Mental health is important to me because of my own experience with burnout, and the lessons I learned about myself. My love for karate was dead, and I wanted nothing more than to stay home and forget everything about the sport. The burnout was slow, so slow that I didn’t realize it until it was too late. I was training when no one else was, eager to have one more practice any chance I got. I saw improvement in each tournament, and soon I was winning medals in tournaments where I wouldn’t even pass the first round. Everything was perfect, until it wasn’t. At the beginning of 2023, my coach had planned a trip to Japan, where my teammates and I would train with sensei Sakumoto, the man in complete control of the Ryuei-ryu style of karate. I was ecstatic. Training with him meant I had access to knowledge others dreamt of. I started practicing even harder to prepare. And then it wasn’t mentioned again. Months later, I learned the trip was planned without me. My teammates were discussing the trip, and none had even batted an eye towards me. I felt betrayed. What did I do? Was I not ready? There had to be some reason, right? I later learned that reason, but it wasn’t enough to change the tainted view I had on all of them, my coach included. I tried to be positive, to see it as a means to try harder, to be better. But the burnout had already begun. Slowly, I stopped having the motivation to practice anymore. My stress only grew as I struggled with my chemistry class, eventually hating every moment I had to spend time on that subject. What was wrong with me? I loved school, so much so that it became a joke in my family. The stress continued, and it wasn’t until December that I blew up and declared that I wanted to quit. That month was when I finally realized I burnt out. My therapist recommended that I take a break from karate, from all of it, until the new year came around. During that break, I realized that I had been focusing on the wrong goals for myself. I had been looking at karate with extrinsic eyes, only interested in the tournaments, the training, and the expectations of other people. My true calling in this sport was intrinsic, making an impact on my generation of competitors while guiding the next one. Moving forward from this experience, mental health has become a top priority for me. As such, I’ve focused more on my internal happiness and what I need to continue thriving. This led to many changes for my mental wellness, such as cutting back from my part-time job, greatly reducing the number of times I cover shifts for other people as I realized how I was stretching myself too thin. This led to more time for myself, where I rekindled my love for karate and working out in general. I found fun alternatives to repetitive practice, such as dance workouts and walking my dog. When I do practice karate, I practice with the intent of getting better for myself, not anyone else. Outside of karate, I play video games that I’ve neglected, and I’ve gone back to practicing Japanese. I’ve revisited the things that made me happy, and I plan to keep them in my life this time.

Mental health is important to me as a student because of my own experience with burnout, and the lessons I learned about my own mental health. My love for karate was dead, and I wanted nothing more than to stay home and forget everything about the sport. The burnout was slow, so slow that I didn’t realize it until it was too late. I was training when no one else was, eager to have one more practice any chance I got. I saw improvement in each tournament, and soon I was winning medals in tournaments where I wouldn’t even pass the first round. Everything was perfect, until it wasn’t. At the beginning of 2023, my coach had planned a trip to Japan, where my teammates and I would train with sensei Sakumoto, the man in complete control of the Ryuei-ryu style of karate. I was ecstatic. Training with him meant I had access to knowledge others dreamt of. I started practicing even harder to prepare. And then it wasn’t mentioned again. Months later, I learned the trip was planned without me. My teammates were discussing the trip, and none had even batted an eye towards me. I felt betrayed. What did I do? Was I not ready? There had to be some reason, right? I later learned that reason, but it wasn’t enough to change the tainted view I had on all of them, my coach included. I tried to be positive, to see it as a means to try harder, to be better. But the burnout had already begun. Slowly, I stopped having the motivation to practice anymore. My stress only grew as I struggled with my chemistry class, eventually hating every moment I had to spend time on that subject. What was wrong with me? I loved school, so much so that it became a joke in my family. The stress continued, and it wasn’t until December that I blew up and declared that I wanted to quit. That month was when I finally realized I burnt out. My therapist recommended that I take a break from karate, from all of it, until the new year came around. During that break, I realized that I had been focusing on the wrong goals for myself. I had been looking at karate with extrinsic eyes, only interested in the tournaments, the training, and the expectations of other people. My true calling in this sport was intrinsic, making an impact on my generation of competitors while guiding the next one. Moving forward from this experience, I’ve found advocating for mental health to be an important step toward normalizing it. Currently, my advocacy runs small in my friends and family, such as teaching my parents about the changing times and how mental health affects that. I also encourage discussion about mental health with my friends, using my own experiences and my experiences with my therapist to provide a safe space to discuss these topics. Additionally, even by applying to this scholarship, I’m normalizing the discussion of mental health, allowing anyone who reads my profile or essays to see the effects of mental health struggles. In the future, however, I plan to start a mental health channel where I go to different karate tournaments, both big and small, and interview the competitors about their worries, stressors, and the pressures that competition holds. I also plan to post psychology and mental health-related content, helping others learn about the common mental struggles that we all face. With this, I can advocate to a wider audience, allowing for more people to become comfortable with the topic.

In a life full of twists and turns, I’ve spent the last 8 years immersed in karate, forging my path as an international competitor and as a mentor for the ones who come after me. Beyond my time at the dojo, my time is spent in academics, work, and dedicating my future career to understanding the human mind. Through this journey, I’ve also spent time learning a third language, increasing my capabilities and allowing me to make a greater mark on this world. Practicing since I was 8 years old, karate has been a central point of my life. Since 2021, I have competed with FEPUKA, a Puerto Rican federation. Under this federation, I’ve traveled to Mexico, Greece, the Dominican Republic, and many other countries, competing against the top talent around the world and making my mark in these tournaments. In my most recent competitions, I’ve won gold at the Puerto Rican Games and silver and bronze at the Caribbean Championships. Karate has also influenced me to learn Japanese, encouraging me to learn the root language of the sport and be a conversational speaker. Because of karate, I can now speak 3 languages, English, Spanish, and Japanese. Outside the dojo, I have dedicated an equal passion to my studies. Always up for a challenge, I took advanced courses in middle and high school to graduate a year early and am now in my final semester of high school. During this time, I took internships at the parent company of my school, producing content meant to motivate, uplift, and inspire students in the K12 school system. In my most recent internship as a content production intern, I consistently brought high interaction to the school’s TikTok page, producing videos that received hundreds of thousands of views, with one even reaching a million views. These experiences inspired me to continue content creation in the future, as I plan to combine my love of karate with my passion for psychology. Looking into the future, it was always clear to me that psychology, child psychology to be exact, was my main purpose in life. Keen on helping others and wanting to be a light for the children of the future, being a clinical child psychologist is my biggest aspiration in my life. To achieve this, I will be pursuing a bachelor’s degree in psychology, focusing on child development and how the mind molds and learns throughout time. After that, I will pursue a doctorate in clinical child psychology, learning the specifics of my dream and how I can make that a reality. As I progress through that journey, I will continue my Japanese learning so that I may help even more children without worrying about the language barrier. I will also start a project that connects karate with mental health, using the knowledge I gain from my degrees to help those I meet in competitions and producing content that connects to a global audience and introduces a positive outlook on mental health in the sport. Considering my academic and athletic achievements, as well as my passion for psychology and mental health, I am confident that I am deserving of this scholarship. My commitment to higher education is evident with my graduating early and my plans for a mental health-oriented channel reflect my commitment to extending the impact of my knowledge. By supporting me, you would be knocking down a financial barrier, allowing me to focus exclusively on my passion for psychology. With this scholarship, I can start my goal of changing the world, one child at a time.

My love for karate was dead. I experienced burnout, and I wanted nothing more than to stay home and forget everything about the sport. However, that experience led to the biggest perspective shift of my life, and it’s helped me see the world, and my purpose in it, through new eyes. The burnout was slow, so slow that I didn’t realize it until it was too late. I was training when no one else was, eager to have one more practice any chance I got. I saw improvement in each tournament, and soon I was winning medals in tournaments where I wouldn’t even pass the first round. Everything was perfect, until it wasn’t. At the beginning of 2023, my coach had planned a trip to Japan, where my teammates and I would train with sensei Sakumoto, the man in complete control of the Ryuei-ryu style of karate. I was ecstatic. Training with him meant I had access to knowledge others dreamed of. I started practicing even harder to prepare. And then it wasn’t mentioned again. Months later, I learned the trip was planned without me. My teammates were discussing the trip, and none had even batted an eye towards me. I felt betrayed. What did I do? Was I not ready? There had to be some reason, right? I later learned that reason, but it wasn’t enough to change the tainted view I had on all of them, my coach included. I tried to be positive, to see it as a means to try harder, to be better. But the burnout had already begun. Slowly, I stopped having the motivation to practice anymore. My stress only grew as I struggled with my chemistry class, eventually hating every moment I had to spend time on that subject. What was wrong with me? I loved school, so much so that it became a joke in my family. The stress continued, and it wasn’t until December that I blew up and declared that I wanted to quit. That month was when I finally realized I burnt out. My therapist recommended that I take a break from karate, from all of it, until the new year came around. During that break, I realized that I had been focusing on the wrong goals for myself. I had been looking at karate with extrinsic eyes, only interested in the tournaments, the training, and the expectations of other people. My true calling in this sport was intrinsic, making an impact on my generation of competitors while guiding the next one. Looking back on this experience, I realize just how bad my mental health was. I was over training and ignoring my needs, and it never occurred to me just how destructive this all was. Going forward, I promised myself that I would prioritize my happiness over others' opinions. And that's exactly what I did. I now vary my workouts, incorporating fun dances that make me smile. I talk to my friends more often, fighting the urge to isolate myself like I had done before. I interact with strangers more as I try to rekindle my extroverted spirit again. While this isn't a perfect recipe to help me as I work through this burnout, It's a giant leap that I took to prioritize my mental health and my happiness as a person.

My love for karate was dead. I experienced burnout, and I wanted nothing more than to stay home and forget everything about the sport. However, that experience led to the biggest perspective shift of my life, and it’s helped me see the world, and my purpose in it, through new eyes. The burnout was slow, so slow that I didn’t realize it until it was too late. I was training when no one else was, eager to have one more practice any chance I got. I saw improvement in each tournament, and soon I was winning medals in tournaments where I wouldn’t even pass the first round. Everything was perfect, until it wasn’t. At the beginning of 2023, my coach had planned a trip to Japan, where my teammates and I would train with sensei Sakumoto, the man in complete control of the Ryuei-ryu style of karate. I was ecstatic. Training with him meant I had access to knowledge others dreamt of. I started practicing even harder to prepare. And then it wasn’t mentioned again. Months later, I learned the trip was planned without me. My teammates were discussing the trip, and none had even batted an eye towards me. I felt betrayed. What did I do? Was I not ready? There had to be some reason, right? I later learned that reason, but it wasn’t enough to change the tainted view I had on all of them, my coach included. I tried to be positive, to see it as a means to try harder, to be better. But the burnout had already begun. Slowly, I stopped having the motivation to practice anymore. My stress only grew as I struggled with my chemistry class, eventually hating every moment I had to spend time on that subject. What was wrong with me? I loved school, so much so that it became a joke in my family. The stress continued, and it wasn’t until December that I blew up and declared that I wanted to quit. That month was when I finally realized I burnt out. My therapist recommended that I take a break from karate, from all of it, until the new year came around. During that break, I realized that I had been focusing on the wrong goals for myself. I had been looking at karate with extrinsic eyes, only interested in the tournaments, the training, and the expectations of other people. My true calling in this sport was intrinsic, making an impact on my generation of competitors while guiding the next one. This experience made me realize the true importance of mental health for myself and the ones I interact with. It’s helped me look at my dream of psychology with new eyes, as my burning out allowed me to see first-hand what could have been prevented with proper help. It's helped me see exactly the good that being a psychologist can do, and it's allowed me to empathize with those who may be facing the same as me. As I move forward into my academic life, I will remember this experience. I will use it to create positive spaces for mental health, bring a new era of change to the world. I will use my content creation skills to bring mental health into the spotlight, encouraging others to speak up and be heard. When I become a psychologist myself, I will travel to different countries and make it known that mental health is not a taboo, but a necessary part of life that should be taken care of just like everything else.

My love for karate was dead. I experienced burnout, and I wanted nothing more than to stay home and forget everything about the sport. However, that experience led to the biggest perspective shift of my life, and it’s helped me see the world, and my purpose in it, through new eyes. The burnout was slow, so slow that I didn’t realize it until it was too late. I was training when no one else was, eager to have one more practice any chance I got. I saw improvement in each tournament, and soon I was winning medals in tournaments where I wouldn’t even pass the first round. Everything was perfect, until it wasn’t. At the beginning of 2023, my coach had planned a trip to Japan, where my teammates and I would train with sensei Sakumoto, the man in complete control of the Ryuei-ryu style of karate. I was ecstatic. Training with him meant I had access to knowledge others dreamt of. I started practicing even harder to prepare. And then it wasn’t mentioned again. Months later, I learned the trip was planned without me. My teammates were discussing the trip, and none had even batted an eye towards me. I felt betrayed. What did I do? Was I not ready? There had to be some reason, right? I later learned that reason, but it wasn’t enough to change the tainted view I had on all of them, my coach included. I tried to be positive, to see it as a means to try harder, to be better. But the burnout had already begun. Slowly, I stopped having the motivation to practice anymore. My stress only grew as I struggled with my chemistry class, eventually hating every moment I had to spend time on that subject. What was wrong with me? I loved school, so much so that it became a joke in my family. The stress continued, and it wasn’t until December that I blew up and declared that I wanted to quit. That month was when I finally realized I burnt out. My therapist recommended that I take a break from karate, from all of it, until the new year came around. During that break, I realized that I had been focusing on the wrong goals for myself. I had been looking at karate with extrinsic eyes, only interested in the tournaments, the training, and the expectations of other people. My true calling in this sport was intrinsic, making an impact on my generation of competitors while guiding the next one. This experience made me realize the true importance of mental health for myself and the ones I interact with. It’s helped me look at my dream of psychology with new eyes, as my burning out allowed me to see first-hand what could have been prevented with proper help. It's helped me realize that I had been ignoring my true purpose in this world, making an impact on those around me. So as I look into the future and the many paths that life can take me, I will remember this experience, and I will prioritize myself, my happiness, and my purpose in this world.

My love for karate was dead. I experienced burnout, and I wanted nothing more than to stay home and forget everything about the sport. However, that experience led to the biggest perspective shift of my life, and it’s helped me see the world, and my purpose in it, through new eyes. The burnout was slow, so slow that I didn’t realize it until it was too late. I was training when no one else was, eager to have one more practice any chance I got. I saw improvement in each tournament, and soon I was winning medals in tournaments where I wouldn’t even pass the first round. Everything was perfect, until it wasn’t. At the beginning of 2023, my coach had planned a trip to Japan, where my teammates and I would train with sensei Sakumoto, the man in complete control of the Ryuei-ryu style of karate. I was ecstatic. Training with him meant I had access to knowledge others dreamt of. I started practicing even harder to prepare. And then it wasn’t mentioned again. Months later, I learned the trip was planned without me. My teammates were discussing the trip, and none had even batted an eye towards me. I felt betrayed. What did I do? Was I not ready? There had to be some reason, right? I later learned that reason, but it wasn’t enough to change the tainted view I had on all of them, my coach included. I tried to be positive, to see it as a means to try harder, to be better. But the burnout had already begun. Slowly, I stopped having the motivation to practice anymore. My stress only grew as I struggled with my chemistry class, eventually hating every moment I had to spend time on that subject. What was wrong with me? I loved school, so much so that it became a joke in my family. The stress continued, and it wasn’t until December that I blew up and declared that I wanted to quit. That month was when I finally realized I burnt out. My therapist recommended that I take a break from karate, from all of it, until the new year came around. During that break, I realized that I had been focusing on the wrong goals for myself. I had been looking at karate with extrinsic eyes, only interested in the tournaments, the training, and the expectations of other people. My true calling in this sport was intrinsic, making an impact on my generation of competitors while guiding the next one. This experience made me realize the true importance of mental health for myself and the ones I interact with. It’s helped me look at my dream of psychology with new eyes, as my burning out allowed me to see first-hand what could have been prevented with proper help. It's helped me realize that I had been ignoring my true purpose in this world, making an impact on those around me. So as I look into the future and the many paths that life can take me, I will remember this experience, and I will prioritize myself, my happiness, and my purpose in this world.

Being the new kid has impacted my life in many ways. I have a veteran dad, and when he was still active, we often moved to new bases. For a time, I would change schools every year. As I moved from one school to the next, I saw many walks of life. Those who needed to be liked by others, those who preferred to be alone, and those who walked in the middle. I was like this. Trying to fit in, to be one of the "cool" ones. But eventually, I realized that this way of living was not it for me. This constant stream of change led me to become more independent, as I came to realize that although people came and went, I would always stay with myself. Through these moves, I began to create my identity, one that was free from what others had to say. Why should I care about what's "cool" when that definition always changes? This time in my life impacted my friendships as well. In the beginning, I was desperate to cling to as many friends as I could find, often switching between friend groups mid-year. During this time I wanted to feel included, like I was part of something. Now, I do not have that need anymore. I no longer feel the need to try and "fit in" as quickly as possible. The friendships I have now were formed by genuine connection, and they have lasted longer than ever before. They have seen me grow and mature as I person, as I have seen them do. They, like me, have formed their own identities and goals for their life, and don't seek the immediate pleasure that I used to seek. Being the new kid allowed me to decipher the qualities I look for in a friend, and it has shown me that not everyone I meet will stay with me long-term. Now that I am older, I look back on those times. I reminisce about the way I used to be, about the feelings I had and the emotions I felt. As I look into the future, I see that those experiences shaped my dream of becoming a clinical child psychologist. I now want to help children in that position, the position I used to be in. I want to help children find their identity. I want to help them navigate the ups and downs of school life, to be able to see what they have to offer to the world. I want to help those who feel alone. Who feel isolated because they're the ones that no one knows anything about. I walked that path, and soon it'll be my time to help others walk that path too.

I agree with the thoughts of this text. It has always seemed that we as humans go through cycles, yet this thought had always been pushed negatively. Children blame their parents, who in turn blame their parents, and so forth. But we must see the other side of this coin. Every generation will have something new. Whether it’s new inventions, new ideas, or new structures of life. As such, to suggest remaining stagnant, to continue the traditions of the generations before us, would not be beneficial to us as a society. Millennials and Gen Z can be described as the “in-between” generations. They have seen a world before and after the rise of technology, with the youngest of Gen Z being born into technology. As such, these generations have the whole world at their fingertips, with all the knowledge that they could ever want and need. Is it a surprise, then, that these generations are the ones fighting for change? The ones with the means to look for answers, to look for ways to help the world they love? The older generations didn’t have this privilege. They couldn’t look up the world’s problems instantly, and even if they knew what the problems were, where would they go for answers? Some may say, “They had libraries and their elders.” But just how quickly are libraries updated? How soon can you get information if you’re not staring at the TV all day? Millennials and Gen Z will be “The Greatest Generation 2.0”. Not because they laid their lives in war, but rather because they had the knowledge and the ability to change the world themselves. They won’t need to rely on anyone when all they need is the phone in their hands.

My future self is one who changes the lives of children everyday and who uses their field to influence and improve the world around her.