I am passionate about de-stigmatizing mental health as through personal trauma I have witnessed firsthand the importance of asking for help. The stigma around mental health has decreased the accessibility to help such as therapy and has resulted in extreme and preventable things such as suicide. I have battled with mental health issues starting in my freshman year of high school due to a traumatic event. I was sexually assaulted at the age of 14. For obvious reasons, I will not include details of this event. This, however, did entirely shape who I am now as it forced me to battle things no 14-year-old, and honestly, no one at all should have to face. This includes depression, suicidal thoughts, long-lasting anxiety, sleep issues, eating disorders, and guilt. Due to the stigma around mental health, it was tempting to push people away, hide my problems, and pretend everything was fine. Another event that made me face mental health issues happened in my junior year of high school. I play soccer at the highest club level, the Girls Academy League. The pressure to be recruited to play at top DI schools is high in this league. Due to COVID (which caused mental health issues for everyone) the recruitment process was pushed back almost a year. All this to say that in my junior year, during the height of recruitment season, I tore my ACL. This injury can be a career-ending injury and is for many athletes. For almost a year of my life, I lost the sport that had been my outlet for my mental health problems, as now it was causing the problems. It was even more crucial at this point to truly face the issues, and seek help. Battling mental health can be an endless cycle because the world is not forgiving to those battling mental health. When dealing with certain things it becomes really easy to push those you need away. This temptation affected many of my relationships, and I lost a lot of friends because of it. It becomes easy to do actions that end up making the situation worse and without even realizing it, you dig the 'hole' even deeper. One thing I am certain of after dealing with these major traumas is that seeking help is crucial, and is the only way to fully climb out of the 'hole'. I know a few people who have dealt with similar traumas as mine and did not ask for help, and their trajectory of healing was much different than mine. Although my healing has not been linear, I have had a support system behind me that has helped me overcome mental health issues. I do know that asking for help was and still is one of the hardest things to do when in a dark place with mental health. It is difficult to admit that one needs help, especially because there is a stigma around humans that defines mental health as a weakness. In both of the traumas I listed, I found the strength to ask for help. I pushed through the awkwardness and the feeling that I was weak. I am so thankful I did. I have not only survived these experiences, but I have also learned more than I could even imagine if they did not happen to me. In some weird way, I am thankful I went through them. I am a stronger person because of it. My relationships are now much deeper, as because of my experience with mental health, I have found it extremely important to discuss difficult topics such as battles with mental health. This de-stigmatizes and normalizes mental health within friendships. My experience with battling mental health has highlighted the importance of asking for help. When someone is physically sick, it is normal to go to the doctor to get help. However, when someone is mentally sick, asking for help is much less common. They should be equally normalized as every human deals with both of them to different extents. As a result of what I have been through and the mental health battle I have had to fight because of it, a goal of mine is to de-stigmatize mental health, as even those without trauma deal with it, will make it easier to ask for help, and will therefore save many people from falling into a vicious mental health battle.

I plant my foot, rotate my hips, swing my left foot, and make contact with the ball which then sails through the air, hits the tip of the goalkeeper's finger, and makes contact with the back of the net. GOAL! The noise of the ball gliding down the back of the net, and scouts and fans cheering energizes me. Later in the third game of the weekend, I face my opponent and attempt an easy juke maneuver I had done thousands of times before. As I come at her full speed I plant my right foot, in order to cut left. As my right foot hits the ground I hear a loud crack and a pop, and I fall to the ground in excruciating pain, terrified of what this meant for recruitment. I play soccer at the highest club level, the Girls Academy League. The pressure to be recruited to play at top DI schools is high in this league. Due to COVID, the recruitment process was pushed back almost a year, so the stakes were even higher. This event happened in what was now the height of recruitment season, the spring of my junior year in high school. The injury I endured can be a career-ending one and is for many athletes. My femur hit my tibia and split it down the middle and the impact made me bend my leg in a way that tore my ACL and sprained a few other ligaments in my knee. There are countless circumstances within ACL recovery that were difficult. For one, knee surgery is no joke. I could not do anything by myself, not even stand up. I was attached to an ice machine. At age 17, I had to ask my mom for help using the bathroom. This took a major toll on my mental health, as not only did I lose out on soccer and my recruitment process, I also lost the ability to do normal human things. ACL recovery is a 9-month process, and for strong athletes, it can be up to a year. For a year of my life, I could not play soccer. I fell a year behind again in recruitment, which lost me any chance of receiving money for soccer. I was in a dark place for a large portion of my recovery, but this adversity only made me stronger. My eyes have been opened to a world I would have never been able to see without this injury. I was able to make a college list based on where I wanted to attend school, not based on who was recruiting me. I was able to join a group of singers to enhance my gift of singing. I was able to audition and receive the lead role in my school's play. I spent more time with people I love. Although I wish I could have realized and done these things without having to endure such a traumatic injury, I am so thankful for what came out of it. I have a new outlook on when hard things arise, as I know good things can come out of it. What I have learned from this experience is a lesson that I will take with me in everything I do. Adversity does not mean failure, adversity means growth- if you let it.

I am passionate about de-stigmatizing mental health as through personal trauma I have witnessed firsthand the importance of asking for help. The stigma around mental health has decreased the accessibility to help such as therapy and has resulted in extreme and preventable things such as suicide. I have battled with mental health issues starting in my freshman year of high school due to a traumatic event. I was sexually assaulted at the age of 14. For obvious reasons, I will not include details of this event. This, however, did entirely shape who I am now as it forced me to battle things no 14-year-old, and honestly, no one at all should have to face. This includes depression, suicidal thoughts, long-lasting anxiety, sleep issues, eating disorders, and guilt. Due to the stigma around mental health, it was tempting to push people away, hide my problems, and pretend everything was fine. Another event that made me face mental health issues happened in my junior year of high school. I play soccer at the highest club level, the Girls Academy League. The pressure to be recruited to play at top DI schools is high in this league. Due to COVID (which caused mental health issues for everyone) the recruitment process was pushed back almost a year. All this to say that in my junior year, during the height of recruitment season, I tore my ACL. This injury can be a career-ending injury and is for many athletes. For almost a year of my life, I lost the sport that had been my outlet for my mental health problems, as now it was causing the problems. It was even more crucial at this point to truly face the issues, and seek help. Battling mental health can be an endless cycle because the world is not forgiving to those battling mental health. When dealing with certain things it becomes really easy to push those you need away. This temptation affected many of my relationships, and I lost a lot of friends because of it. It becomes easy to do actions that end up making the situation worse and without even realizing it, you dig the 'hole' even deeper. One thing I am certain of after dealing with these major traumas is that seeking help is crucial, and is the only way to fully climb out of the 'hole'. I know a few people who have dealt with similar traumas as mine and did not ask for help, and their trajectory of healing was much different than mine. Although my healing has not been linear, I have had a support system behind me that has helped me overcome mental health issues. I do know that asking for help was and still is one of the hardest things to do when in a dark place with mental health. It is difficult to admit that one needs help, especially because there is a stigma around humans that defines mental health as a weakness. In both of the traumas I listed, I found the strength to ask for help. I pushed through the awkwardness and the feeling that I was weak. I am so thankful I did. I have not only survived these experiences, but I have also learned more than I could even imagine if they did not happen to me. In some weird way, I am thankful I went through them. I am a stronger person because of it. My relationships are now much deeper, as because of my experience with mental health, I have found it extremely important to discuss difficult topics such as battles with mental health. This de-stigmatizes and normalizes mental health within friendships. My experience with battling mental health has highlighted the importance of asking for help. When someone is physically sick, it is normal to go to the doctor to get help. However, when someone is mentally sick, asking for help is much less common. They should be equally normalized as every human deals with both of them to different extents. As a result of what I have been through and the mental health battle I have had to fight because of it, a goal of mine is to de-stigmatize mental health, as even those without trauma deal with it, will make it easier to ask for help, and will therefore save many people from falling into a vicious mental health battle.

I am passionate about de-stigmatizing mental health as through personal trauma I have witnessed firsthand the importance of asking for help. The stigma around mental health has decreased the accessibility to help such as therapy and has resulted in extreme and preventable things such as suicide. I have battled with mental health issues starting in my freshman year of high school due to a traumatic event. I was sexually assaulted at the age of 14. For obvious reasons, I will not include details of this event. This, however, did entirely shape who I am now as it forced me to battle things no 14-year-old, and honestly, no one at all should have to face. This includes depression, suicidal thoughts, long-lasting anxiety, sleep issues, eating disorders, and guilt. Due to the stigma around mental health, it was tempting to push people away, hide my problems, and pretend everything was fine. Another event that made me face mental health issues happened in my junior year of high school. I play soccer at the highest club level, the Girls Academy League. The pressure to be recruited to play at top DI schools is high in this league. Due to COVID (which caused mental health issues for everyone) the recruitment process was pushed back almost a year. All this to say that in my junior year, during the height of recruitment season, I tore my ACL. This injury can be a career-ending injury and is for many athletes. For almost a year of my life, I lost the sport that had been my outlet for my mental health problems, as now it was causing the problems. It was even more crucial at this point to truly face the issues, and seek help. Battling mental health can be an endless cycle. When dealing with certain things it becomes really easy to push those you need away. It becomes easy to do actions that end up making the situation worse and without even realizing it, you dig the 'hole' even deeper. One thing I am certain of after dealing with these major traumas is that seeking help is crucial, and is the only way to fully climb out of the 'hole'. I know a few people who have dealt with similar traumas as mine and did not ask for help, and their trajectory of healing was much different than mine. Although my healing has not been linear, I have had a support system behind me that has helped me overcome mental health issues. I do know that asking for help was and still is one of the hardest things to do when in a dark place with mental health. It is difficult to admit that one needs help, especially because there is a stigma around humans that defines mental health as a weakness. In both of the traumas I listed, I found the strength to ask for help. I pushed through the awkwardness and the feeling that I was weak. I am so thankful I did. I have not only survived these experiences, but I have also learned more than I could even imagine if they did not happen to me. In some weird way, I am thankful I went through them. I am a stronger person because of it. My experience with battling mental health has highlighted the importance of asking for help. The way I want to give back in the future is by de-stigmatizing mental health by making conversations available as it will make it easier to ask for help, and will save people from falling into vicious cycles.

I am passionate about de-stigmatizing eating disorders as through personal trauma I have witnessed firsthand the importance of asking for help, which is very difficult to do with a stigma around it. I have battled with mental health issues starting in my freshman year of high school due to a traumatic event. I was sexually assaulted at the age of 14. For obvious reasons, I will not include details of this event. This, however, did entirely shape who I am now as it forced me to battle things no 14-year-old, and honestly, no one at all should have to face. This includes depression, suicidal thoughts, long-lasting anxiety, sleep issues, guilt, and eating disorders. Due to the stigma around eating disorders and mental health in general, it was tempting to push people away, hide my problems, and pretend everything was fine. Many girls around my age struggle with eating disorders for a wide variety of reasons. My reason stemmed from my feeling of a lack of control of my surroundings. I felt the one thing I could take control of was my eating so that is what I did. This affected much of my life, as a lack of food is detrimental to growth, mental health, sleep, and more. Asking for help was and still is one of the hardest things to do when in a dark place with mental health. It is difficult to admit that one needs help, especially because there is a stigma around humans that defines mental health as a weakness. I found the strength to ask for help. I pushed through the awkwardness and the feeling that I was weak. I am so thankful I did. I have not only survived these experiences, but I have also learned more than I could even imagine if they did not happen to me. In some weird way, I am thankful I went through them. I am a stronger person because of it. My experience with battling an eating disorder has highlighted the importance of asking for help. De-stigmatizing it, as even those without trauma deal with them, will make it easier to ask for help, and will therefore save many people from falling into the vicious cycle. I will use my experience with eating disorders to help others who feel alone or weak, because due to the help I got, I am comfortable talking about my past issues. Having someone who has been in your shoes, saying you are not weak for struggling with an eating disorder is one of the most beneficial things and can totally reverse the trajectory of an individual dealing with it.

One thing I am certain of after dealing with major traumas, such as being sexually assaulted at 14 and tearing my ACL in the height of college soccer recruitment season is that seeking help is crucial, and is the only way to fully climb out of the mental health 'hole'. My 'hole' included depression, long-lasting anxiety, eating disorders, and guilt. Due to the stigma around mental health, it was tempting to push people away, hide my problems, and pretend everything was fine. Although my healing has not been linear, I have a support system that has helped me overcome hardships. I know asking for help was and is one of the hardest things to do when in a dark place. It is difficult to admit the need for help because of the stigma that defines mental health as a weakness. In both traumas I listed, I found the strength to ask for help. I pushed through the awkwardness and the feeling that I was weak. I not only survived these experiences, but also learned more than I could imagine if they had not happened to me. I am even thankful I went through them. I am a stronger person because of it. My experience with battling mental health has highlighted the importance of asking for help. De-stigmatizing mental health, as even those without trauma deal with it, will make it easier to ask for help, and will therefore save many people from falling into a vicious mental health battle. One practical way to de-stigmatize this battle is to set aside school hours for discussion as it will normalize the topic and in turn will make it easier to ask for help.

I am passionate about de-stigmatizing mental health as through personal trauma I have witnessed firsthand the importance of asking for help. The stigma around mental health has decreased the accessibility to help such as therapy and has resulted in extreme and preventable things such as suicide. I have battled with mental health issues starting in my freshman year of high school due to a traumatic event. I was sexually assaulted at the age of 14. For obvious reasons, I will not include details of this event. This, however, did entirely shape who I am now as it forced me to battle things no 14-year-old, and honestly, no one at all should have to face. This includes depression, suicidal thoughts, long-lasting anxiety, sleep issues, eating disorders, and guilt. Due to the stigma around mental health, it was tempting to push people away, hide my problems, and pretend everything was fine. Another event that made me face mental health issues happened in my junior year of high school. I play soccer at the highest club level, the Girls Academy League. The pressure to be recruited to play at top DI schools is high in this league. Due to COVID (which caused mental health issues for everyone) the recruitment process was pushed back almost a year. All this to say that in my junior year, during the height of recruitment season, I tore my ACL. This injury can be a career-ending injury and is for many athletes. For almost a year of my life, I lost the sport that had been my outlet for my mental health problems, as now it was causing the problems. It was even more crucial at this point to truly face the issues, and seek help. Battling mental health can be an endless cycle. When dealing with certain things it becomes really easy to push those you need away. It becomes easy to do actions that end up making the situation worse and without even realizing it, you dig the 'hole' even deeper. One thing I am certain of after dealing with these major traumas is that seeking help is crucial, and is the only way to fully climb out of the 'hole'. I know a few people who have dealt with similar traumas as mine and did not ask for help, and their trajectory of healing was much different than mine. Although my healing has not been linear, I have had a support system behind me that has helped me overcome mental health issues. I do know that asking for help was and still is one of the hardest things to do when in a dark place with mental health. It is difficult to admit that one needs help, especially because there is a stigma around humans that defines mental health as a weakness. In both of the traumas I listed, I found the strength to ask for help. I pushed through the awkwardness and the feeling that I was weak. I am so thankful I did. I have not only survived these experiences, but I have also learned more than I could even imagine if they did not happen to me. In some weird way, I am thankful I went through them. I am a stronger person because of it. My experience with battling mental health has highlighted the importance of asking for help. De-stigmatizing mental health, as even those without trauma deal with it, will make it easier to ask for help, and will therefore save many people from falling into a vicious mental health battle.