Gifted children often face a lot of hurtles that go unseen because they do not inconvenience their learning. Many gifted children suffer in silence and feel stressed traying to meet unrealistic standards for themselves. As a psychology major, I plan on becoming a therapist and help all children with intellectual needs meet the challenges set for them. There needs to be a balance between pushing children and fostering their emotional wellbeing. Many intelligent gifted children I have known have quickly burnt out due to mistreatment and misunderstanding from the school system itself. There are many cases of gifted children suffering from depression and anxiety due to an increased amount of stress. I want to limit the amount of emotional distress places on these children through my work, especially teens. Just because these issues go unseen does not mean it does not exist and as a society we must acknowledge that for all children to reach their potential. Supporting these children emotionally as well as academically is interictal to making sure they stay happy healthy and on the right track. Helping students, especially neurodivergent and gifted students is exactly what I wish to do in my future career if I am given the opportunity. I want to allow children to feel like they matter as a child and their dreams are something that can be achieved if they give everything they have. The emotional difficulty of having high standards put onto you is not lost on me and is something I dealt with for a lot of my life. If I can help just one child feel supported and happy that will make me feel complete and give me a sense of hope for our future. Ideally I can play a part in making sure gifted children are able to continue to prosper and learn no matter what comes their way. If I am given the opportunity, that is exactly how I want to contribute to society. Through help, I wish to make the world kinder and more empathetic for special needs and gifted children alike so that they can grow into the phenomenal adults I know they can be. I wish to be the person I needed as a child and through financial help, that could very well be a possibility and allow me to help others in a way that I know I can. Children need to be treated with kindness, and fostering their unique abilities is the first step.

As a student, I understand that mental health can have ups and downs and often times it can feel like you need to handle everything on your own. Therapy is a very important resource that anyone can and should use in order to better themselves. Mental wellbeing is important in order to keep going and stay focused on your path. In therapy I learned various coping mechanisms in order to better handle every day and intense stressors. Trying to handle classes and financial need along with other stressors in your life can build up and take its toll on a person but through self-care and mental wellness you can reach out to others and receive help that could make your experience easier on yourself. This is something I like to advocate to my friends and others. I have suffered from anxiety and depression most of my life, and I want to use my experience in order to help others. Ideally as an adult in a serious career I want to dismantle the idea that seeking out helpful resources is a weakness. Everyone struggles and has rough patches and it's important to understand that no one is perfect, and we all deserve to be kind to ourselves. As a Psychology major, I want to use my education to further this support and work as a clinical or counseling psychologist. I hope my work in these areas could potentially make a difference in the lives of others and bring assistance where it is needed. Students in particular might not have much time and resources in order to prioritize mental wellbeing. It is important to me to encourage others to take the time they need for themselves and mentally decompress. Ideally this would help others the way my experience in therapy helped me. Without that opportunity I do not know where I would be. In my future education I want to help people find balance and happiness in their lives. With financial security I would cherish the opportunity to work towards this goal and become the person I wish I had in my life at that age. I want to help more than just my friends; I want to help people who do not have someone in their lives to place a value on their mental health. I believe that by doing this I could make a big difference in the lives of many people, including students. Making a difference in people's lives is my goal, but I need help in order to do it. Ideally my life can be used for the betterment of others if I am just given the opportunity. Together, we can all make a difference even in tiny ways every single day. This is how I want to make a difference. With the right resources I hope to be able to make a meaningful change in the view of treatment and mental health. This is a field that has interested me my entire life and I desperately want to explore it more.

As a student, I understand that mental health can have ups and downs and often times it can feel like you need to handle everything on your own. Therapy is a very important resource that anyone can and should use in order to better themselves. Mental wellbeing is important in order to keep going and stay focused on your path. In therapy I learned various coping mechanisms in order to better handle every day and intense stressors. Trying to handle classes and financial need along with other stressors in your life can build up and take its toll on a person but through self-care and mental wellness you can reach out to others and receive help that could make your experience easier on yourself. This is something I like to advocate to my friends and others. I have suffered from anxiety and depression most of my life, and I want to use my experience in order to help others. Ideally as an adult in a serious career I want to dismantle the idea that seeking out helpful resources is a weakness. Everyone struggles and has rough patches and it's important to understand that no one is perfect, and we all deserve to be kind to ourselves. As a Psychology major, I want to use my education to further this support and work as a clinical or counseling psychologist. I hope my work in these areas could potentially make a difference in the lives of others and bring assistance where it is needed. Students in particular might not have much time and resources in order to prioritize mental wellbeing. It is important to me to encourage others to take the time they need for themselves and mentally decompress. Ideally this would help others the way my experience in therapy helped me. Without that opportunity I do not know where I would be. In my future education I want to help people find balance and happiness in their lives. With financial security I would cherish the opportunity to work towards this goal and become the person I wish I had in my life at that age. I want to help more than just my friends; I want to help people who do not have someone in their lives to place a value on their mental health. I believe that by doing this I could make a big difference in the lives of many people, including students. Making a difference in people's lives is my goal, but I need help in order to do it. Ideally my life can be used for the betterment of others if I am just given the opportunity. Together, we can all make a difference even in tiny ways every single day. This is how I want to make a difference. With the right resources I hope to be able to make a meaningful change in the view of treatment and mental health. This is a field that has interested me my entire life and I desperately want to explore it more.

As a student, I understand that mental health can have ups and downs and often times it can feel like you need to handle everything on your own. Therapy is a very important resource that anyone can and should use in order to better themselves. Mental wellbeing is important in order to keep going and stay focused on your path. In therapy I learned various coping mechanisms in order to better handle every day and intense stressors. Trying to handle classes and financial need along with other stressors in your life can build up and take its toll on a person but through self-care and mental wellness you can reach out to others and receive help that could make your experience easier on yourself. This is something I like to advocate to my friends and others. I have suffered from anxiety and depression most of my life, and I want to use my experience in order to help others. Ideally as an adult in a serious career I want to dismantle the idea that seeking out helpful resources is a weakness. Everyone struggles and has rough patches and it's important to understand that no one is perfect, and we all deserve to be kind to ourselves. As a Psychology major, I want to use my education to further this support and work as a clinical or counseling psychologist. I hope my work in these areas could potentially make a difference in the lives of others and bring assistance where it is needed. Students in particular might not have much time and resources in order to prioritize mental wellbeing. It is important to me to encourage others to take the time they need for themselves and mentally decompress. Ideally this would help others the way my experience in therapy helped me. Without that opportunity I do not know where I would be. In my future education I want to help people find balance and happiness in their lives. With financial security I would cherish the opportunity to work towards this goal and become the person I wish I had in my life at that age. I want to help more than just my friends; I want to help people who do not have someone in their lives to place a value on their mental health. I believe that by doing this I could make a big difference in the lives of many people, including students. Making a difference in people's lives is my goal, but I need help in order to do it. Ideally my life can be used for the betterment of others if I am just given the opportunity. Together, we can all make a difference even in tiny ways every single day. This is how I want to make a difference. With the right resources I hope to be able to make a meaningful change in the view of treatment and mental health. This is a field that has interested me my entire life and I desperately want to explore it more.

As a student, I understand that mental health can have ups and downs and often times it can feel like you need to handle everything on your own. Therapy is a very important resource that anyone can and should use in order to better themselves. Mental wellbeing is important in order to keep going and stay focused on your path. In therapy I learned various coping mechanisms in order to better handle every day and intense stressors. Trying to handle classes and financial need along with other stressors in your life can build up and take its toll on a person but through self-care and mental wellness you can reach out to others and receive help that could make your experience easier on yourself. This is something I like to advocate to my friends and others. I have suffered from anxiety and depression most of my life, and I want to use my experience in order to help others. Ideally as an adult in a serious career I want to dismantle the idea that seeking out helpful resources is a weakness. Everyone struggles and has rough patches and it's important to understand that no one is perfect, and we all deserve to be kind to ourselves. As a Psychology major, I want to use my education to further this support and work as a clinical or counseling psychologist. I hope my work in these areas could potentially make a difference in the lives of others and bring assistance where it is needed. Students in particular might not have much time and resources in order to prioritize mental wellbeing. It is important to me to encourage others to take the time they need for themselves and mentally decompress. Ideally this would help others the way my experience in therapy helped me. Without that opportunity I do not know where I would be. In my future education I want to help people find balance and happiness in their lives. With financial security I would cherish the opportunity to work towards this goal and become the person I wish I had in my life at that age. I want to help more than just my friends; I want to help people who do not have someone in their lives to place a value on their mental health. I believe that by doing this I could make a big difference in the lives of many people, including students. As a bisexual and nonbinary identifying person, I have also seen people in my community face unique challenges to do their background that as a psychologist I want to understand and help with. Making a difference in people's lives is my goal, but I need help in order to do it. Ideally my life can be used for the betterment of others if I am just given the opportunity. Together, we can all make a difference even in tiny ways every single day. This is how I want to make a difference. With the right resources I hope to be able to make a meaningful change in the view of treatment and mental health. This is a field that has interested me my entire life and I desperately want to explore it more.

As a student, I understand that mental health can have ups and downs and often times it can feel like you need to handle everything on your own. Therapy is a very important resource that anyone can and should use in order to better themselves. Mental wellbeing is important in order to keep going and stay focused on your path. In therapy I learned various coping mechanisms in order to better handle every day and intense stressors. Trying to handle classes and financial need along with other stressors in your life can build up and take its toll on a person but through self-care and mental wellness you can reach out to others and receive help that could make your experience easier on yourself. This is something I like to advocate to my friends and others. I have suffered from anxiety and depression most of my life, and I want to use my experience in order to help others. Ideally as an adult in a serious career I want to dismantle the idea that seeking out helpful resources is a weakness. Everyone struggles and has rough patches and it's important to understand that no one is perfect, and we all deserve to be kind to ourselves. As a Psychology major, I want to use my education to further this support and work as a clinical or counseling psychologist. I hope my work in these areas could potentially make a difference in the lives of others and bring assistance where it is needed. Students in particular might not have much time and resources in order to prioritize mental wellbeing. It is important to me to encourage others to take the time they need for themselves and mentally decompress. Ideally this would help others the way my experience in therapy helped me. Without that opportunity I do not know where I would be. In my future education I want to help people find balance and happiness in their lives. With financial security I would cherish the opportunity to work towards this goal and become the person I wish I had in my life at that age. I want to help more than just my friends; I want to help people who do not have someone in their lives to place a value on their mental health. I believe that by doing this I could make a big difference in the lives of many people, including students. Making a difference in people's lives is my goal, but I need help in order to do it. Ideally my life can be used for the betterment of others if I am just given the opportunity. Together, we can all make a difference even in tiny ways every single day. This is how I want to make a difference. With the right resources I hope to be able to make a meaningful change in the view of treatment and mental health. This is a field that has interested me my entire life and I desperately want to explore it more.

As a student, I understand that mental health can have ups and downs and often times it can feel like you need to handle everything on your own. Therapy is a very important resource that anyone can and should use in order to better themselves. Mental wellbeing is important in order to keep going and stay focused on your path. In therapy I learned various coping mechanisms in order to better handle every day and intense stressors. Trying to handle classes and financial need along with other stressors in your life can build up and take its toll on a person but through self-care and mental wellness you can reach out to others and receive help that could make your experience easier on yourself. This is something I like to advocate to my friends and others. I have suffered from anxiety and depression most of my life, and I want to use my experience in order to help others. Ideally as an adult in a serious career I want to dismantle the idea that seeking out helpful resources is a weakness. Everyone struggles and has rough patches and it's important to understand that no one is perfect, and we all deserve to be kind to ourselves. As a Psychology major, I want to use my education to further this support and work as a clinical or counseling psychologist. I hope my work in these areas could potentially make a difference in the lives of others and bring assistance where it is needed. Students in particular might not have much time and resources in order to prioritize mental wellbeing. It is important to me to encourage others to take the time they need for themselves and mentally decompress. Ideally this would help others the way my experience in therapy helped me. Without that opportunity I do not know where I would be. In my future education I want to help people find balance and happiness in their lives. With financial security I would cherish the opportunity to work towards this goal and become the person I wish I had in my life at that age. I want to help more than just my friends; I want to help people who do not have someone in their lives to place a value on their mental health. I believe that by doing this I could make a big difference in the lives of many people, including students. Making a difference in people's lives is my goal, but I need help in order to do it. Ideally my life can be used for the betterment of others if I am just given the opportunity. Together, we can all make a difference even in tiny ways every single day. This is how I want to make a difference. With the right resources I hope to be able to make a meaningful change in the view of treatment and mental health. This is a field that has interested me my entire life and I desperately want to explore it more.

As a student, I understand that mental health can have ups and downs and often times it can feel like you need to handle everything on your own. Therapy is a very important resource that anyone can and should use in order to better themselves. Mental wellbeing is important in order to keep going and stay focused on your path. In therapy I learned various coping mechanisms in order to better handle every day and intense stressors. Trying to handle classes and financial need along with other stressors in your life can build up and take its toll on a person but through self-care and mental wellness you can reach out to others and receive help that could make your experience easier on yourself. This is something I like to advocate to my friends and others. I have suffered from anxiety and depression most of my life, and I want to use my experience in order to help others. Ideally as an adult in a serious career I want to dismantle the idea that seeking out helpful resources is a weakness. Everyone struggles and has rough patches and it's important to understand that no one is perfect, and we all deserve to be kind to ourselves. As a Psychology major, I want to use my education to further this support and work as a clinical or counseling psychologist. I hope my work in these areas could potentially make a difference in the lives of others and bring assistance where it is needed. Students in particular might not have much time and resources in order to prioritize mental wellbeing. It is important to me to encourage others to take the time they need for themselves and mentally decompress. Ideally this would help others the way my experience in therapy helped me. Without that opportunity I do not know where I would be. In my future education I want to help people find balance and happiness in their lives. With financial security I would cherish the opportunity to work towards this goal and become the person I wish I had in my life at that age. I want to help more than just my friends; I want to help people who do not have someone in their lives to place a value on their mental health. I believe that by doing this I could make a big difference in the lives of many people, including students. Making a difference in people's lives is my goal, but I need help in order to do it. Ideally my life can be used for the betterment of others if I am just given the opportunity. Together, we can all make a difference even in tiny ways every single day. This is how I want to make a difference. With the right resources I hope to be able to make a meaningful change in the view of treatment and mental health. This is a field that has interested me my entire life and I desperately want to explore it more.

As a student, I understand that mental health can have ups and downs and often times it can feel like you need to handle everything on your own. Therapy is a very important resource that anyone can and should use in order to better themselves. Mental wellbeing is important in order to keep going and stay focused on your path. In therapy I learned various coping mechanisms in order to better handle every day and intense stressors. Trying to handle classes and financial need along with other stressors in your life can build up and take its toll on a person but through self-care and mental wellness you can reach out to others and receive help that could make your experience easier on yourself. This is something I like to advocate to my friends and others. I have suffered from anxiety and depression most of my life, and I want to use my experience in order to help others. Ideally as an adult in a serious career I want to dismantle the idea that seeking out helpful resources is a weakness. Everyone struggles and has rough patches and it's important to understand that no one is perfect, and we all deserve to be kind to ourselves. As a Psychology major, I want to use my education to further this support and work as a clinical or counseling psychologist. I hope my work in these areas could potentially make a difference in the lives of others and bring assistance where it is needed. Students in particular might not have much time and resources in order to prioritize mental wellbeing. It is important to me to encourage others to take the time they need for themselves and mentally decompress. Ideally this would help others the way my experience in therapy helped me. Without that opportunity I do not know where I would be. In my future education I want to help people find balance and happiness in their lives. With financial security I would cherish the opportunity to work towards this goal and become the person I wish I had in my life at that age. I want to help more than just my friends; I want to help people who do not have someone in their lives to place a value on their mental health. I believe that by doing this I could make a big difference in the lives of many people, including students. Making a difference in people's lives is my goal, but I need help in order to do it. Ideally my life can be used for the betterment of others if I am just given the opportunity. Together, we can all make a difference even in tiny ways every single day. This is how I want to make a difference. With the right resources I hope to be able to make a meaningful change in the view of treatment and mental health. This is a field that has interested me my entire life and I desperately want to explore it more.

As a student, I understand that mental health can have ups and downs and often times it can feel like you need to handle everything on your own. Therapy is a very important resource that anyone can and should use in order to better themselves. Mental wellbeing is important in order to keep going and stay focused on your path. In therapy I learned various coping mechanisms in order to better handle every day and intense stressors. Trying to handle classes and financial need along with other stressors in your life can build up and take its toll on a person but through self-care and mental wellness you can reach out to others and receive help that could make your experience easier on yourself. This is something I like to advocate to my friends and others. I have suffered from anxiety and depression most of my life, and I want to use my experience in order to help others. Ideally as an adult in a serious career I want to dismantle the idea that seeking out helpful resources is a weakness. Everyone struggles and has rough patches and it's important to understand that no one is perfect, and we all deserve to be kind to ourselves. As a Psychology major, I want to use my education to further this support and work as a clinical or counseling psychologist. I hope my work in these areas could potentially make a difference in the lives of others and bring assistance where it is needed. Students in particular might not have much time and resources in order to prioritize mental wellbeing. It is important to me to encourage others to take the time they need for themselves and mentally decompress. Ideally this would help others the way my experience in therapy helped me. Without that opportunity I do not know where I would be. In my future education I want to help people find balance and happiness in their lives. With financial security I would cherish the opportunity to work towards this goal and become the person I wish I had in my life at that age. I want to help more than just my friends; I want to help people who do not have someone in their lives to place a value on their mental health. I believe that by doing this I could make a big difference in the lives of many people, including students.

I think Clean (Taylor version) would be on my 2023 soundtrack. To me, this song says a lot about starting over and cleansing yourself metaphorically from your past. It is about moving on and not letting your past define you. 1989 has been my favorite Taylor Swift album since it came out and that song has always resonated with me. This year has been full of changes for me, especially graduating and preparing to transfer to a 4-year university. Through this process, I have also learned that negative things from my past are not permanent and I can move on from them. Growing up, I would spend a lot of time at school to avoid coming home and seeing my family because my brother was a very violent and angry person. Now that I am older I have realized that it was not a healthy environment for me and no one is entitled to my forgiveness but it is very freeing to be able to not be held down by anger and resentment. This year especially I have learned to let everything holding me back go and move on to the next stage of my life. There is a sense of freedom in letting rain wash over you and learning to breathe and find peace again. Out of the Woods would also have a good place on my soundtrack. A song about finding peace and restoration and finding your way out of chaos resonates with me deeply. I have recently left my childhood home and moved into a new house that is much more peaceful. It was a hard choice but now I live with much less conflict and do not spend a significant amount of time in my room hiding away from the world. For me, college so far has been about developing healthy boundaries and a sense of identity separate from what others expect of me. I think that after a lot of effort and time, this freedom I found has allowed me to develop as a person and get out of a toxic situation. I think this song represents that struggle of trying to escape a chaotic situation when it is all you know and eventually finding light at the end. Welcome to New York would also be good on my playlist. That song is about finding your place in a big city and learning to be comfortable in a new environment. This has never been something that came naturally to me and I am historically terrible with change. This year, however, I have worked hard to find my place in higher education and accept that change is necessary to grow. Currently, I am also making plans to attend the University of Kansas after spending time at a community college for financial reasons. Gearing up for this new change to pursue my career in psychology has been difficult, and I think this song represents how hard it can be to find your place in a big city like Lawrence Kansas, even if it's no New York. It is still much bigger and crowded than I am used to which I think is essentially what the song is saying regardless of the actual city. This song also represents to me a break from imposter syndrome as you move up the latter and the struggle to realize that you belong in this environment as much as everyone else.

The first character I would recruit to help me would probably be Nancy Wheeler. She is described as "prissy" by other characters but she is surprisingly adept with a gun and does not back down from a fight. Not only is she a natural shot, she played a pivotal role in defeating Vecna. In season 4 she also takes charge of the group based in Hawkins and becomes an important part in creating a plan and piecing together information. She is brave, logical, and driven which is important in being successful. As a reporter for her school newspaper and intern at the Hawkins newspaper, she chases stories that matter so that people have accurate information about what's going on and she does not let anyone get in her way. Not only would she be an asset in battle but in making a plan and getting to the bottom of what is going on. Secondly, I would have to take Eleven. She has powers that rival Vecna and is able to flip an entire van with just her mind. Frankly, I think it would be a mistake not to take her considering she is strong enough to rip a hole in the universe. Eleven is also very crafty and can get what she wants regardless of the obstacles including finding a way out of Hawkins lab and not getting caught for quite some time despite not knowing anyone on the outside. She also finds a way to her mother's house to get answers and eventually can find Kali and her group with just her mind and a very old picture. Like Mike said, she is essentially a superhero and if you go into a battle against unforeseen forces that's exactly what you need. Lastly, I would take Joyce Byers. In every season she is the first to begin to piece together what is going on even when others do not believe her. Whether it be lights flickering erratically to send a message, her son behaving strangely, or magnets defying the scientific concept of magnetism, she knows exactly when something is wrong and is not afraid to figure out why. She would be very helpful in collecting information to figure out what is happening in the first place. While she is not a character known for being good in a fight, she is fiercely protective of people she cares about and is not afraid to step in, especially in season 4 when she travels to a completely different country, goes undercover, and is almost put into a gulag to save Hopper when they do not know if their plan would work. She also saves Hopper last minute and helps them all escape back to America. There is no other character that will get answers and protect those around her like Joyce will.

The character that resonates the most with me is probably Pam. She's a very kind and empathetic person but on occasion this results in her letting people ask too much of her and letting people say things to her she is not comfortable with. She is also very artistic but is afraid to pursue that career path and instead stays in a place where she feels safe. She needs to be supported and pushed into taking that leap and leaving her comfort zone. The same could be said about leaving Roy and finding a better fit with Jim. Like Pam, I often times become complacent about where I'm at in life and need a push to ask for better for myself. This is an important skill I've yet to learn but eventually Pam is able to demand a job as a salesman and eventually office manager. Originally she is not very confident but she managed to go far after developing over several years. The show has shaped my sense of humor by showing me there is room to find humor even when it's hard and having your guard up and getting hurt by light hearted jokes that don't come from a place of malice only hurts yourself. It also made me appreciate cringe humor, especially in the dinner party episode. I didn't used to agree but there is humor even when it makes you slightly uncomfortable to watch. But the show taught me more about work place dynamics. It taught me that no matter how stressful your job is there is room to have fun. I think that's secretly what makes Michael a good boss. He's not afraid to lean into the desire to find light in any situation. It's important to not take your career too seriously and find time for joy and made up Olympic games. Importantly, it also taught me that in a good work place you care about each other and support each other. One of my favorite scenes is when Michael comes to Pam's are show after she loses faith that anyone would come at all. It clearly meant a lot to her and speaks to making a work place function as a unit with room for empathy and investment in others lives.

Mental health has greatly shaped my life and how I understand the world around me. Growing up, my mom suffered from severe depression and would often be unavailable and sleep for most of the day. My grandmother has been diagnosed with bipolar disorder, OCD, and schizophrenia. My grandfather suffered from severe depression as well and when he stayed with us he did not bathe or take care of himself. During this time my mother had to have a conversation with us about his behavior and how we had to be gentle with how we handled it because he had a history of attempting suicide. I was 7 at the time. I grew up knowing that mental illness was a powerful force that affected my family's lives. I discovered my journey with mental illness when I was 17. I became severely distressed during the COVID-19 pandemic and eventually went to therapy to cope with the anxiety and sadness I was feeling while isolated. In therapy, I was diagnosed with generalized anxiety disorder, depression, ADHD, and Autism spectrum disorder. It took a long time for me to accept this about myself. I did not want to admit that there was anything wrong with me that could not be fixed. Through this process, I learned to accept that about myself and accept treatment. It was a very helpful thing to have a label for everything I was feeling and find out that I was not alone. After this experience, I decided to become a therapist and I am currently transferring to a 4-year university to pursue a degree in psychology. I know now that these struggles were not my fault or my family's but instead, we were all in need of help in our ways for severe and misunderstood problems out of our control. My goal is to guide others to this realization as well in my future career as a therapist and create a safe space for people to be able to heal like I did.

I have been openly a part of the LGBTQ+ community for 3 years now. I came out as bisexual when I was 17 and I have never looked back. The LGBTQ+ community has helped me accept myself and develop my identity as a confident queer person. It was a learning experience as I grew to accept myself learn more about different sexualities and accept that I am not alone. Without the support of my queer friends, I would never have realized who I am. I grew to appreciate my found family of people who loved and supported me in everything I have done. Through these people, I also realized that my gender was more complicated than it seemed and I did not feel like a boy or a girl. Before this point, the concept of gender that did not fit inside the traditional binary and gender roles was entirely foreign to me. Relationships with numerous trans and nonbinary people showed me how my idea of gender I grew up with was restrictive and did not fully fit who I am. I am now a proud nonbinary person who owes much of my inner happiness to the LGBT+ voices around me. Around the same time I came out, I began to have severe mental health problems and decided to accept help and go to therapy. There my therapist taught me that I am not alone in my problems and it is not weak to accept help. Eventually, I was diagnosed on the autism spectrum. It was a hard fact to accept about myself but it put a lot of things into perspective and It was an important part of loving who I am. This opened up resources meant to help people like me and gave me a sense of community with others struggling in the same ways. As a psychology major in community college, I am looking forward to continuing my degree in university and eventually becoming a therapist to help others like my therapist helped me. My experiences have guided me to become a person who wants to help others reach a sense of self-love and acceptance. In my career, I cherish the opportunity to work with queer youth and guide them through unique issues that I have begun to understand through my experience in the LGBT+ community. I would like to become the sense of support for other queer kids that I was fortunate enough to have in my coming out story.