Self-advocating is a skill I feel everyone benefits from learning. That being said, I would like to take a moment to expand on my profile. My name is Delanie Kilpatrick, a social work major, specifically a freshman. I attend the University of Arkansas at Monticello and commute daily to in-person classes. I know I am a strong candidate for the scholarship because I refuse to let this money go to waste. I believe so fervently in my dreams that I have taken the risk of pulling out loans to cover my first semester until I have the opportunity to be introduced to new scholarships. I consider myself incredibly fortunate to have been blessed so far by the sponsors who have helped me so far. To me, every dollar, down to the penny is favorable. My passions lie in helping people attain the bare minimum and more in life. I feel there are too many I know personally who struggle with living paycheck to paycheck to pay rent, buy food, and have their emotional needs met. I want to take more than a leap of faith into my degree, by self-advocating on this site and even on campus I want to help fund my experience so that I may help others. I am currently enrolled as a full-time student. I am committed to gaining all the skills and knowledge I can while at my university. I have joined a few extracurricular activities to pursue this growth such as the Psychology Club, History Club, Ducks Unlimited, and volunteering at the archeological lab on campus. While at the archeological lab, I have had the opportunity to carefully restore artifacts and learn about the rich lore of Arkansas's native tribes. I've also been given the responsibility to sort through and re-organize old archives of artifacts. It has allowed me to enhance my ethics and morals by learning the historical context of how some artifacts were acquired and what we do now to amend them. Clubs like Psychology and History Clubs enrich my perspective on the work with guest speakers and the history of Arkansas. I know that I can have a positive impact on people's lives, and even if I can accomplish that at a personal level with just one person I feel like I will have succeeded. I believe everyone deserves a boost in life and I want to create that. While I will feel accomplished I aspire to create a community that encourages support and positive mental health beyond my capacity. I want to focus first my vision on helping those with trauma as a future LCSW, many trauma cases can stem from military backgrounds. My friend's father has had a huge impact on wanting to specialize in trauma therapy and helping veterans. Serving in the Vietnam War and being unwelcomed home, war veterans treated unfairly hold a special place in my heart. So this scholarship would benefit not only me but the future of my career in helping others. I thank you for the time you have taken to read over my application and appreciate the opportunity to expand upon myself.

The teenage experience is a unique journey that is filled with ups and downs. There aren't many I know who look at themselves and say they haven't grown mentally. I think that's great considering it was our high school days and I know for sure I wasn't the kindest to myself. Olivia Rodrigo's lyric 'Just watch as I crucify myself' from 'Love is Embarrassing' truly resonated with me when I heard it. Olivia's album was beautifully relatable to my journey. For me, imbalanced hormones, horrible love experiences, and poor mental health had a death grip on me. Puberty affects everyone differently, the raging hormones are a staple of high school culture. It plays such a large role in our lives, that it can make or break our outlook on life. The abundance or for me the lack of it, put my body into disarray. The huge, seemingly larger than life pimples, covered my face and no amount of makeup could hide it. It didn't help that putting anything over the top of them would just make the oiliness of my face worse. My body felt lumpy in the mirror and I considered myself a real carpenter's dream (Flat as a board). I convinced myself I was alone and I hated myself for things outside of my control. My unpleasant body, and ugly face, and I judged myself for every single breath I let escape from my lips. I felt unwanted and sought any attention I could, which from what I know now, leaves me vulnerable. Love is embarrassing, enough said. As a self-crucifying teen, I often hated myself and no one else. I did everything wrong and no one else could. By these harsh standards, I wasn't worthy of love and if anyone loved me, they were settling. It led to me getting myself into some unsavory relationship with boys who ONLY had an interest in my body. I blamed myself and told myself these struggles were self-imposed and not real. I combated my love life alone, never feeling like love was something safe. That being said I know now, how beautiful I am and how love is something shared between equals. Up until near the end of my high school career though I felt as if it was hopeless. How do you combat an opponent who can't see? Mental health can be that hidden beast. Depression and Anxiety are such a killer duo. They've plagued the youth of today and caused horrible scenarios. Whether it was a chemical imbalance or peer pressure, I was also haunted. I spiraled down, all alone. It wasn't until near graduation that I was placed on sertraline and my days started to become more vibrant. The greys turned to yellows and read and the once desaturated tones of my small town burst into color as I felt a huge weight lifted off of me. My hormones began to balance out and so did my mental health. Therapy only encouraged this growth as I relayed all my traumas to the caring heart of my therapist. This journey shaped who I wanted to become, to help others realize they aren't alone in this world and their struggles are real. My entire teen experience was genuinely captured within her album. Crucifying myself as my anxiety silenced me in any social situation and feeling my life force drained by others like vampires. I'm no longer just watching as I crucify myself because I no longer do that. I'm recovered and ready to take on the world in a much more positive manner. Thanks Olivia~!

Mental health whether it is one degree or not, is in the very center of our lives. It continuously shapes our emotions and thoughts. It affects everyone's well-being and it becomes more evident to us as we transition from high school to college. When I transitioned, I was overwhelmed with a range of emotions. I was extremely anxious, excited, and even a little sad as new opportunities presented themselves. I feel this scholarship recognizes the importance of mental health. So as I explore how I plan to effectively maintain my sanity and well-being, I hope to also shed light on how crucial mental health is to me as well. We can all fall prey to the influences of neglected/poor mental health. The likelihood increases as we transition to new phases in life, such as college. I've had my ups and downs when it came to stress and burnout. While it can still happen, I found that with proper mental health management, we can reduce the frequency. College presents a similar environment to that of high school, it reintroduces us to academic grading, social interactions, and opportunities for personal growth. If one continuously neglects their mental health given the new environment all of the above can fall prey to negative consequences. While no one can fault a hard-working student, it's important to remind ourselves; "Am I burnt out? Am I experiencing depression? Have I interacted with my friends recently?" Self-reflection is a good step in becoming more aware of our mental health. There are currently 8 things I plan to do to maintain my mental wellness. 1. Self Awareness - Being more attuned to my mental health will always give me the edge of how to regulate my emotions. 2. Strong Support System - I believe everyone should have some sort of support system, be it family, friends, or a therapist. Talking through your grievances can help relieve mental stress. Social connections are also a great way to free yourself from social isolation. 3. Physical Wellbeing - Regular and consistent sleep never hurt anyone, include a nutritious meal and your body will feel great! Hygiene plays an important part in mental health, especially for those who are depressed. A clean body helps! 4. Time Management - There is a time and a place for doing work and giving ourselves a break with friends. A healthy balance is the key to a healthy mind. 5. Embracing Failure - Self-defined success is great! However, sometimes we set ourselves back due to the failure to achieve a certain goal. We shouldn't turn our wins into losses and should start considering learning as one of those wins. I have a solid foundation of learning, embracing it and reframing our thoughts toward something more positive helps a lot. Neglecting mental health is not something I plan to do. I want to maintain and encourage others to maintain a similar lifestyle. I believe Pettable's Mental Health Importance Scholarship wants us to put a priority on our mental health. I believe that this scholarship wanted many to think about how to help themselves during college and how to cultivate a well-balanced environment. I enjoyed reflecting on where I am and how much mental health means to me. Thank you for reviewing my application.

I've watched the Barbie movie as many times as I could which was only twice... In my defense, I was working full-time on the second shift. Loved the movie so I would personally ironically enjoy just saying I'd want a huge Barbie dreamhouse like in the movie, but that's not very practical haha. My dream house is located on the edge of a lake surrounded by a thick forest. The weather is perfect with a mix of warm breezy days and rainy days to help the vegetation. The architecture of the house is a contemporary German house loosely connected to a glass greenhouse. The greenhouse would be filled with mostly root vegetables(tomatoes, onions, potatoes, etc) with a small mix of herbs (thyme, parsley, etc). A big yard for me isn't needed as long as we have a few hiking trails. Add in a Dutch oven and everything is set outside. I'd love the inside to relax you so it would be filled with greens, blues, and light pink decorations. The air would have hints of vanilla and strawberry(my favorite scents) or something flowery. The living room should be large for activities and include a large sofa in front of the tv. Maybe include an elliptical as well. The kitchen isn't a main priority, it just needs the essentials so I can cook macaroni and bread. I learned from growing up poor that I'd love more than one bathroom. Two bathrooms are what make the dream house. Two bedrooms and one office space for my indoor hobbies like drawing or gaming. I'm a bit of a minimalist when it comes to personal rooms, so for my bedroom, I just imagine a big bed with squishmallows and a walk-in closet.

A passionate and successful LCSW worker who has created a loving and supportive community for her clients.

How to be an Anti-Racist by Ibram X. Kendi. Is the most recent book I've read but strongly stands out. I will flip through different books as many have different aspects that impacted me. C.S. Lewis had the Narnia Series that really appeals to the faith-based side of me. While something like the Dune series gives me food for thought in a fantastical way! However, when I think of sharing a book that I hope would impact someone I think of Ibram's book. I was recently given the recommendation passively while sitting in the office of my Social Work professor. She wasn't elaborate, but after I read the first chapter I'm glad she wasn't. Rarely do I get inspired by books alone, but Ibram's felt like an awakening. Each chapter starts with a word and its definition such as Anti-Racism and that will be the main focus of the chapter and how it affects humanity. Personally, up until that point, there were plenty of ideas and words I never truly considered. Specifically, the Anti-Racism chapter stuck out to me. I never considered myself a racist, but after reading that chapter Ibram made a really important point. Being Anti-Racist and "not a racist" isn't the same thing. Which in hindsight is a lot easier to discern, but he goes further in-depth about taking an active stance against racism is important, because there are many things we passively accept while not being a racist. I consider being Anti-Racist a state of being, it is a conscious and deliberate choice we have to make. There are plenty of other chapters that delighted me, but I think even if some were to disagree with his view it would be a good way to articulate your thoughts and values. Something to challenge ourselves is good and helps keep the brain rot away I say!

Taking a journey towards a degree in healthcare is admirable and I am truly sorry that Christina has passed, my condolences. I hope to do her justice with my passion and dedication if I am considered. I have steered toward the healthcare field from a young age due to mental health issues that affected my sister emotionally and physically. I consider social work healthcare. It is where I can help people improve their quality of life by overcoming their emotional challenges. This passion for social work has led me to pursue a degree in Social Work at the University of Arkansas at Monticello. Social work, to me, integrates the empathetic fundamentals of healthcare. I firmly believe that social workers can have a positive change in people's lives. They address the emotional, social, and environmental factors that shape individual experiences. I want to help others achieve their highest level of functionality to improve their overall well-being. By addressing these factors, I would have the incredible opportunity to positively impact lives. The goals and principles of social work are something I'm highly committed to. These values align seamlessly with my own as well as with the values of occupational therapy. I highly value compassion, integrity, and empathy. Everyone deserves to be heard and I hope by pursing social work I can extend a hand to help give them a voice. By integrating occupational therapy and social work, I aim to create a more comprehensive and compassionate approach to healthcare that truly puts the needs and aspirations of patients first. Throughout my academic journey, I have committed to having a GPA of 3.0 and higher throughout my studies. While I had a 3.2 in Highschool, I have seen it improve to 3.4 in college. I hope to improve my GPA once more while I attend UAM. I have also engaged in volunteering. I partake in online mental health communities to enrich myself. Volunteering has given me the unique privilege of connecting with individuals from differing backgrounds. I have helped many of them overcome their unique challenges. Alongside this, it has reinforced my commitment to helping others. Receiving this scholarship would alleviate the first semester of financial burdens as I work to continue my healthcare journey. Supporting my journey of becoming a social worker would mean so much to me. I will strive to work even harder as I continue pursuing my degree. I appreciate the time taken to review my application for Christina Taylese Singh's Memorial Scholarship.

My three favorite places to shop are on ASOS, Aliexpress, and Wanelo!

Maybe one day I'll be a bigshot if I'm left alone to my music. Working smarter where I can and harder when I can't. No reason why I'm doing what I want to do, because I do it all the time. These are songs selected from my many personal inspirational/mood playlists.

My sister has diagnosed with BPD, schizophrenia, and ADHD ever since she was at least in her early teens. At that time I was a silly little kid in kindergarten. We got along fine, great even. We'd talk about the things she'd see and hear and I thought it was cool like superpowers. She got me into a lot of creepy things. Things I see are unorthodox now, but I thought it was normal then. Then I reached the third or fourth grade. One day all of our sisterly things turned on its head. I'm not sure what changed. Maybe it was med changes or her mental stability started getting worse or a combination of both. At this point, I already used to her being in and out of hospitals. When she'd come back her meds would change every time and she'd be on a push and pull of what my parents thought as 'recovery'. Sometimes she was worse. Sometimes she was calm. I knew one thing for sure she was never close to my adoptive dad (her stepdad). She hated him. He clearly didn't like her rebellious nature. It didn't help that she started to do drugs, drink, and get into fights. Overall she became distant and more aggressive. We talked less as I got older and I'd always hide in my room because my home life wasn't as stable as it is now. Mostly she'd go on rampages about our home life and runoff. It didn't take long before I wasn't her sister anymore. She started closing me out. She'd yell at me and threaten me. I think behind the scenes my mom and dad would compare her a lot to me and it gave us both a complex. She felt inferior and like I was taking her place while I felt like I was never good enough for my parents because they'd always push me to be the normal child who was 'so good.' ' the normal kid we never had!' I felt bad even as a kid cause it felt wrong. I tried to tell my sister I wasn't taking her place but she would only reply with she hated me. Or that she wished I was never born or that my real mother should've just killed me and finished the job. I stopped trying to talk to her and instead I'd just listen as she'd bring her drinking/smoking buddies over to her room and talk badly about me. The walls were thin so of course, I could hear her. I'd cry sometimes cause as a kid I didn't get why she just did that. I didn't know what I did wrong. I remember trying desperately to get her to call me her sister again but she refused and always said she had no sister. ' you're adopted and don't call me your sister' I was crushed. Every time she'd get more violent and yell louder. She never hit me or touch me though. She'd just tell me to stay out of her way. I eventually stopped calling her my sister after a while at least to her face. I remember as a kid I didn't know how to answer the question 'Do you have any siblings?' Did I have a sibling? She doesn't claim me. Is that how it works? One day she just snapped though. All I can remember was my sister striding towards me and wrapping her hands around my neck and squeezing so tightly. I think that's when I finally began to distrust my sister. I use to never have to think about being strong because back then my sister would just beat up everyone. However, the thought of 'If she does that again I will die flooded my head'. I always stayed out of my sister's way from then on. I never talked and I really believed she wasn't my sister. We'd spit venom every time we walked past each other. I started to fear her. Deep down I couldn't hate her. I knew she lied and stole from our family. I'd never say it was her. She'd try to pin the blame on me as well she didn't care what happened to me. I was fine being the fall guy anyway. It was so routine now that I think about it. She'd look at me and I'd look at her and we'd argue or we'd ignore each other. Sometimes I'd forget what we use to be like when I was 5. Recently, I was diagnosed with Clinical Depression and Chronic Anxiety. A lot of it stems from the instability of my household at the time. I am not the one who takes pills. If not before then I can now say I am an advocate for mental health. In fact, in an essay that got me a scholarship for my college, it happened to be over just that. About how I do believe there is more to be helped than just pills and mental health needs to be put in the spotlight. I believe so even firmer during this pandemic.

@MezfaliaRed Pet's Name: Baby 24/7 Beauty Sleep

Life is strange or at least that's what I think to myself. No one asked to be born certain ways. No one asked be born with mental or physical impairments. Depression and anxiety can really shape a person's life. It makes you see the work in black and white. The extremes if you will. The all or nothing mentality that can really only hurt you. You become a perfectionist and if it's not perfect you failed and you lie in bed crying over it. It wakes you up at night in a cold sweat as you look over and have physical evidence that you messed up and could be changing it right now. You don't though. You don't because you feel trapped and that you can't make in changes. I felt that way too many times, It feels as if nothing makes you happy, it's a constant struggle. I use to be so afraid of taking medication. Afraid that one day i'm going to overdose, because the thoughts in my head cannot be silenced by one pill. It's scary, depression and anxiety. They're quite the deadly team that's lead many to suicide. They make you feel lonely. They make the weight on your shoulders unbearable. When I wake up from it all I feel like a slug. Slowly getting up and rising to rinse and repeat a day. They never tell you but it takes more than therapy and a pill to overcome depression. It takes willpower and emotional support system that could never fail you. Those small steps everyday are a willingness to change to not except the life you have. You don't have to except the bleak white and black color scheme of things. There is more out there. There are greys, blues, yellows, reds and greens! It's an everyday battle that you have got to be willing to fight everyday because it never goes away. That's another thing they don't tell you. It can't be cured. It can only be helped. You have to carry yourself the rest of the way. You have got to get up and be emotionally strong with good friends and say I do not want this today. It's never an easy straight line road either. You can and will relapse. That's why I work harder. I work harder, because depression lows aren't just lows they're rock bottom. They're the depths of which you can't see anything. A relapse is just a reminder of why I work so hard to be strong mentally. I don't deserve that, no one deserves that. Somedays it's the random words of strangers that mean the most. I think about it all the time. Voluntary Kindness the most welcomed. No one asked you or told you to be nice to me. It means so much. It keeps me humble and it always reminds me that a smile or a compliment can go a long way. It might be the thing on someone's mind when they're ina depression. There have been many times when someone merely said hello to me. Yet it opened up the color in my world. I could feel myself waving back and smiling. Depression and Anxiety are preached about often. Rarely are the lessons know to the ones who have it practiced. So I do what perhaps some do not. I offer only a good day to you and that you won't be in that dark spot forever. You will see color again.

I recently have had the most important turning point in my life. It's when young kids who haven't or haven't grown up get tossed into the adult world. Up until that point I would usually say I'm my own role model. I had no one to really look up to because I was a rebellious punk kid. I never knew how much my family was there for me. I felt trapped and that no one understood my goals in life. So when I went on to college and got a bitter taste of reality I knew I wasn't prepared. I was nervous at first, but soon I got the hang of it. I was making friends, hanging out, doing my work. I mean I felt the freedom. I felt good and that I could be my own person. I thought that's what I wanted. I thought I was on top of it all and I didn't need any help. That was until I was placed in a new group just before our big mid terms project. I had no ideas who these people were or how to get started on this project. We were to make a short 10 minute horror film. I didn't worry about that though. In my mind watching everyone from the start till now I thought being a director/producer was easy. I immediately took charge as the creative head and started on work. I didn't notice at first, but I think my brain subconsciously knew how taxing it could be. The paperwork, the communication, explaining your ideas and putting them into motion. I never knew how much time I would take into just producing the script. It took me one week just to get the script solid. It took me another full week to get the locations and talent release forms filled out. All the while my mind is racing in between days thinking: 'I have no idea what I'm doing.' Not to mention I had to talk to my group about everything. I realized how much independence can be a hinderance. I did everything without talking to my group. They did their own thing sometimes and It'd come back to me and I'd be so confused. Everything started feeling jumbled just a few days before the final week. My mind was racing, I couldn't sleep, and I felt lost an unsupported. Who was I to talk to? Who should I seek guidance from? I didn't feel close enough to my teacher to ask for help. My anxiety and depression took a hold of me and kept me from saying anything. What made matters worse is that I started to procrastinate and dread moving from my bed. I would look at my phone at night. I would start at the group chat waiting for myself to text something. Anything would be good I thought. I said nothing. I remember waking up on the Thursday of the second week in a sweat. I grabbed my computer and went into the kitchen. It was 4AM. I felt so lonely. I felt so lost and that I had to do this alone, because no matter what I did I just didn't know what I got myself into. My group was looking at me to delegate their tasks and tell them what to do. I was the one who needed to know how everything worked. I didn't thought, I had no clue. I cried as I knew only one person who I could turn to. The one person that in the back of my mind I knew I could look up to for support and advice. My mother. I texted my mother after an hour of silent crying that I just needed to come home for the weekend. That I needed a hug. She welcomed me with open arms. Everything that was jumbled in my mind was unraveled with a simple talk with her. She told me this is what I wanted to do and that anything worth doing is worth doing poorly. My mother gave me pat on the back as we started going through the scenes of my film and started thinking about things not ahead, but in the moment. The practicality of the situation started to become clear as I rewrote the script and started communicating with my group. My mother told me even if it's later it's better than nothing. She was right. Anything worth doing is worth doing poorly. I could never forget her warm smile as she reassured me that everything was going to be okay. That it was okay to be ambitious. I just need to see it through no matter how it turns out. Maybe I was a bad director. producer, but my group didn't fault me for it. Instead they reassured me and just like my mother's understanding they too only empowered me. My mother's patience, practicality, and understanding helped shape me a lot, even if I couldn't see it until now. She always cared for me and pushed me to do what I wanted. Even if was my last minute change to the film industry. Sometimes the role models are the ones who get you to see and believe you're the only role model you need.