Fortunate is a word I have used to describe myself during this pandemic. Both of my parents are in careers that have been deemed essential by the government. My older brother stayed home for school this semester with me. Only one person in my family has died from the virus. Although it is heartbreaking that I lost my uncle, I am grateful that with my family's hereditary health problems (heart disease, autoimmune disorders) that only one relative has passed away due to the virus. Unlike The Housing Market Crash of 2008, my parents have stayed employed during the entire pandemic. I don't say this to boast; I say this because I am grateful. It took my father two years to become employed again after the housing bubble popped. The stress that my family went through during that time was tremendously bad. It took a toll on everyone's emotional health in our family. I wasn't old enough to understand how depressed my Mother and Father had become due to their financial situation. I just knew something was wrong, and that didn't make me feel good. I don't know what I would do if my parents lost their jobs. It makes me ten times more sympathetic to those people who are struggling right now. The people who are in desperate need of economic relief. A lot of people are also struggling with mental health during this pandemic. I'm blessed enough to have most of my family home with me during this crisis. My older brother staying in our hometown with our family has helped me feel less alone. Most people my age have moved away to school, and I don't have many opportunities in my current living situation to make friends. Spending time with loved one's remedies the feeling of stuckness I feel in life right now. These are some of the last times I will get to see my parents and brother daily, and I have been trying to appreciate them as much as I can while I am here in my hometown. Even though my peers have moved on to the next chapter of their life, I am happy I get extra opportunities to appreciate the final moments I have of my current chapter in life. About a week ago, my Uncle Rick died of coronavirus at age 72. I did not know Uncle Rick that well, but a lot of my relatives are grieving. Death can teach us a lot about life. Uncle Rick's passing has given me a new perspective on my health. It's easy for me to think I am invincible because I am young, but I need to move forward in my life being more cautious about the illnesses I am prone to because of genetics. Uncle Rick's prior heart complications are what made him so vulnerable to Covid-19. Going ahead, I want to give my best efforts into aspects of my health that I can control, like what I eat and how I live. The entire pandemic has given me a new perspective on people. With all of the horrible things we see every day on the news, it's important to remember that not every member of society has good morals and ethics. Not everyone treats others with kindness, generosity, and acceptance as someone with good character would. This new perspective may seem harsh, but it works two-fold. You can still be that person with noble characteristics amidst all of the destruction. You can be the light and shine on someone's struggles with a helping hand. People need empathy and understanding more than ever right now. Why not be the rare person who exudes positivity in such a dire time. I want to be the person who gives people I see relief from the stress they are going through, even if it is the smallest act of kindness.

About two months ago, I began training in Brazillian Jiu-Jitsu. I decided to take on this new hobby because I stayed home for school. I go to Kent State University at the Stark Campus. Kent Stark, for the entirety of the year, is doing remote learning. Remote learning has made creating social connections in college very challenging for me. I don't live on campus (since it's a local branch) either. I am currently applying for scholarships to go to Ohio University's main campus next year to study psychology. I want to go to Ohio University because I am getting all of the college work with no outside of class experiences at Kent Stark. I have made a lot of sacrifices for my financial future in my first year of school. For the time being, I have to make do with staying at home. I knew I wanted to get back into sports after quitting Lacrosse my Junior year of high school. I had an interest in martial arts. I also knew that joining a class could help build my network, so I decided to sign up for a Jiu-Jitsu class. My training in jiu-jitsu has helped me in many different aspects of life. Rolling (the jiu-jitsu term for sparring) is a fantastic cardio exercise for anyone. I feel better physically after a night of jiu-jitsu (as backward as that may sound). Cardio workouts help my body feel better in everyday living. The health benefits of training are great, but the most important skill I have learned from jiu-jitsu is kindness. Walking into any gym for the first time can be intimidating, but the people at my gym welcomed me immediately. This warm welcoming set the tone for the kind of inspiring behavior I would end up seeing from my class partners and instructors every day. Showing respect to your opponent, being courteous to everyone, and doing things the right way are all displayed daily by everyone at my academy. Seeing this behavior inspires me to do the same inside and out of jiu-jitsu. I know that I am at my best at jiu-jitsu and want to act like that everywhere else. I have good role models around me at such an influential point in my life. Learning jiu-jitsu has contributed to my college experience in allowing me to feel apart of something. A large percentage of high school athletes do not go on to play college sports. I feel good knowing I have a substitute physical activity that will give me some of the same benefits as being on a sports team. This experience has added to my career goals by helping me learn how to learn. It is hard to gauge improvement in jiu-jitsu. Your skill in this martial art is equal to how much effort you put in. I know that I have to ask questions, drill submissions, and try my best to continue progressing. In psychology, asking questions is crucial to being a good counselor. Listening, applying your knowledge, and trying your best to help are all equally important in psychology as well. I believe that learning jiu-jitsu has given me practice in all of these skills. In summary, I don't have opportunities for social experience at this point in my life. Winning scholarships will help me grow my network at Ohio University's main campus in the Fall semester of 2021. For the time being, I am learning jiu-jitsu in my hometown and learning a lot about life, people skills, and my future.

I am currently a Freshman at Kent State University at the Stark campus. I am an exploratory major this year, but I want to transfer to Ohio University's main campus to study psychology in the Fall of 2021. Deciding to stay home for school during the pandemic has been one of my smartest decisions. My freshman year of college has allowed me to focus on my grades and prepare for my upcoming education. I am currently working hard to pay for my upcoming years of school by applying for as many scholarships as possible. I am also paying for my current year of school through delivering for DoorDash. Scholarship rewards will help me pay to go to school to become my desired career choice, a counseling psychologist. If I won this grant, I would become one step closer to my goals. The money awarded from winning this scholarship would aid me in paying for higher education. This grant would allow me to focus less on how I'm going to afford to learn psychological therapy and enable me to focus more on learning the practice of counseling itself. I want to learn how to counsel others because I have loved ones who struggle with mental illness. I have also experienced my bouts with mental illness; I was diagnosed with obsessive-compulsive disorder at the age of thirteen and have been on medication for it since. Not to sound braggadocious, but I have always had a knack for being other people's emotional confidant. Not only am I good at it, but I also enjoy it. I gain a feeling of purpose from knowing that someone can trust me with their emotional state. In summary, at this point in my life, I am currently working on paying for school. I would be extremely grateful for this grant because it will help me move closer to my goal of becoming a therapist. Becoming a counselor would put me in a career that gives me fulfillment daily, and I would also be able to help others deal with their hardships at the same time.

Education plays a massive role in my life, and not for the reasons most people would think. Education is crucial in my life because it is ongoing. My best teachers have taught me that learning outside of the classroom is just as practical as learning inside. Becoming educated on any topic is one of the few activities where there are no cons. Learning something new is fun. You feel more comfortable, competent, and knowledgeable with yourself when you apply something new that you have learned. Not only do you feel good, but you can make others feel good by teaching them what you have learned. That person can take what you have taught them and change their life for the better. Education benefits in the long haul as well. You can lose external possessions, peers, assets, or relationships, but you can never get your education taken away from you. Education being unalienable is good because not only does education make you a more capable person, but you will be able to prosper as well. The more educated a person is, the higher they are paid. This fact is statistically proven. I know that the more education I receive, the better chance I have at living a life of financial freedom. I know what I want to do with my life. I want to help my family and the people in my life as much as possible, emotionally, and financially. I will be incapable of doing this without education. Being ignorant in knowing how to listen, understand, and empathize will restrict me from being someone's emotional confidant. I'll never feel the joy of gift-giving or helping someone in need without financial education. Education will have a colossal role in my life until the day I die. Making mistakes means you're trying, and learning means you're improving. Education is fundamental to me, society, and the future.

The song that inspires me is Wake Me Up by Avicci. This song is usually my go-to starting the song at the beginning of a workout. It is upbeat with lyrics that are uplifting and inspiring. The rest of my playlist follows the same theme; songs that motivate me while working out. All of the songs vary in popularity but are similar in uplifting beats and lyrics. The songs on my scholarship playlist inspire me to get up and get going!

It was summertime, and I needed new hobbies. I had an itch for new physical challenges ever since I quit lacrosse in late high school. I decided to start cliff jumping because it forces you to be in the present moment. These photos show me preparing to jump and cliff jumping off of twenty to forty-five feet heights. My adventures in cliff jumping lead me to try skydiving. I went and loved the experience. Skydiving is so fun it is indescribable to those who have not attempted it. When the weather is right, I plan to continue these bold hobbies.

I am very thankful for my Mother, Jeannie Stopak. All of my good qualities come from my mother. She is caring, funny, thoughtful, and empathetic. She will stop at no end to make sure my family and I are okay, even if that means sacrificing her happiness. My mother is my rock and one of my greatest inspirations. Some of my very first memories of my Mom are her helping others. When I was a toddler, my mother worked as a student aid to disabled students. She primarily worked with children under the autism spectrum. Not only did I see her care for disabled students, but my mother has always been an extreme animal lover. All nineteen years of my life, my Mom has rescued cats and dogs (primarily dogs). She has never bought a dog; all of my dogs have been adopted by my mother from the pound. My dogs wouldn't have lived past five years old if it weren't for my mother. My Mom's caring for the voiceless has taught me compassion and empathy. I will always have the instinct to care who can't help themselves because of my Mom. Dogs will hold a special place in my life and remind me of my Mom. My Mom has inspired me with many activities filled with humility, but every day she does things to help my family that she doesn't have to do. I am beyond grateful for this. She provides me with a home at an age where a lot of parents would want me to leave. Every day she makes dinner for my family, takes care of our dogs, helps with household finances, and cleans our home. My Dad makes enough money to supply our household with more than enough essentials. My Mom runs a successful Etsy business selling dog collars. My brother and I are more than capable of doing our laundry, but she will sometimes do it for us to give us more free time in our day (something that she doesn't get much of). My point being is, my Mom doesn't have to go out of her way to help as much as she does. She goes out of her way because her entire being is love. Without my Mom, life would be so much harder. I wouldn't have someone to confide in with my problems. My life would lack the direction she offers me with her wisdom. Most importantly, I would miss how my Mom makes me feel. My Mom makes me feel loved, cared for, and heard. She also makes me laugh all the time (which is something I would miss a lot if she weren't here). I love my Mom with all my heart and don't know what I would do without her. This Thanksgiving, I'll be showing her a lot of gratitude.

My three favorite places to shop online are eBay, Amazon, and Black Rifle Coffee Company. I love eBay because you can buy both new and used items. Not only can I get deals on new products, but I can also find a used product that's in good condition for a great price. eBay is a great platform to make money too. I have been a Top Rated Seller on eBay, selling clothes and shoes for two years now. With Christmas coming up, I know I will be able to get great, unique gifts for my family with the use of eBay. Amazon has it all. Almost any product you can think of is available on Amazon. Not only does Amazon have Amazon brand products, but you can also buy directly from small businesses. Black Rifle Coffee Company is veteran-run clothing and coffee store based out of Salt Lake City, Utah. I love the Black Rifle Coffee website because you can get their spectacular coffee as well as cool clothing. It's also a bonus to be supporting veterans in the process. My brother was so excited when I bought his birthday gifts on the Black Rifle Coffee Company website.

My favorite tools for learning about personal finance are I Will Teach You To Be Rich by Ramit Sethi, NerdWallet, and Money Under 30. Ramit Sethi is a New York Times best selling author on personal finance and entrepreneurship. His book, I Will Teach You To Be Rich, outlines how to improve your personal finance with the use of automation, entrepreneurship, and understanding your internal psychology. The book also gives strategies to find your dream job and negotiate your income. The personal finance website and app, NerdWallet, offers financial advice to readers. You can read the best articles about all of the fundamental components of individual finance in their top picks section. The website also offers guides and tips plus calculators to help understand your financial situation. Young adults can learn a lot about personal finance on Money Under 30. The website offers age-specific financial education on credit cards, banking, loans, investing, insurance, and personal finance. Similar to NerdWallet, Money Under 30 also provides calculators for paying off loans. These are my three favorite tools for learning about finance because they are practical and applicable. All three of these resources have made learning about finance a lot easier for me.

My best achievement was being the Chief Executive Officer of a Junior Achievement Company, named BookShare, during my senior year of high school. At the beginning of my senior year, I gave a presentation on why I was competent to manage one of three developing companies in our class. Three CEOs were to be elected by classmates. Ten people gave presentations to run for the CEO position. I had been voted in by my classmates to have the most crucial role in the company based on my presentation's performance. The three elected executives then drafted company board members from the remainder of the class. My company had developed a practical idea for a business within a few weeks. Our business name was BookShare, and we sold BookBoxes. A BookBox is a wooden house-shaped shelf that contains a plexiglass door to display the books within. BookBoxes have placed in churches, neighborhoods, parks, assisted living facilities, Doctor's offices, gymnasiums, and front yards. Our mission was to spread reading in our local community with the use of the BookBox. The BookBox is the biggest (in size) and the most expensive product in Junior Achievement History. The one-story model of the BookBox cost $250, and the two-story model costs $150. Although the BookBox was the most expensive product in Junior Achievement history, it was the most cost-effective miniature library on the market. I am very proud of the BookBox's place in Junior Achievement history. Our class participated in sales projects, craft shows, competitions, and community events throughout the year. All three of the Hoover High School Junior Achievement Companies gained membership to the North Canton Rotary Club. Not only did I take part in the activities above, but I also was allowed to do philanthropic and volunteer work throughout the year. BookShare volunteered monthly reading at district elementary schools and kindergarten centers. Our original plan was to donate ten percent of our profits to the Dolly Parton Imagination Library, a book gifting program. Unfourtanely for everyone, the Coronavirus pandemic had started at the end of the year, and BookShare knew it had to donate to that cause instead. BookShare knew it would be better to help something that had a much larger impact on the state of everyday life. My experience managing operations at BookShare gave me hands-on experience with selling an expensive product, marketing to a target audience, outsourcing to a manufacturer, and producing a product with community impact. BookShare sold a total of twenty boxes to our customers throughout the community. I get a feeling of pride driving around in my hometown, seeing BookBoxes outside. When I am on a jog, I see children picking out books from the BookBox with their parents. I know I did not end world hunger or start world peace but knowing that I contributed to my community positively makes me happy. My achievement, BookShare, taught me that I am capable of doing very challenging things. Installing and selling twenty dog house sized $150-$250 bookshelves was not easy. Many sales prospects respectfully declined. Producing BookBoxes wasn't smooth either; we had to come up with an effective plan to outsource, manufacture, paint, and transport BookBoxes. I learned my ways of managing other people. BookShare taught me how to get others to work effectively and productively. I had to teach myself how to manage my emotions and solve problems when company operations had gone array. My class equipped me with a lot of valuable knowledge for my career in the future. I hope to achieve similar things to BookShare in the future. I want to scale to larger and more impactful businesses in the future. My success could not only help the people I care about but also could help others. My achievements could make a lasting positive difference.

Skydiving was a moment that changed my perspective on life. I learned that sometimes the very best things in life are right after a moment of fear. Skydiving gave me a new perception that my mind's fears have been a signal of wanting something. I wouldn't be afraid of jumping out of a plane, trying something new, or approaching a person of interest if I didn't think something good could come from it. On the day I woke up to go skydiving, I was very nervous. I had experience with cliff jumping (another air-control based hobby), and I knew that I was going on a tandem skydive. Tandem skydives are skydives in which the inexperienced and unlicensed person will attach to an instructor with a harness. I shouldn't have been very nervous, but I was. I was shakey and fidgety. I drove myself to the skydiving facility and waited for a very long time to jump. The business was busy because of the newfound time most people had gained from the pandemic. My family had also come to watch my first time skydiving. The wait to get on the airplane, combined with my family being around, made my nerves calm down a lot more. After hours of waiting, it was finally my turn to skydive. The plane right is somewhat awkward because you are attached to a person you don't know. Fortunately, my twenty-eight-year-old Russian instructor took a liking to me because he had started at the same age as me; nineteen years old. I was able to make conversation with him on the plane ride up. The view did not scare me because it was beautiful; it was something I appreciated. For some strange reason, I did not associate the height with the forthcoming jump that was about to take place. We had reached 10,000 feet, the height of the jump. This moment is the point at which I became afraid. I had never been on an airplane with the door open. It was a small airplane; my instructor and I had to shimmy to get out onto the wing. The air is loud and fast. It is challenging to communicate with your instructor about when you're going to countdown to jump. Being on the wing of the plane was the climax of my adrenaline. Funny enough, we didn't count down. My instructor just pushed me. It makes sense that he forced me to jump because some people attempt to grab onto the door of the plane when they are about to skydive. The initial rush of being in the air is a sense of freedom I had never felt. Scientifically speaking, the freefall is the point in skydiving in which the brain begins to release serotonin, dopamine, oxytocin, and endorphins into the body. This chemical cocktail that had triggered during my skydiving experience is something I will never forget. It is a better feeling than any roller coaster can give a person. Skydiving changed my perspective on life for the better. It served as a real-life metaphor for future endeavors. Jumping out of the plane is going after what you want. Getting past fear is what will bring you extreme joy. Life starts at the end of your comfort zone. I want to get my license to skydive alone after I pay for my first year of college. I have continued to go out of my comfort zone and have recently begun studying Brazillian Jiu-Jitsu with the help of my father's funding. I know that fear can be a good thing now, and I don't want to pass up any opportunity to grow myself. I know I will be disappointed in myself if I don't push past my comfort zone and go after what I want in life. This new perception of mine motivates me to move past fear in the present and will in the future.

My experience with mental health has dramatically influenced my beliefs, relationships, and career aspirations. The chances of someone in my family being born with personality disorders was and still is very high. My father's side of the family had members who struggled with clinical depression, anxiety, and anger management. My Mother's Mom died from cirrhosis of the liver as a result of alcoholism. The chances of the next generations of our family having mental health problems or personality disorders are high. Some of my very first memories of elementary school are my family consulting with my now twenty-three-year-old brother Tommy. Tommy was bullied in middle school and had a challenging time processing social context correctly. These social struggles eventually lead to Tommy becoming depressed. Tommy's depression was the first time I had seen the harsh realities of faulty mental health. Although I was still young and could not entirely comprehend Tommy's situation, I had a lurking suspicion that this would not be the first time my family would deal with mental illness. I had my first obsessions in the late sixth grade. One year later, I was diagnosed with obsessive-compulsive disorder. At this time in my life, I had completely immersed myself in obsessive thoughts and compulsive behaviors. I wasn't able to stop answering the same questions in my mind over and over again. Some of my obsessions were thinking other people perceived me as feminine, studying religious beliefs, and my fate in the afterlife. My answer to these obsessions was to partake in masculine hobbies, listen to religious ceremonies on the internet, and pray incessantly. These were my compulsions. What I have experienced with obsessive-compulsive disorder may not seem rational or logical to the outside reader. That is what was so troublesome about the experience. I knew that people didn't think I was effeminate. I recognized that I shouldn't have taken religious texts so literally. My eternal destination was not something that a typical thirteen-year-old teen would view as intensely as I did. I felt controlled by my compulsions. I knew I shouldn't have had the obsessions, but I still had to use the compulsions to ease my concerns. I told my family about my thoughts and behaviors and immediately received treatment. The combination of counseling and medicine made my obsessive-compulsive disorder diminish to an almost unnoticeable level. Sometimes I will have a thought that seems like an obsession, but I am quickly able to dismantle its credibility. My medication has allowed my mind to view irrational thoughts as unnecessary, untrue ideas that do not have real meaning. Unfortunately, obsessive-compulsive disorder is not the only struggles with mental health I have had in my life. I had been in and out of therapy throughout highschool regarding depression and anxiety. A stressful or emotionally hurtful event would always trigger my depression in high school. From there on, I was usually a self-destructive downhill spiral. I hung out with the wrong crowd, partook in dangerous behaviors, and lost all interest in my preexisting hobbies. My entire senior year was one big blur with memories I am not proud to have had. One night, one of my friends had done something that I had considered to be so immoral, I had to walk away. My toxic lifestyle came to a screeching halt. I immediately distanced myself from the negative influences around me. I haven't talked to those people since. I went back to counseling to talk about the root of my depression and anxiety. I started getting back into self-care with meditation and exercise. I added new excitement into my life with the addition of new hobbies like cliff jumping and skydiving. I found new friends who hold me accountable for my mental health and behavior. I was and am a changed man. Even though I had sought treatment for my issues, mental health is still an influence on my life. Meditation, jogging, journaling, and weight training are three tools I use to keep my mind in check. If I don't stay committed to these habits, I feel my mood and thoughts start to become negative. Every day I have a few small obsessions to dismantle. Mental health is an ongoing fight for me. I have to train my brain to be optimistic. I know that this is something I will deal with for life, and I am not ashamed to be an advocate for speaking up for destigmatizing mental health. Good mental health is crucial for a happy life for anyone.

My role model is U.S Navy SEAL, Marcus Luttrell. Marcus Luttrell is most famous for his book to screen adaptation of the self-written novel Lone Survivor. The film stars Mark Wahlberg and depicts the true story of a mission called "Operation Red Wings" that went sideways for U.S Navy SEAL Team 10. Luttrell and his three other team members intended to assassinate or capture the Taliban Leader Ahmad Shah when discovered hiding in the mountains by Afghanistanian goat herders. The team then must make a difficult decision to kill the goat herders or let them go with the risk of them telling the Taliban of their presence. After letting them go, the SEALs must fend off the hundreds of Taliban soldiers until they are rescued or receive backup. Since the name of the film and book are Long Survivor, it is no spoiler to state that Luttrell is the only SEAL left alive at the end of the film. The team fought with tenacity, resilience, and grit. Their positive attitude toward their circumstances is awe-inspiring and gives many valuable lessons to learn. The team was not in a fair battle. The Taliban had them outgunned and outnumbered. What many like myself find so inspiring about this story is the overwhelmingly unfair nature of the fight did not affect the attitudes of the SEALs involved. Luttrell and his team call this mindset a never-quit mentality. No matter how bad the odds have stacked against you, you are never out of the fight. When many recount this story, a factor noticed is that Team 10 never thought they were losing up until the moment of death. So many individuals in everyday life give up before they have lost. Their internal mindset fails them before any external circumstance does. For me, Luttrell and others like him remind me that I haven't finished my "fights" yet, and that's okay. It's the unraveling of your character that makes struggles meaningful. Luttrell and his teammates found out more about themselves in that one firefight than most humans ever will in their lifetime. Marcus Luttrell's character is bravery, sacrifice, and resilience. I hope that I can conduct myself with the qualities of Marcus Luttrell in everyday living. I would be able to leave this earth happy knowing I lived a lifetime with heroic qualities like Luttrell's. The Lone Survivor has inspired me so much I read aloud Marcus Luttrell quotes every night before I go to bed. I believe this practice helps me subconsciously model his methods in my daily routines. The themes of all the quotes are the same; never quit, stay focused, and commit to something greater than yourself. In this way, Marcus Luttrell has shaped my character. Marcus Luttrell has changed what I want to do in my life by challenging me to face my fears with action. I would have never signed up for skydiving and Brazillian Jiu-Jitsu if I didn't think, "What would Marcus Luttrell do?". Before I do something new that makes me nervous, I think of his bravery and how that is something I aspire to display. I know that moving forward in life, his inspiration will influence me to try new ventures that I am afraid of doing. I know that Marcus Luttrell doesn't let his fear interfere with his willingness to act. I want to do the same.

In my life, I have faced the ongoing struggle of living with obsessive-compulsive disorder. I was first diagnosed with OCD in 2014 when I was a thirteen year old in seventh grade, although obsessive thoughts and compulsions had been bothering me for a year by then. My very first obsession was with myself; I thought that other people thought I was feminine. My compulsions would manifest in a way that would attempt to refute the false claims I had in my head. I would partake in what I thought were more masculine hobbies such as sports and being outside to mask my obsession with my perception of others viewing me as flamboyant. I could only play this mind game with myself for so long until it would inevitably get the best of me, and it eventually did. I knew I had to ask for help when I could no longer mask my obsessions. My final straw was being unable to stop obsessing in the middle of a lacrosse tryout. I wasn't even thinking about playing. I was trapped in my head and trying to figure out more ways to prove to myself that I was not what others thought I was (which was effeminate). While still getting used to new medications, I had developed new obsessions. I had obsessions about religion with compulsions concerning me studying different religious books. These quickly went away with my first obsession when I got used to my medication. You may be reading this and thinking it sounds far off from what the media depicts as obsessive-compulsive disorder. General depictions of OCD are not entirely incorrect. Some obsessions involve cleanliness, lights, numbers, and organization, but not most. The thoughts typically depend on the individual. You also may be reading my experiences and think they lack logic and rationale. Why would a perfectly normal early teenage boy become obsessed with others thinking he's feminine? Or why would he be concerned about his infinite religious fate without any life experience? The answer is there is no answer. Obsessive-compulsive thoughts are random and can show up at any point in an individual's life. It's challenging to find out how or why OCD is triggered. As someone who has this personality disorder, I can say from personal experience that I do not recall how or why I started having obsessive thoughts and compulsions. The rationale behind someone with OCD is to use compulsions to disprove their internal hunches (hence why I used sports to prove others didn't think I was feminine to myself). There is no way to succeed in making your compulsions debunk your obsessions. As medication and therapy started to treat me, I would now have memories of living with OCD. Don't get me wrong, I still have obsessions, but my medication allows me to see them like that and quickly dismiss them. My mind can rationalize that I am not my thoughts. The consequences of that are me not feeling a need to act on my obsessions with compulsions. I know what voices in my head are me and what is just paranoia from my neanderthal brain. Living with an obsessive-compulsive disorder has taught me many things about myself. As touched on in the last paragraph, I have learned that some voices in my head are just anxious. Some of my thoughts tell me to give up, leave, or stop pursuing my life goals. The other ones are the thoughts in my head that are reaffirming, reassuring, encouraging, and confidant. I have developed the skill of disarming the negative thoughts and embracing the encouraging ones. Getting over negative thoughts has helped me tremendously. I was able to overcome living with a personality disorder with help from myself and my family, and knowing that gives me a lot of confidence. The process of getting out of my head more has allowed me to enjoy life and take on new pursuits. I plan to use my experience by helping others like me in the future. I plan on majoring in psychology in the upcoming years of college in efforts to help others in need of psychiatric care. My training and experience could play out as a combination of empathy and competence in counseling or any other psychological field. Personality disorders did not get the best of me and shouldn't get the best of anyone, and I will do my best to make sure that they do not.

Have you ever had a dog with such character, personality, and charisma that it's hard to get upset with him when he does bag things? For my family, that's my most recent addition to the family, Huckleberry. He goes by many names in our household; Huck, Berry, Bear, and Mr. Basset (he's American Basset breed). My family loves him very much, even when he leaves a mess for us to clean up. Whether it be barking insistently, hiding bones, or peeing in the house, he always sucks as back in with his eyes. Instagram: cameronstopak Pet Name: Huckleberry

My way of staying fit is to work out three times a week. I focus on my chest for two out of the three days and legs on the third day. When my muscles feel very tired, I will stretch each one of them out for a minute on my phone. I also enjoy jogging when I have a lot of extra energy. I have been seriously lifting since I was sixteen years old. I am nineteen now, I have come a long way in my fitness pursuits. The benefits of weight and cardio training have tremendously affected my life for the better. I feel like I have more energy throughout my day. I look better in my clothes. My posture and the way I carry myself has become better because of weight lifting. Weight lifting has taught me that if you put the time and right technique into a craft or skill, you will always progress. Cardio training has been a great form of therapy for me. Running has always been a tool for my mind to focus on my body. I see running as a form of meditation and a chance to be present. In my opinion, there is no better feeling than getting home after a long run. It makes me feel accomplished and fresh. Another form of fitness that makes me feel fresh is stretching. My body before my stretching and after are two different worlds. In middle school, I had hip flexor issues. Eventually, my tight hips caused injuries in my legs. I could not play any sports at the time and had to find out the hard way what happens when you don't stretch consistently. Since my injuries, I have habitually, and therefore my muscles are feeling great. Besides working out, I also enjoy biking, hiking, cliff jumping, and skydiving (when I can) for physical fitness. I am also signing up for a local jiu-jitsu class this week. None of these hobbies would be possible without physical fitness.