As a young girl growing up in the early 2010s, Taylor Swift was my whole world. I was nine years old when '1989' was released and to this day I still remember blasting the songs from my best friend’s t.v. and dancing like my life depended on it. Songs like “Blank Space” and “Shake It Off” were on heavy rotation for me, but there was one song that I loved most of all: “Clean.” Little pre-teen me saw it as another classic Taylor Swift breakup song and sung it with as much emotion as was possible for a nine year old girl who had never experienced heartbreak before. However, now that I am older, the song has taken on a new meaning for me, one that I’m sure many women can relate to. Last year I watched Taylor’s documentary 'Miss Americana,' and ever since “Clean” has held an extra special place in my heart. In the documentary, Taylor speaks out about her 2017 sexual assault court case. In 2015, radio personality David Mueller sued Taylor Swift after he lost his job due to the assault reports. Taylor filed a countersuit for sexual assault and won her case. In 'Miss Americana,' Taylor opens up about the experiences women face after being sexually assaulted or harassed. Many women deal with the fear of not being believed, of being ignored, and of retaliation. Taylor’s documentary showed women across the world that their voices hold great value and truth. It also brought to light the fact that sexual assault and harassment cannot be tolerated and underreported any longer. In 'Miss Americana,' Taylor’s heartfelt speech about her sexual assault case is followed by her performance of “Clean.” The tear-stained faces in the audience convey how personal this song is to women like Taylor who have experienced sexual assault and harassment. For me, this song has two great purposes. The first is expressed in lyrics like “I screamed so loud but no one heard a thing” and “Hung my head as I lost the war,” through which Taylor shows the rest of the world what women face after being sexually assaulted, having no one to hear or believe them. The second purpose is to share a message of hope, support, and triumph with the women who have dealt with their own versions of David Mueller. Taylor did not feel “finally clean” when she won her lawsuit. She felt “finally clean” when she opened up about what happened to her and showed women of all ages that they are not alone and will always have someone in their corner. I’m not the same girl I was at nine years old and “Clean” is not the same song for me as it was then. But it is still my song. There have been times when it has made me cry. There have been times when it has made me laugh. There have been times when it has made me dance. My experience of the song will change as I age and live through different events. But whether I play it tomorrow or in fifty years, this song will always make me feel heard, understood, and believed. Every time.

I became interested in the brain at a very young age. I was obsessed with mind games, crossword puzzles, quiz shows - really anything that forced me to think about the way I think. I didn’t realize until much later that my never-ending inquiries and obsessions were the first signs of my growing love for the field of psychology. I always figured that the questions I had as a kid could be answered with simple, concrete statements and that much of the work required to find such answers had already been done. It wasn’t until I dove deeper into the world of psychology that I noticed how much there is still to be discovered about our own minds. For the first time ever, I saw myself as someone who could not only ask the questions but could answer them, too. And not only that, but I could use those answers to better the lives of people suffering from mental illnesses and disorders. I very quickly realized that this is the work I wanted to be remembered for. As I head to college next year, I plan to start this work as an undergraduate research assistant. But for now, I work every day to dedicate myself to my community. Coming into high school made me realize that there are so many ways to give back and since then I have had the privilege to work with numerous organizations that make helping others their number one priority. My first experience with volunteering came when I was in elementary school and would tag along with my sister to walk the dogs at the local animal shelter. For the past four years of high school, I have spent every week at that shelter helping to care for and adopt out the dogs. Outside of the shelter, I have found countless ways to support my community through leadership roles within my high school. I am the president of my school's National Honor Society and secretary of my school's Student Government. In these positions, I have worked to assist the members of my community by running events like blood drives, American Heart Association fundraisers, and senior citizen dances. I am also the vice president of my school's Key Club, a club committed to community service. In this position, I have run winter clothing drives, donated to the food bank, and made gift baskets for healthcare workers. However, the position I am most proud of and most grateful for is my role as founder and president of my school's American Sign Language club. In this role, I have been able to connect with the Deaf students in my school and help them feel welcome in a predominantly hearing environment. I have also been able to introduce my hearing classmates to the Deaf world and encourage them to become more accepting towards their peers. Deaf students in a hearing school face a lot of challenges, so being able to include them as much as possible is a major goal of mine. I have learned endless lessons through my volunteer positions. However, the most important thing I learned is that I don't need the members of my community that I have helped to remember me. Instead, I want them to remember feeling welcomed, supported, and appreciated by their peers. This is ultimately why I chose psychology as my career path. Mental illness has a way of making people feel isolated. Helping these people feel comfortable and accepted within their community is such a powerful thing. This is what needs to be remembered. Not me and not my work: this.