Living with Type 1 diabetes has greatly influenced my perspective on the world around me. It has shown me that everyone has struggles. You may never see them, but they still have to face them. When my blood sugar is low, or I’m struggling to keep my numbers in check, no one else knows. You can’t see it when you look at me; most people I walk past don’t even know I’m diabetic. When I think about my diabetes, I realize how much of an impact it has had on my life. Every day since I was seven years old, I have worked to keep my blood sugar as close to 150 as possible. You wouldn’t know that just by looking at me. But if I told you my blood sugar was low, and I needed help, you probably wouldn’t hesitate to ask what I need. Now imagine getting an email from a stranger that says, “Next week I am being released from prison, and I need help.” You might feel more hesitant to respond. That difference in reaction is what motivates me to pursue a career as a social worker in a prison reentry program. Recidivism rates in the United States are high, but I want to help change that. The more support we offer individuals before they are released, the less likely they are to return to prison. If I could make one meaningful contribution to this field, it would be to expand programs that provide people leaving prison with education, identification, job opportunities, and the resources they need to succeed. This is important to me because I believe everyone deserves a chance at support. When I was diagnosed with diabetes, I would have been lost without the systems in place to help me. It’s easy for people to look at someone who has been incarcerated and ask, “Why should I help them?” But they are still human, just like us. When our sun sets, so does theirs. There is no reason to see anyone as less deserving of help. When I think about what I want to accomplish in my field, I want to give people hope and a reason to believe in a better future. I think about the support I received when I was diagnosed at a children’s hospital. I was not sent home alone—I was given insulin, education, and continuous support to help me manage my condition. That experience motivates me to provide similar support to others. While the situations may seem different, the need for guidance and stability is the same. Many people leaving prison are released without education or job opportunities, which often leads them back into the system because they have nowhere else to go. If we can provide even a fraction of the support given in healthcare systems to those reentering society, we could create real change. By giving people the tools and support they need, we give them a genuine chance to build a better life. And that, to me, is the true purpose of both care and rehabilitation.

Everyone deserves a chance... or in this case a second chance. I believe that everything you or anyone has done there is a reason. From the smallest actions to the most impactful actions, there is a reason. If you look at your shirt or your shoes there is a reason that you picked that shirt and those pair of shoes to put on, even if you didn't think about it very hard. You may wonder what does this have to do with my college degree. Well, I want to major in criminal psychology. So, what does that have to do with reasons behind any actions? That's all we do every single day, our actions. Most of us are lucky enough to have a strong balanced mind so we can make the right decisions. Some are not so lucky. After all that's the criminal side to criminal psychology. I want to study criminal psychology to understand what causes criminals to commit violent crimes. They have a reason to do what they did, that reason will never make a crime right, however for at least a split second it was right to their mind. In criminal psychology this can be called a motive. A motive is what exactly pushed a person to commit a crime. This can be as simple as someone stealing $200 to pay a bill, or as complex as a serial killer targeting blond 20 year old women. No matter the extent or degree of the crime there was a reason it was committed. How will understanding this help anyone in communities? With what I learn about criminal psychology I want to work to prevent violent crimes before they happen and give criminals a second chance after they serve their sentence. Going back to everyone deserves a second chance, I believe with the proper help and understanding I can help criminals return to normal healthy lives. If we can understand why criminals commit crimes then we can understand how to prevent that from happening, or happening again. I would use my understanding in either the FBIs behavioral analysis programs or in a prison rehabilitation center. I hope that I can fully understand how the mind works and what causes criminals to commit crimes in order to prevent crimes completely. Now this may seem like a stretch, stopping crimes completely that is, and I'll admit it is, but it's always better to aim for the stars. Although I'm not sure how I will reach my goals but I have many days to figure that out.

Show up, show up, and show up again. That's what tennis has taught me. In more ways than one. I played on a very small team, this is the first reason I learned the importance of showing up. Practice was one thing, matches are another. We had 8 players on our team... we were supposed to. You need 6 to have a full team. It only takes a few. A few girls that don't show up to take away our team. The matches where web only got 5 girls to show up we were forced to forfeit our third doubles match. All they had to do was show up. That's all anyone had to do, with such a small team we have no hope of making it to team districts, so we had fun. There was never a ton of pressure to win, all our coaches asked is that you do your best. Having such a small team showed me the importance of showing up, it doesn't matter if you don't want to be there, or if you would rather hangout with your friends, when your part of a team you show up for your team, not for yourself. All it took was a 6 of us that showed up to have a great season, and I was committed to being one of them. Every match and every practice. I was there. Even if I had to leave practice early to go to work or my second sport, gymnastics, I showed up. It didn't matter if I was only there for 15 minutes or 2 hours, I showed up, for myself but more importantly for my team. However, that's not the only reason to show up. Every ball you hit and every minute you're at practice you are becoming a stronger player. So, it's that easy, show up. You wont get better if you don't. I committed to tennis, I was a part of the team. I played 2nd singles and 1st doubles. I was the number 2 player on the team my senior year. I would have never gotten to that spot if I didn't show up. Although it may seem like I'm bragging about making it to the 2nd spot on our team, I'm fine with it. I put all my effort into tennis, I did more than show up. Tennis taught me the more you show up the more you grow. At first I showed up to practice every day, I mean that was enough? I showed up every day. Maybe it was enough, but that's not all showing up means. You can show up to practice but you should show up to be the best, not just to be there. When I learned this I began to put in every thing I could, I did more than just show up. I spent countless hours in the summer on the tennis court with my dad ( he's my favorite coach, the best role model), my brother, and my best friends. I began to grow as a player, the more I showed up the better of a player I was. I kept this up during the winter driving 45 minutes to play on an indoor court. I wanted to show up, so I did. All these times of just showing up lead me to success. I will brag about my high spot on the team, my MVP award, and placing second at districts, because I showed up until I got there. I put everything into getting to where I wanted to be. Show up. Show up for everything.

I have done gymnastics since I was 7, I have been anxious for as long as I can remember, I have been diagnosed with anxiety since I was 16. My junior year I had to step back from gymnastics as my anxiety took control of me and my family. Almost every morning I was awake at 5 crying and begging my mother to let me stay home from school, my grades where low for the first time, and I would fall asleep before I could get In the car to go to gymnastics practice. My anxiety took control, I was forced to step away from the only escape I have ever had, gymnastics. After 10 years I had to leave just like that, why? I just couldn't take it. I was falling AP U.S history so instead of spending my nights at my favorite place, my gymnastics gym, I spent them at my desk crying on my APUSH notes. My mother hated this, she did everything she could, take me to a therapist, a psychologist, and talked to my teachers. It didn't work. I was so overwhelmed with anxiety I shut down. I couldn't eat, I couldn't keep my grades up, I couldn't go to school without being forced into the car. I was 5 feet and 5 inches of anxiety. Anxiety controlled me, every breath I took and every thought I had. Thanks to my mom's persictance of getting me professional help, I got back on my feet. I passed all of my classes, I was going to school... most of the time. Something was still missing. I wasn't the same even after I got my anxiety under control. Gymnastics. I was no longer a gymnast. 10 years all to leave it behind due to a mental illness. I needed that part of me back, for years that's all I was, a gymnast. Now I wasn't. That couldn't be it, that wasn't the end of my career. Anxiety took away so much from me and my family. I spend countless hours in therapy. My mom had to leave work every other day to take me to an appointment or pick me up early from school. Not only did anxiety control my life it also controlled my mom's. After all that a small chemical imbalance did to me and my family, I couldn't let it take away who I was. I am a gymnast. As my senior year began I found myself slipping into the same cycle. I was always anxious and tired. I couldn't let it happen again, I didn't want to be anxiety, I wanted to be myself. I did the only thing I wanted. I went back to gymnastics. I have to drive 45 minutes 3 times a week, in the winter months through snow storms and many deer. I didn't care, nothing was going to stop me now. I was back, I was a gymnast again. This didn't mean that I didn't have anxiety anymore, I just began to work with it instead of it working against me. I still feel all that anxiety. However, when I am standing on the beam and I feel it, about to do a back handspring, what used to be my favorite skill, now makes me shake and slows my breathing. I have lost before due to this feeling, so now I wont let my anxiety push me off the beam, I will stand there until I can throw my back handspring. My gymnastics gym follows one saying that has saved my gymnastics career, If your scared, do it scared.

As a high school senior with a passion for understanding the human mind and behavior, I have chosen to pursue a degree in criminal psychology because I believe in the power of mental health to transform lives and help society. Growing up, I have always been fascinated by the psychological drive behind criminals. This curiosity has brought me to explore psychology, and I am eager to further my studies hopefully at my dream school Duke. The decision to focus on criminal psychology stems from my desire to understand and prevent violent crimes. Throughout my life, I have been deeply affected by the stories of individuals and communities impacted by violence. I live in a high poverty area which results in high crime rates. These experiences have motivated me to pursue a career where I can make a difference by helping to identify the psychological factors that contribute to criminal behavior and working towards reducing crime rates. As a woman in the healthcare field, I hope to bring a unique perspective and empathy to my work. Women often face specific challenges in healthcare, both as patients and as professionals. I aim to advocate for more inclusive and equitable mental health care that addresses the diverse needs of all individuals. By fostering a more understanding and compassionate environment, I believe we can improve outcomes for patients and create a more supportive community for healthcare providers. In my future career, I hope to work directly with individuals who are struggling with mental health issues, helping them to find their strength and resilience. I want to be a psychologist who listens, understands, and provides guidance to those who need it most. I am particularly interested in working with young people, as I believe that early intervention can have a significant impact on their future well-being. By supporting young individuals in their mental health journeys, I hope to empower them to lead fulfilling and healthy lives. I hope to work with criminals who are struggling to maintain a safe mental state and help them to become healthy enough to return to the world. Furthermore, I am committed to using my education and experiences to advocate for mental health awareness and reduce the stigma surrounding mental illness. By promoting open conversations and educating communities about the importance of mental health, I believe we can create a society that values and prioritizes mental well-being. I myself have struggled with anxiety and eventually took this to a professional. After I opened up I saw an improvement in my ability to cope with anxiety. I hope to create a world where everyone no matter their past can reach out. In conclusion, my choice to pursue a degree in criminal psychology is driven by my passion for understanding the human mind and my desire to make a positive impact in the lives of others. As a woman in the healthcare field, I am determined to contribute to a more inclusive and compassionate approach to mental health care. I am excited about the opportunity to further my education and make a meaningful difference in the world by helping to prevent violent crimes through my work in criminal psychology.

10 Units, 15 carbs, 500 mg/dL. When I was only 7 years old, I was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes. Since then, many numbers have gained a new meaning and sense of control over me. I remember it like it was yesterday, after my brother’s basketball game my mother took us out for frozen yogurt at Tasty Time. This seemed like a pointless endeavor to me, but this trip was the last time I would eat without a number pounding in my head. My mother had taken me there to stuff me with carbohydrates. When we got home, she broke the news to me. She sat me on the counter and pricked my finger, though the first time I would feel this pain, it was definitely not the last. She read my blood sugar to me, 559. 400 units over a person with healthy pancreas. After that, I knew what the number meant. My mother is also diabetic, so it was not foreign to me. However, I ran and hid behind my bed sobbing. My mom tried to comfort me, running a hot bath and promising me it would be okay. In less than 30 minutes, I would be in the car, or rather an ambulance, on my way to Buffalo Children’s Hospital. The 2 weeks I spent in the hospital forced me to become a highly responsible 7-year-old. “How many carbs?” I boasted, constantly pestering my mother with the question. Knowing that I would have to be able to calculate this number the rest of my life, I never wanted to do it. All the numbers that surround me with this disease have shown me the importance of responsibility and accountability. I am responsible for my life. That may seem like a strong statement to dump on a 7-year-old, but it’s true. I have long been responsible for giving myself the correct units of insulin and keeping my blood sugar in range. As much as I resent my pancreas for failing on me, it showed me how important it is to be responsible and accountable, no matter what. For as long as I know diabetes has given me a great sense of responsibility. Now a whole new conversation takes place, a whole new set of responsibilities. I need to learn to manage my diabetes in college. Not only getting my supplies and handling my number but also paying for it. It is not cheap, although insurance helps, we still pay a lot out of pocket for diabetes. I need to figure out how to budget for an already expensive experience, college itself, along with this disease.

I love it! To Talk talk about Charli XCX that is. She has been releasing Club Classics ever since her first EP in 2012. My favorite song off Brat would be “Apple”. I think about it all the time, how she turned a story and her feelings into a captivating song that many people sing and dance to. We can all admit that we are jealous of Charli, I mean who could stop talking about her? Apple is such a good song as not only its catchy beat Charli is able to tell a story through her lyrics. Her ability to turn stories into songs is what makes her one of my favorite artists. Although Apple is my favorite song I also love “Talk talk” and “I think about it all the time”. Stories she shares about her relationship disguised as catchy lyrics displays her true talents. In “Talk talk” she tells stories of her relationships start. She tells the eager tale of her love all in a song that no one can stop listing to. Later in the album she dives further into her relationship in the song “I think about it all the time”, she explains her confusion on her place in her career. She creates a song with such meaning, as shown in her lyrics about whether she believes having a child would be on her path. Charli's incredible artistry helps her to create my favorite song on Brat. Without her stories “Apple” would just be another song, however Charli is able to turn it into a sing along story time!