My Pie in the Sky Dream: Becoming a School-Based Therapist Dreams often begin with lived experiences that shape who we are. My spark came from being a child in a behavioral and psychological outpatient program. I had numerous therapists during that time, and each one left an imprint on my life. They gave me tools to cope, reminded me that I wasn’t alone, and showed me what it means to be truly seen. Their compassion and guidance planted a seed in me: one day, I wanted to be that person for someone else. My “pie in the sky” dream is to become a school-based therapist, offering students the same kind of support that once helped me find my footing. This dream inspires me because I know how transformative therapy can be, especially for young people who are still learning how to navigate emotions, relationships, and challenges. At the same time, it feels just out of reach because of the long journey ahead—years of education, training, and personal growth. Yet the very fact that it requires courage and commitment makes it worth pursuing. To reach this dream, I know the steps are clear but demanding. First, I must complete the necessary education: a bachelor’s degree in psychology, social work, or counseling, followed by a master’s degree in counseling or school psychology. Graduate study will give me the clinical knowledge to understand child development, trauma, and resilience. Internships and practicums in schools or youth programs will allow me to apply what I learn, building confidence in real-world settings. Licensure is another critical milestone. Becoming a Licensed Professional Counselor or Licensed Clinical Social Worker requires passing exams and completing supervised hours of direct practice. These requirements may feel intimidating, but they are also opportunities to grow under the guidance of experienced mentors. Each hour spent with students and families will sharpen my skills and deepen my empathy. Beyond formal training, I want to bring creativity into my practice. I imagine designing practical tools—reflection journals, planners, and decision-making templates—that help students manage stress and emotions. These resources would extend therapy beyond the counseling office, giving students tangible ways to take ownership of their well-being. It’s a way of merging my entrepreneurial spirit with therapeutic practice, creating solutions that meet students where they are. Of course, courage will be essential. Working in schools means facing crises, navigating systemic challenges, and sometimes carrying the heavy stories of students who feel lost. I will need to cultivate resilience, leaning on my own self-care routines and professional support networks. Courage also means advocating for mental health resources in schools, even when budgets are tight or priorities compete. What makes this dream “pie in the sky” is not that it is impossible, but that it requires me to stretch beyond my comfort zone. It asks me to grow academically, emotionally, and creatively. It demands commitment to a vision larger than myself—the belief that every child deserves someone who listens, understands, and equips them with tools for life. In the end, my dream of becoming a school-based therapist is about impact. It is about walking alongside students during some of their most formative years and helping them discover strength they didn’t know they had. It is about courage to keep going when the journey feels long, creativity to design solutions that empower students, and commitment to growth that never stops. That is my pie in the sky, and I am determined to reach it.

I am Destinee Jackson. I am a rising junior psychology major with a minor in human development and family studies, hailing from Mobile, Alabama. With the degree that I am pursuing, I plan to get my Master’s following my Bachelor’s degree. My active goal is to become an adolescent therapist and proceed to open my own private practice for low-income families. I am a child of AltaPointe’s behavioral and therapy services. As an adolescent, I was put into a mental facility to help me want to continue living my life. During this time, it was 2020, the peak onset year of COVID. While in the facility, I made amazing friends. I was surrounded by people just like me. They did not judge me for my actions or belittle me as a person. They accepted me for who I was. During this experience at the mental inpatient facility, not only did I make friends, but I began to resent my family for placing me there. My family made me feel like an outcast or that my actions were solid to attention-seeking. Truth be told, I didn’t seek attention. I was seeking to end the pain in me internally, and I felt self-harm and offing myself was the best way. I need hugs, a listening ear, and a shoulder to cry on. Instead, I got judgment and resentment. To try to combat all the things I endured, my doctor felt it was best for me to receive therapy. At first, I was against it. I was not comfortable telling my life story to a stranger. I started therapy despite my internal struggles. That was one of the best decisions of my life. Having a therapist to me meant that there is someone who you can tell your real thoughts and emotions to without them using them against you. I looked forward to therapy more than anything else. It was the time and place where I could decompress my mind, let out my feelings, and ultimately cry to give myself some relief. My career plan from kindergarten to high school was to become a pediatrician. I always knew I wanted to work with children. They were just drawn to me and I could understand them. My junior year of high school, I took AP psychology and it changed my life. When I finished that class, I knew for sure that being a pediatrician was not my calling. My calling was to be a therapist for adolescents. I would still be working with children, so that is a bonus. I want to become a therapist because it is so important to have people in the mental health field that have gone through the system. I know what it is like to be in their shoes, and I am a living example that the stage in life their does not last forever. I want to give back to the community and let adolescents know that they can make it out of this moment. If I can make it out, so can they. I am currently a behavioral aide for the same system that I was inpatient at. I am making a full circle. That is why I am pursuing my degree in psychology.This money would help me greatly because I do not have a stable financial situation. This scholarship would ease the financial burden and help to ensure that I can give back to my community by helping kids in therapy. Also helping low-income families with my private practice.

I am Destinee Jackson. I am a rising junior psychology major with a minor in human development and family studies, hailing from Mobile, Alabama. With the degree that I am pursuing, I plan to get my Master’s following my Bachelor’s degree. My active goal is to become an adolescent therapist and proceed to open my own private practice for low-income families. I am a child of AltaPointe’s behavioral and therapy services. As an adolescent, I was put into a mental facility to help me want to continue living my life. During this time, it was 2020, the peak onset year of COVID. While in the facility, I made amazing friends. I was surrounded by people just like me. They did not judge me for my actions or belittle me as a person. They accepted me for who I was. During this experience at the mental inpatient facility, not only did I make friends, but I began to resent my family for placing me there. My family made me feel like an outcast or that my actions were solid to attention-seeking. Truth be told, I didn’t seek attention. I was seeking to end the pain in me internally, and I felt self-harm and offing myself was the best way. I need hugs, a listening ear, and a shoulder to cry on. Instead, I got judgment and resentment. To try to combat all the things I endured, my doctor felt it was best for me to receive therapy. At first, I was against it. I was not comfortable telling my life story to a stranger. I started therapy despite my internal struggles. That was one of the best decisions of my life. Having a therapist to me meant that there is someone who you can tell your real thoughts and emotions to without them using them against you. I looked forward to therapy more than anything else. It was the time and place where I could decompress my mind, let out my feelings, and ultimately cry to give myself some relief. My career plan from kindergarten to high school was to become a pediatrician. I always knew I wanted to work with children. They were just drawn to me and I could understand them. My junior year of high school, I took AP psychology and it changed my life. When I finished that class, I knew for sure that being a pediatrician was not my calling. My calling was to be a therapist for adolescents. I would still be working with children, so that is a bonus. I want to become a therapist because it is so important to have people in the mental health field that have gone through the system. I know what it is like to be in their shoes, and I am a living example that the stage in life their does not last forever. I want to give back to the community and let adolescents know that they can make it out of this moment. If I can make it out, so can they. I am currently a behavioral aide for the same system that I was inpatient at. I am making a full circle. That is why I am pursuing my degree in psychology.This money would help me greatly because I do not have a stable financial situation. This scholarship would ease the financial burden and help to ensure that I can give back to my community by helping kids in therapy. Also helping low-income families with my private practice.

I am Destinee Jackson. I am a rising junior psychology major with a minor in human development and family studies, hailing from Mobile, Alabama. With the degree that I am pursuing, I plan to get my Master’s following my Bachelor’s degree. My active goal is to become an adolescent therapist and proceed to open my own private practice for low-income families. I am a child of AltaPointe’s behavioral and therapy services. As an adolescent, I was put into a mental facility to help me want to continue living my life. During this time, it was 2020, the peak onset year of COVID. While in the facility, I made amazing friends. I was surrounded by people just like me. They did not judge me for my actions or belittle me as a person. They accepted me for who I was. During this experience at the mental inpatient facility, not only did I make friends, but I began to resent my family for placing me there. My family made me feel like an outcast or that my actions were solid to attention-seeking. Truth be told, I didn’t seek attention. I was seeking to end the pain in me internally, and I felt self-harm and offing myself was the best way. I need hugs, a listening ear, and a shoulder to cry on. Instead, I got judgment and resentment. To try to combat all the things I endured, my doctor felt it was best for me to receive therapy. At first, I was against it. I was not comfortable telling my life story to a stranger. I started therapy despite my internal struggles. That was one of the best decisions of my life. Having a therapist to me meant that there is someone who you can tell your real thoughts and emotions to without them using them against you. I looked forward to therapy more than anything else. It was the time and place where I could decompress my mind, let out my feelings, and ultimately cry to give myself some relief. My career plan from kindergarten to high school was to become a pediatrician. I always knew I wanted to work with children. They were just drawn to me and I could understand them. My junior year of high school, I took AP psychology and it changed my life. When I finished that class, I knew for sure that being a pediatrician was not my calling. My calling was to be a therapist for adolescents. I would still be working with children, so that is a bonus. I want to become a therapist because it is so important to have people in the mental health field that have gone through the system. I know what it is like to be in their shoes, and I am a living example that the stage in life their does not last forever. I want to give back to the community and let adolescents know that they can make it out of this moment. If I can make it out, so can they. I am currently a behavioral aide for the same system that I was inpatient at. I am making a full circle. That is why I am pursuing my degree in psychology.This money would help me greatly because I do not have a stable financial situation. This scholarship would ease the financial burden and help to ensure that I can give back to my community by helping kids in therapy. Also helping low-income families with my private practice.

I am Destinee Jackson. I am a rising junior psychology major with a minor in human development and family studies, hailing from Mobile, Alabama. With the degree that I am pursuing, I plan to get my Master’s following my Bachelor’s degree. My active goal is to become an adolescent therapist and proceed to open my own private practice for low-income families. I am a child of AltaPointe’s behavioral and therapy services. As an adolescent, I was put into a mental facility to help me want to continue living my life. During this time, it was 2020, the peak onset year of COVID. While in the facility, I made amazing friends. I was surrounded by people just like me. They did not judge me for my actions or belittle me as a person. They accepted me for who I was. During this experience at the mental inpatient facility, not only did I make friends, but I began to resent my family for placing me there. My family made me feel like an outcast or that my actions were solid to attention-seeking. Truth be told, I didn’t seek attention. I was seeking to end the pain in me internally, and I felt self-harm and offing myself was the best way. I need hugs, a listening ear, and a shoulder to cry on. Instead, I got judgment and resentment. To try to combat all the things I endured, my doctor felt it was best for me to receive therapy. At first, I was against it. I was not comfortable telling my life story to a stranger. I started therapy despite my internal struggles. That was one of the best decisions of my life. Having a therapist to me meant that there is someone who you can tell your real thoughts and emotions to without them using them against you. I looked forward to therapy more than anything else. It was the time and place where I could decompress my mind, let out my feelings, and ultimately cry to give myself some relief. My career plan from kindergarten to high school was to become a pediatrician. I always knew I wanted to work with children. They were just drawn to me and I could understand them. My junior year of high school, I took AP psychology and it changed my life. When I finished that class, I knew for sure that being a pediatrician was not my calling. My calling was to be a therapist for adolescents. I would still be working with children, so that is a bonus. I want to become a therapist because it is so important to have people in the mental health field that have gone through the system. I know what it is like to be in their shoes, and I am a living example that the stage in life their does not last forever. I want to give back to the community and let adolescents know that they can make it out of this moment. If I can make it out, so can they. I am currently a behavioral aide for the same system that I was inpatient at. I am making a full circle. That is why I am pursuing my degree in psychology.This money would help me greatly because I do not have a stable financial situation. This scholarship would ease the financial burden and help to ensure that I can give back to my community by helping kids in therapy. Also helping low-income families with my private practice.

I am Destinee Jackson. I am a rising junior psychology major with a minor in human development and family studies, hailing from Mobile, Alabama. With the degree that I am pursuing, I plan to get my Master’s following my Bachelor’s degree. My active goal is to become an adolescent therapist and proceed to open my own private practice for low-income families. I am a child of AltaPointe’s behavioral and therapy services. As an adolescent, I was put into a mental facility to help me want to continue living my life. During this time, it was 2020, the peak onset year of COVID. While in the facility, I made amazing friends. I was surrounded by people just like me. They did not judge me for my actions or belittle me as a person. They accepted me for who I was. During this experience at the mental inpatient facility, not only did I make friends, but I began to resent my family for placing me there. My family made me feel like an outcast or that my actions were solid to attention-seeking. Truth be told, I didn’t seek attention. I was seeking to end the pain in me internally, and I felt self-harm and offing myself was the best way. I need hugs, a listening ear, and a shoulder to cry on. Instead, I got judgment and resentment. To try to combat all the things I endured, my doctor felt it was best for me to receive therapy. At first, I was against it. I was not comfortable telling my life story to a stranger. I started therapy despite my internal struggles. That was one of the best decisions of my life. Having a therapist to me meant that there is someone who you can tell your real thoughts and emotions to without them using them against you. I looked forward to therapy more than anything else. It was the time and place where I could decompress my mind, let out my feelings, and ultimately cry to give myself some relief. My career plan from kindergarten to high school was to become a pediatrician. I always knew I wanted to work with children. They were just drawn to me and I could understand them. My junior year of high school, I took AP psychology and it changed my life. When I finished that class, I knew for sure that being a pediatrician was not my calling. My calling was to be a therapist for adolescents. I would still be working with children, so that is a bonus. I want to become a therapist because it is so important to have people in the mental health field that have gone through the system. I know what it is like to be in their shoes, and I am a living example that the stage in life their does not last forever. I want to give back to the community and let adolescents know that they can make it out of this moment. If I can make it out, so can they. I am currently a behavioral aide for the same system that I was inpatient at. I am making a full circle. That is why I am pursuing my degree in psychology.This money would help me greatly because I do not have a stable financial situation. This scholarship would ease the financial burden and help to ensure that I can give back to my community by helping kids in therapy. Also helping low-income families with my private practice.

Charity is an important part of a community. It comes in many different forms. I received charity through teachers and mentors. They took time out of their workdays to talk to me after work hours and help me figure life out. I was offered wisdom and necessary resources to succeed in life. I was not the most financial stable for most of my teenage years. People in my support system would find ways to help me get money, even if it was by finding small jobs for me to do around their house. Everyone knew that I was not fund of receiving things without working for them. Them making ways for me to feel like I was working for things that they would give me for just being me, was my biggest charity. It was the experience and resume building that I got from all of the generous charity. Charity is not a bad thing. If you are blessed, bless others and accept blessings from others so that you can continue the cycle. I use my time as charity for children. I am there for all of the children around me. I am always available for advice, venting, or simply having conversations. I plan to help children with mental issues overcome their hardships through therapy and nonprofit organizations. I want to be an adolescent therapist and have my own practice. I want to be their mentor and let them know I am always in their corner.

I am Destinee Jackson. I am a rising junior psychology major with a minor in human development and family studies, hailing from Mobile, Alabama. With the degree that I am pursuing, I plan to get my Master’s following my Bachelor’s degree. My active goal is to become an adolescent therapist and proceed to open my own private practice for low-income families. I am a child of AltaPointe’s behavioral and therapy services. As an adolescent, I was put into a mental facility to help me want to continue living my life. During this time, it was 2020, the peak onset year of COVID. While in the facility, I made amazing friends. I was surrounded by people just like me. They did not judge me for my actions or belittle me as a person. They accepted me for who I was. During this experience at the mental inpatient facility, not only did I make friends, but I began to resent my family for placing me there. My family made me feel like an outcast or that my actions were solid to attention-seeking. Truth be told, I didn’t seek attention. I was seeking to end the pain in me internally, and I felt self-harm and offing myself was the best way. I need hugs, a listening ear, and a shoulder to cry on. Instead, I got judgment and resentment. To try to combat all the things I endured, my doctor felt it was best for me to receive therapy. At first, I was against it. I was not comfortable telling my life story to a stranger. I started therapy despite my internal struggles. That was one of the best decisions of my life. Having a therapist to me meant that there is someone who you can tell your real thoughts and emotions to without them using them against you. I looked forward to therapy more than anything else. It was the time and place where I could decompress my mind, let out my feelings, and ultimately cry to give myself some relief. My career plan from kindergarten to high school was to become a pediatrician. I always knew I wanted to work with children. They were just drawn to me and I could understand them. My junior year, I took AP psychology and it changed my life. When I finished that class, I knew for sure that being a pediatrician was not my calling. My calling was to be a therapist for adolescents. I would still be working with children, so that is a bonus. I want to become a therapist because it is so important to have people in the mental health field that have gone through the system. I know what it is like to be in their shoes, and I am a living example that the stage in life their does not last forever. I want to give back to the community and let adolescents know that they can make it out of this moment. If I can make it out, so can they. That is why I am pursuing my degree in psychology. This money would help me greatly because I do not have a stable financial situation. This scholarship would ease the financial burden and help to ensure that I can give back to my community by helping kids in therapy. Also helping low-income families with my private practice.

I am Destinee' Jackson. I am a rising junior psychology major with a minor in human development and family studies, hailing from Mobile, Alabama. With the degree that I am pursuing, I plan to get my Master’s following my Bachelor’s degree. My active goal is to become an adolescent therapist and proceed to open my own private practice for low-income families. I am a child of AltaPointe’s behavioral and therapy services. As an adolescent, I was put into a mental facility to help me want to continue living my life. During this time, it was 2020, the peak onset year of COVID. While in the facility, I made amazing friends. I was surrounded by people just like me. They did not judge me for my actions or belittle me as a person. They accepted me for who I was. During this experience at the mental inpatient facility, not only did I make friends, but I began to resent my family for placing me there. My family made me feel like an outcast or that my actions were solid to attention-seeking. Truth be told, I didn’t seek attention. I was seeking to end the pain in me internally, and I felt self-harm and offing myself was the best way. I need hugs, a listening ear, and a shoulder to cry on. Instead, I got judgment and resentment. To try to combat all the things I endured, my doctor felt it was best for me to receive therapy. At first, I was against it. I was not comfortable telling my life story to a stranger. I started therapy despite my internal struggles. That was one of the best decisions of my life. Having a therapist to me meant that there is someone who you can tell your real thoughts and emotions to without them using them against you. I looked forward to therapy more than anything else. It was the time and place where I could decompress my mind, let out my feelings, and ultimately cry to give myself some relief. My career plan from kindergarten to high school was to become a pediatrician. I always knew I wanted to work with children. They were just drawn to me, and I could understand them. My junior year, I took AP psychology, and it changed my life. When I finished that class, I knew for sure that being a pediatrician was not my calling. My calling was to be a therapist for adolescents. I would still be working with children, so that is a bonus. I want to become a therapist because it is so important to have people in the mental health field that have gone through the system. I know what it is like to be in their shoes, and I am a living example that the stage in life their does not last forever. I want to give back to the community and let adolescents know that they can make it out of this moment. If I can make it out, so can they. That is why I am pursuing my degree in psychology. This money would help me greatly because I do not have a stable financial situation. This scholarship would ease the financial burden and help to ensure that I can give back to my community by helping kids in therapy. Also helping low-income families with my private practice.

I am Destinee' Jackson. I am a rising junior psychology major with a minor in human development and family studies, hailing from Mobile, Alabama. With the degree that I am pursuing, I plan to get my Master’s following my bachelor’s degree. My active goal is to become an adolescent therapist and proceed to open my own private practice for low-income families. I am a child of AltaPointe’s behavioral and therapy services. As an adolescent, I was put into a mental facility to help me want to continue living my life. During this time, it was 2020, the peak onset year of COVID. While in the facility, I made amazing friends. I was surrounded by people just like me. They did not judge me for my actions or belittle me as a person. They accepted me for who I was. During this experience at the mental inpatient facility, not only did I make friends, but I began to resent my family for placing me there. My family made me feel like an outcast or that my actions were solid to attention-seeking. Truth be told, I didn’t seek attention. I was seeking to end the pain in me internally, and I felt self-harm and offing myself was the best way. I need hugs, a listening ear, and a shoulder to cry on. Instead, I got judgment and resentment. To try to combat all the things I endured, my doctor felt it was best for me to receive therapy. At first, I was against it. I was not comfortable telling my life story to a stranger. I started therapy despite my internal struggles. That was one of the best decisions of my life. Having a therapist to me meant that there is someone who you can tell your real thoughts and emotions to without them using them against you. I looked forward to therapy more than anything else. It was the time and place where I could decompress my mind, let out my feelings, and ultimately cry to give myself some relief. My career plan from kindergarten to high school was to become a pediatrician. I always knew I wanted to work with children. They were just drawn to me and I could understand them. My junior year, I took AP psychology and it changed my life. When I finished that class, I knew for sure that being a pediatrician was not my calling. My calling was to be a therapist for adolescents. I would still be working with children, so that is a bonus. I want to become a therapist because it is so important to have people in the mental health field that have gone through the system. I know what it is like to be in their shoes, and I am a living example that the stage in life their does not last forever. I want to give back to the community and let adolescents know that they can make it out of this moment. If I can make it out, so can they. That is why I am pursuing my degree in psychology. This money would help me greatly because I do not have a stable financial situation. This scholarship would ease the financial burden and help to ensure that I can give back to my community by helping kids in therapy. Also helping low-income families with my private practice.

I am Destinee' Jackson. I am a rising junior psychology major with a minor in human development and family studies, hailing from Mobile, Alabama. With the degree that I am pursuing, I plan to get my Master’s following my bachelor’s degree. My active goal is to become an adolescent therapist and proceed to open my own private practice for low-income families. Social media has a drastic impact on people's mental health and self-esteem. Social media is advertised everywhere we go, from churches to schools to jobs. Almost majority of the population wake up in the morning and the first thing they do is open their phones to open social media. Social media comes in different forms. There is social media everywhere. People tend to base their lives on social media and the influencers. Young children look up to social media influencers and base their goals and dreams on them. Not only are children influences by social media, but adults are also. For children, they watch influencers and aspire to be the people they watch. They want the clothes, jewelry, shoes, and use the dialect the influencers use. Children express their desires to their parents. Sometimes parents are able to fulfill their children's desire, other times they cannot. When these desire cannot be met, children go to school among other students whose families could afford the desires. This creates low self-esteem in those children. They feel that they cannot measure up to social standards which can cause depression and anxiety. For the parents who cannot afford the desires, they can feel like they are not providing for their children as well as they should, which effects their mental states. For young adults such as myself, social media plays a role in my life heavily. I open social media and see people my age buying cars and apartments or they are getting married and having children. I am currently in college struggling to get by without a car and still living in and paying for student housing. Social media can cause us to unconsciously compare ourselves to others. By doing this, we tend to view ourselves as less than because we are not meeting the social timeline or standards. Personally, it takes a toll on me because I feel like I am not doing enough. I feel as if I cannot keep up with the timeline that the world and social media have set for me. All of us fail to realize that people post what they want us to see which, generally, is only positive. Breaking the curses of social media on mental health and self-esteem is not an easy process. The first step is to acknowledge that social media is not always positive. It can be educational, but we have to realize our own triggers. Self-love and acceptance are the next steps. We have to learn to love ourselves and accept who we are. If we are not happy with our current circumstances, we have to accept them and work to change them without comparing ourselves to others. We do not know the hardships others face to be able to be where they are. We have to accept the mentally that we all bleed the same and we all will have to pass one day, and material things cannot come with us. We have to take the time and self-evaluate our lives and follow our timelines without the influence of social media.

I am Destinee Jackson. I am a rising junior psychology major with a minor in human development and family studies, hailing from Mobile, Alabama. With the degree that I am pursuing, I plan to get my Master’s following my Bachelor’s degree. My active goal is to become an adolescent therapist and proceed to open my own private practice for low-income families. I am a child of AltaPointe’s behavioral and therapy services. As an adolescent, I was put into a mental facility to help me want to continue living my life. During this time, it was 2020, the peak onset year of COVID. While in the facility, I made amazing friends. I was surrounded by people just like me. They did not judge me for my actions or belittle me as a person. They accepted me for who I was. During this experience at the mental inpatient facility, not only did I make friends, but I began to resent my family for placing me there. My family made me feel like an outcast or that my actions were solid to attention-seeking. Truth be told, I didn’t seek attention. I was seeking to end the pain in me internally, and I felt self-harm and offing myself was the best way. I need hugs, a listening ear, and a shoulder to cry on. Instead, I got judgment and resentment. To try to combat all the things I endured, my doctor felt it was best for me to receive therapy. At first, I was against it. I was not comfortable telling my life story to a stranger. I started therapy despite my internal struggles. That was one of the best decisions of my life. Having a therapist to me meant that there is someone who you can tell your real thoughts and emotions to without them using them against you. I looked forward to therapy more than anything else. It was the time and place where I could decompress my mind, let out my feelings, and ultimately cry to give myself some relief. My career plan from kindergarten to high school was to become a pediatrician. I always knew I wanted to work with children. They were just drawn to me, and I could understand them. My junior year, I took AP psychology, and it changed my life. When I finished that class, I knew for sure that being a pediatrician was not my calling. My calling was to be a therapist for adolescents. I would still be working with children, so that is a bonus. I want to become a therapist because it is so important to have people in the mental health field that have gone through the system. I know what it is like to be in their shoes, and I am a living example that the stage in life their does not last forever. I want to give back to the community and let adolescents know that they can make it out of this moment. If I can make it out, so can they. That is why I am pursuing my degree in psychology. This money would help me greatly because I do not have a stable financial situation. This scholarship would ease the financial burden and help to ensure that I can give back to my community by helping kids in therapy. Also helping low-income families with my private practice.

I am Destinee Jackson. I am a rising junior psychology major with a minor in human development and family studies, hailing from Mobile, Alabama. With the degree that I am pursuing, I plan to get my Master’s following my Bachelor’s degree. My active goal is to become an adolescent therapist and proceed to open my own private practice for low-income families. I am a child of AltaPointe’s behavioral and therapy services. As an adolescent, I was put into a mental facility to help me want to continue living my life. During this time, it was 2020, the peak onset year of COVID. While in the facility, I made amazing friends. I was surrounded by people just like me. They did not judge me for my actions or belittle me as a person. They accepted me for who I was. During this experience at the mental inpatient facility, not only did I make friends, but I began to resent my family for placing me there. My family made me feel like an outcast or that my actions were solid to attention-seeking. Truth be told, I didn’t seek attention. I was seeking to end the pain in me internally, and I felt self-harm and offing myself was the best way. I need hugs, a listening ear, and a shoulder to cry on. Instead, I got judgment and resentment. To try to combat all the things I endured, my doctor felt it was best for me to receive therapy. At first, I was against it. I was not comfortable telling my life story to a stranger. I started therapy despite my internal struggles. That was one of the best decisions of my life. Having a therapist to me meant that there is someone who you can tell your real thoughts and emotions to without them using them against you. I looked forward to therapy more than anything else. It was the time and place where I could decompress my mind, let out my feelings, and ultimately cry to give myself some relief. My career plan from kindergarten to high school was to become a pediatrician. I always knew I wanted to work with children. They were just drawn to me and I could understand them. My junior year, I took AP psychology and it changed my life. When I finished that class, I knew for sure that being a pediatrician was not my calling. My calling was to be a therapist for adolescents. I would still be working with children, so that is a bonus. I want to become a therapist because it is so important to have people in the mental health field that have gone through the system. I know what it is like to be in their shoes, and I am a living example that the stage in life their does not last forever. I want to give back to the community and let adolescents know that they can make it out of this moment. If I can make it out, so can they. That is why I am pursuing my degree in psychology. This money would help me greatly because I do not have a stable financial situation. This scholarship would ease the financial burden and help to ensure that I can give back to my community by helping kids in therapy. Also helping low-income families with my private practice.

I am Destinee Jackson and I attend Alabama A&M University. I am a rising junior psychology major with a minor in human development and family studies, hailing from Mobile, Alabama. With the degree that I am pursuing, I plan to get my Master’s following my Bachelor’s degree. My active goal is to become an adolescent therapist and proceed to open my own private practice for low-income families. I am a child of AltaPointe’s behavioral and therapy services. As an adolescent, I was put into a mental facility to help me want to continue living my life. During this time, it was 2020, the peak onset year of COVID. While in the facility, I made amazing friends. I was surrounded by people just like me. They did not judge me for my actions or belittle me as a person. They accepted me for who I was. During this experience at the mental inpatient facility, not only did I make friends, but I began to resent my family for placing me there. My family made me feel like an outcast or that my actions were solid to attention-seeking. Truth be told, I didn’t seek attention. I was seeking to end the pain in me internally, and I felt self-harm and offing myself was the best way. I need hugs, a listening ear, and a shoulder to cry on. Instead, I got judgment and resentment. To try to combat all the things I endured, my doctor felt it was best for me to receive therapy. At first, I was against it. I was not comfortable telling my life story to a stranger. I started therapy despite my internal struggles. That was one of the best decisions of my life. Having a therapist to me meant that there is someone who you can tell your real thoughts and emotions to without them using them against you. I looked forward to therapy more than anything else. It was the time and place where I could decompress my mind, let out my feelings, and ultimately cry to give myself some relief. My career plan from kindergarten to high school was to become a pediatrician. I always knew I wanted to work with children. They were just drawn to me and I could understand them. My junior year, I took AP psychology and it changed my life. When I finished that class, I knew for sure that being a pediatrician was not my calling. My calling was to be a therapist for adolescents. I would still be working with children, so that is a bonus. I want to become a therapist because it is so important to have people in the mental health field that have gone through the system. I know what it is like to be in their shoes, and I am a living example that the stage in life their does not last forever. I want to give back to the community and let adolescents know that they can make it out of this moment. If I can make it out, so can they. That is why I am pursuing my degree in psychology. This money would help me greatly because I do not have a stable financial situation. This scholarship would ease the financial burden and help to ensure that I can give back to my community by helping kids in therapy. Also helping low-income families with my private practice.

I am Destinee Jackson. I am a rising junior psychology major with a minor in human development and family studies, hailing from Mobile, Alabama. With the degree that I am pursuing, I plan to get my Master’s following my Bachelor’s degree. My active goal is to become an adolescent therapist and proceed to open my own private practice for low-income families. I am a child of AltaPointe’s behavioral and therapy services. As an adolescent, I was put into a mental facility to help me want to continue living my life. During this time, it was 2020, the peak onset year of COVID. While in the facility, I made amazing friends. I was surrounded by people just like me. They did not judge me for my actions or belittle me as a person. They accepted me for who I was. During this experience at the mental inpatient facility, not only did I make friends, but I began to resent my family for placing me there. My family made me feel like an outcast or that my actions were solid to attention-seeking. Truth be told, I didn’t seek attention. I was seeking to end the pain in me internally, and I felt self-harm and offing myself was the best way. I need hugs, a listening ear, and a shoulder to cry on. Instead, I got judgment and resentment. To try to combat all the things I endured, my doctor felt it was best for me to receive therapy. At first, I was against it. I was not comfortable telling my life story to a stranger. I started therapy despite my internal struggles. That was one of the best decisions of my life. Having a therapist to me meant that there is someone who you can tell your real thoughts and emotions to without them using them against you. I looked forward to therapy more than anything else. It was the time and place where I could decompress my mind, let out my feelings, and ultimately cry to give myself some relief. My career plan from kindergarten to high school was to become a pediatrician. I always knew I wanted to work with children. They were just drawn to me and I could understand them. My junior year, I took AP psychology and it changed my life. When I finished that class, I knew for sure that being a pediatrician was not my calling. My calling was to be a therapist for adolescents. I would still be working with children, so that is a bonus. I want to become a therapist because it is so important to have people in the mental health field that have gone through the system. I know what it is like to be in their shoes, and I am a living example that the stage in life their does not last forever. I want to give back to the community and let adolescents know that they can make it out of this moment. If I can make it out, so can they. That is why I am pursuing my degree in psychology. This money would help me greatly because I do not have a stable financial situation. This scholarship would ease the financial burden and help to ensure that I can give back to my community by helping kids in therapy. Also helping low-income families with my private practice.

I am Destinee Jackson and I attend Alabama A&M University. I am a rising junior psychology major with a minor in human development and family studies, hailing from Mobile, Alabama. With the degree that I am pursuing, I plan to get my Master’s following my Bachelor’s degree. My active goal is to become an adolescent therapist and proceed to open my own private practice for low-income families. I am a child of AltaPointe’s behavioral and therapy services. As an adolescent, I was put into a mental facility to help me want to continue living my life. During this time, it was 2020, the peak onset year of COVID. While in the facility, I made amazing friends. I was surrounded by people just like me. They did not judge me for my actions or belittle me as a person. They accepted me for who I was. During this experience at the mental inpatient facility, not only did I make friends, but I began to resent my family for placing me there. My family made me feel like an outcast or that my actions were solid to attention-seeking. Truth be told, I didn’t seek attention. I was seeking to end the pain in me internally, and I felt self-harm and offing myself was the best way. I need hugs, a listening ear, and a shoulder to cry on. Instead, I got judgment and resentment. To try to combat all the things I endured, my doctor felt it was best for me to receive therapy. At first, I was against it. I was not comfortable telling my life story to a stranger. I started therapy despite my internal struggles. That was one of the best decisions of my life. Having a therapist to me meant that there is someone who you can tell your real thoughts and emotions to without them using them against you. I looked forward to therapy more than anything else. It was the time and place where I could decompress my mind, let out my feelings, and ultimately cry to give myself some relief. My career plan from kindergarten to high school was to become a pediatrician. I always knew I wanted to work with children. They were just drawn to me and I could understand them. My junior year, I took AP psychology and it changed my life. When I finished that class, I knew for sure that being a pediatrician was not my calling. My calling was to be a therapist for adolescents. I would still be working with children, so that is a bonus. I want to become a therapist because it is so important to have people in the mental health field that have gone through the system. I know what it is like to be in their shoes, and I am a living example that the stage in life their does not last forever. I want to give back to the community and let adolescents know that they can make it out of this moment. If I can make it out, so can they. That is why I am pursuing my degree in psychology. This money would help me greatly because I do not have a stable financial situation. This scholarship would ease the financial burden and help to ensure that I can give back to my community by helping kids in therapy. Also helping low-income families with my private practice.

I am Destinee Jackson. I am a rising junior psychology major with a minor in human development and family studies, hailing from Mobile, Alabama. With the degree that I am pursuing, I plan to get my Master’s following my Bachelor’s degree. My active goal is to become an adolescent therapist and proceed to open my own private practice for low-income families. I am a child of AltaPointe’s behavioral and therapy services. As an adolescent, I was put into a mental facility to help me want to continue living my life. During this time, it was 2020, the peak onset year of COVID. While in the facility, I made amazing friends. I was surrounded by people just like me. They did not judge me for my actions or belittle me as a person. They accepted me for who I was. During this experience at the mental inpatient facility, not only did I make friends, but I began to resent my family for placing me there. My family made me feel like an outcast or that my actions were solid to attention-seeking. Truth be told, I didn’t seek attention. I was seeking to end the pain in me internally, and I felt self-harm and offing myself was the best way. I need hugs, a listening ear, and a shoulder to cry on. Instead, I got judgment and resentment. To try to combat all the things I endured, my doctor felt it was best for me to receive therapy. At first, I was against it. I was not comfortable telling my life story to a stranger. I started therapy despite my internal struggles. That was one of the best decisions of my life. Having a therapist to me meant that there is someone who you can tell your real thoughts and emotions to without them using them against you. I looked forward to therapy more than anything else. It was the time and place where I could decompress my mind, let out my feelings, and ultimately cry to give myself some relief. My career plan from kindergarten to high school was to become a pediatrician. I always knew I wanted to work with children. They were just drawn to me and I could understand them. My junior year, I took AP psychology and it changed my life. When I finished that class, I knew for sure that being a pediatrician was not my calling. My calling was to be a therapist for adolescents. I would still be working with children, so that is a bonus. I want to become a therapist because it is so important to have people in the mental health field that have gone through the system. I know what it is like to be in their shoes, and I am a living example that the stage in life their does not last forever. I want to give back to the community and let adolescents know that they can make it out of this moment. If I can make it out, so can they. That is why I am pursuing my degree in psychology. This money would help me greatly because I do not have a stable financial situation. This scholarship would ease the financial burden and help to ensure that I can give back to my community by helping kids in therapy. Also helping low-income families with my private practice.

I am Destinee Jackson. I am a rising junior psychology major with a minor in human development and family studies, hailing from Mobile, Alabama. With the degree that I am pursuing, I plan to get my Master’s following my Bachelor’s degree. My active goal is to become an adolescent therapist and proceed to open my own private practice for low-income families. I am a child of AltaPointe’s behavioral and therapy services. As an adolescent, I was put into a mental facility to help me want to continue living my life. During this time, it was 2020, the peak onset year of COVID. While in the facility, I made amazing friends. I was surrounded by people just like me. They did not judge me for my actions or belittle me as a person. They accepted me for who I was. During this experience at the mental inpatient facility, not only did I make friends, but I began to resent my family for placing me there. My family made me feel like an outcast or that my actions were solid to attention-seeking. Truth be told, I didn’t seek attention. I was seeking to end the pain in me internally, and I felt self-harm and offing myself was the best way. I need hugs, a listening ear, and a shoulder to cry on. Instead, I got judgment and resentment. To try to combat all the things I endured, my doctor felt it was best for me to receive therapy. At first, I was against it. I was not comfortable telling my life story to a stranger. I started therapy despite my internal struggles. That was one of the best decisions of my life. Having a therapist to me meant that there is someone who you can tell your real thoughts and emotions to without them using them against you. I looked forward to therapy more than anything else. It was the time and place where I could decompress my mind, let out my feelings, and ultimately cry to give myself some relief. My career plan from kindergarten to high school was to become a pediatrician. I always knew I wanted to work with children. They were just drawn to me and I could understand them. My junior year, I took AP psychology and it changed my life. When I finished that class, I knew for sure that being a pediatrician was not my calling. My calling was to be a therapist for adolescents. I would still be working with children, so that is a bonus. I want to become a therapist because it is so important to have people in the mental health field that have gone through the system. I know what it is like to be in their shoes, and I am a living example that the stage in life their does not last forever. I want to give back to the community and let adolescents know that they can make it out of this moment. If I can make it out, so can they. That is why I am pursuing my degree in psychology. This money would help me greatly because I do not have a stable financial situation. This scholarship would ease the financial burden and help to ensure that I can give back to my community by helping kids in therapy. Also helping low-income families with my private practice.