I began my career in rural Ohio, working for a dual-county public children’s services agency after graduating with my bachelor’s degree in 2014. I had interned there during college and immediately fell in love with helping families reunify and supporting children in finding safe, high-quality foster homes. I was so passionate about the work and the community that, during my internship, I even left my résumé in my director’s private bathroom so he would have no choice butt to review it—see what I did there? For the first few years, I felt fulfilled and overjoyed. However, I quickly learned what my SW101 class had always warned about: burnout. Twelve to fourteen-hour days, on-call nights and weekends, and week-long permanency trials for four straight years took a toll on me both physically and emotionally. Despite all my efforts, I often felt like no matter how many families I investigated or reunified, I could never truly “help” them. In 2018, I decided to return to school to obtain a Master’s degree and pursue a clinical focus so I could better serve the people of Cleveland, where waitlists for services were growing so long that individuals were waiting three to four months just for an assessment. After graduation, I began working at an agency offering assessments, and in 2023, I also started my work with BetterHelp. Being able to not only serve the Cleveland area but also the entire state of Ohio was exhilarating. I was thrilled to find a platform that offered not only talk therapy but also worksheets, assessments, and journaling tools that few others provided. BetterHelp has also done something truly remarkable for me personally by offering free therapy to its providers. There is a saying that “every therapist needs a therapist”—and it’s true. Having access to this care, outside of my workplace, in an unbiased and confidential way, has been invaluable. It allows me to function at my best, which in turn means I can give my clients the very best. And that is exactly what they deserve. This scholarship would make a significant difference in my loan repayment journey. I graduated with my Master’s degree in 2020 and began repaying my student loans, but when I finally saved enough to make an extra payment, I discovered my balance had grown from $74k to $86k due to a 6.8% interest rate. As the first in my family to attend college, I had no idea that making monthly payments could still result in my balance increasing. At 18 years old, I did not fully understand what I was agreeing to when I accepted the loans. I do not regret taking them, as they allowed me to leave my low-income home and escape my family’s struggles with substance abuse. However, I want to be able to live my life without this constant burden hanging over me. Even now, five years after graduate school, BetterHelp remains my second job and continues to help me supplement my income. For that, I am deeply grateful.