in the waiting room with my family. my mommom called my parents into the other room. Everyone came back looking more upset than before. They told us the nurse and my mommom decided it would be best if he was taken off the breathing tube within the next few days. An hour past visiting time we had to go home for the night. We woke up the same time the next day with the plan of it being similar to the day before. They decide early that morning they want to talk the breathing tube out. We were still over an hour away when my mom mom called to say he passed away. When we got there my mom mom said the doctors expected him to do ok for a little bit but it was going to be longer then two days, but his body just couldn't handle it anymore. My parents when back first. when they came back I talked to my pop pop for the last time. I didn't know what to say, I couldn't even move. The world felt so heavy and unreal. We spent the next few days at my mommom's house to help her with everything before we had to fly back. when we got back life was supposed to return to normal but everything made me think about my pop pop. things that never made me think of him before. Now something I always remember in life is you never know the last time u get to talk to someone.

I have faced many challenges and obstacles in my life. Something that changed me to most was getting bullied a lot in school. From the young age of 3 people started realizing there was things different about me then other people. I didn't talk, I didn't like playing with other kids. No one really understood why everyone just said I was shy. By time I got to forth grade my teacher decided I needed to get help to figure out how to overcome my fears. From third grade till sithe grade people were always making fun of me for not talking and I would always shut down. Once I started making friends and talking to people in fifth grade the same kids started making fun of me for talking. Once I got into sithe grade I also got a phone, I started talking to my friends on the phone, my friends started adding me into group chats. It was all kids from my school, alot from my class. I spend many days crying in the guidance office while she read the texts of the other kids calling me names and saying there were going to hurt me. The principal, guidance counselors and even police would tell them to stop but nothing even worked. I continued into middle school, it only got much worse from there. When I was in seventh grade covid hit so I was doing school online. The same year a girl accused me of being racist after she changed what I said to her in an argument. Many people were posting about me calling me racist. People started posting my address and phone number and coming to my house, some of the people coming to my house were as old as seniors in high school. Luckily I had to do school online for the whole year. Around April around the same year a girl made a rumor that I assault my cats. The rumor was spread quickly, everyone believed it even tho the "story" was never the same. I have always loved animals and wanted to help animals I couldn't understand why someone would say I would do that. There was nothing I could do to defend myself. It slowed down other the summer. When I returned to school for my eighth grade year everything started grade, but quickly I was having problems with the same people again. People started making "hate pages" about me on social media. The accounts got banned by the police after they figured out who started them. I had many more small problems that year. I was so excited to get to high school hoping it would be different. Well it was definitely different, a lot of the kids started to ignore me or make a face rather than say something. Kids mostly only brought up things that were said about me before if we were arguing. A lot of people would always try to start random things like commenting on my posts, pushing me on the hallway, talking about me as I was standing next to them. All of these moments in my life turned me into the person I am today. I made some of my best friends from them supporting me and believing me. I have learned to not let what people say or think about me bother me. I have also learned to support others going through similar things.

Being a first-generation college student encourages me to work extra hard to get into college. College was always somewhere my mom wanted to go, so she could have a better paying job. That is something that's always encouraged me to want to go to college and also to get a good life experience. Trying to figure out how everything works with colleges like dorms, applications, payments. It is more challenging for me then others, because if their parents go to college they understand how it works better. I have always known I wanted to go to college, I always knew I wanted to work in some type of medical field. Within the last few years my love of helping animals has grown. Don't get me wrong animals are so cute and fun but nothing is more rewarding then watching an animal get better. Getting into a good college is very important to me because it will help me be more successful with my career. The percent of kids that go to college is much higher than the percent of kids that parents didn't go to college. This happens because kids tend to follow their parents, even if they pick a different job, their life path is more similar.

Growing up I always a lot of anxiety I thought I was just shy. I never realized I was different from so many kids until the doctors started explaining it wasn't normal. From the very young age of 3 in daycare I didn't talk to the other kids or teachers, when it was playtime I just wanted to sit and watch I only wanted to play if one of two people would come sit with me. The daycare teachers pushed it off telling my mom I was just shy and I would grow out of it. I started kindergarten then grade school, nothing was changing. I would cry every time someone tried to interact with me. I wouldn't talk all day. I didn't understand why I was so different then the other kids. The teachers kept ignoring it until I got to fourth grade. My teacher decided that I was getting older and not any less "shy". After my teacher, mom and guidance counselor decided I needed to go to a doctor and get diagnosed with anxiety so that my schooling will not be affected poorly. It didn't take long for me to get a diagnosis, I got to the office I shut down just like at school or at the store. I was diagnosed with selective mutism and put on medication for anxiety. After a few months I started to have less anxiety. I wouldn't still play at the playground if other kids were there, I started whispering to my teachers. I still wasn't a "normal" kid. I was going to therapy twice a week. I was getting so many ways to cope with anxiety but nothing was helping. When I got into fifth grade I started to talk to other kids if it was just me and them, I started to make friends. I also started to get bullied for many things. people were making rumours about me, making social media posts about me, anything they could do. Nobody could get the other kids to stop, not the principle, teachers, or even the police. I eventually got to middle school after what felt like forever. My anxiety was different everyday at that point, sometimes I could raise my hand in class and answer all the questions, and I would goof off with my friends. There was still so many days and moments I was shutting down. I was managing to get threw the year as the bullying also continued. Then COVID hit and everything changed again. my classes where all online. I did all my work and passed all my classes. I graduated and get ready for high school. High School was so different, lockers, changing classes, different lunches, more people. I quickly many friends with upper class man, because they seemed so much calmer and mature. I still had many times as a freshman and sophomore I would shut down in school and not do anything. As I have become a junior and senior I have gone through many other things that have changed me so much. Since a young age I have loved helping animals. I knew I wanted to be a veterinarian I never thought I would find my courage but over the years I learned to cope or find ways around the problem. I think that going to college and me working in a vet office will help me even more. I will get to talk to different people everyday and work in many different high stress situations.