Attending college means growth, expanding my knowledge, making a lasting impact on the world around me, and making lifelong connections. I always knew going to college would expand my knowledge, but it has also challenged me to think about what I can do to make the world a better place. In my household, going to college wasn't a choice; it was a must. My parents taught me that going to college can teach you life skills like resilience, staying on task, working through problems alone, making business connections, and finding lifelong friends. In just a short time at school, I have become a more independent person. I have realized that by being on my own, I don't need as much help as I once thought I did when making decisions. I also learned that my decisions may not only impact me, but also the people around me. For example, while working on group essays and projects, if I or my group mates didn't get our work done as individual contributors or as a group, all of our grades could suffer. I have developed better study habits, prioritization, and learned more about finance and budgeting. Making connections and networking with people of different cultures and ethnicities has also become so important to me. My parents would always say, "You never know who you connect with that may help you in the future, so expand beyond one friend group and enjoy college to its fullest." For all those reasons, not just one alone, I chose to begin my college educational journey. When I toured universities, I looked for a college that understood me and my needs as a student. A school with connections that could further help me along my educational journey, all while building lifelong friends. My parents met lifelong friends while attending college, who are still valuable companions not only to them but also to me and my siblings. I plan to use my education and career to impact the world by helping children with mental health issues, and more specifically, teens with mental health issues. Throughout my years, I've had a lot of friends struggle with mental health, even family members. It has taught me how serious mental health is in this world. I have also had my time when my mental health wasn't at its best, and I felt like giving up, but through talking to a therapist and my family. I have learned to fight through that mental health block by using special techniques and meditating. If I could help other people through their mental health blocks and potentially save someone's life, that would be my goal to impact on the world.

I plan to use my education and career to impact the world by helping children with mental health issues, and more specifically, teens with mental health issues. Throughout my years, I've had a lot of friends struggle with mental health, even family members. It has taught me how serious mental health is in this world. I have also had my time when my mental health wasn't at its best, and I felt like giving up, but through talking to a therapist and my family. I have learned to fight through that mental health block by using special techniques and meditating. If I could help other people through their mental health blocks and potentially save someone's life, that would be my goal to impact on the world. My path in childcare started early; I've worked with children since 2020. I have traveled to New York each summer as a child, and when I became a teen, I began working in my grandmother's daycare as a junior teacher for Sistas Advantage Daycare. I was responsible for teaching children ages 1 through 12. As a junior teacher, I was responsible for food preparation, recreational activities, and teaching activities. I still help her out as a teacher when I visit. My mother is also a Childcare director at Kindercare. I was being taught early principles in childcare, and how to observe their mannerism and how home life can influence how they act at school. People expect children to act a certain way because of their age, but through my mom's teaching, we realized that Children sometimes are acting out what they see. I started working at the Southeast Raleigh YMCA as an attendant in 2022. I monitored children ages 5-12 in their recreational kidzone. Upon season change, I also taught basketball skills to the older children and served as a time keeper. In 2024, I began working at a Kindercare, following in my mother's footsteps. Working in a daycare, you meet a lot of different kids with different abilities and disabilities, and different personalities as well. I started to form my now goal in life, to work with children with mental health issues. Through this, I learned I wanted to work in family science to learn why children act the way they do and how parents play a role in a child's personality. Many children suffer in silence. I would like to use my education to help them through their feelings and how to cope with the stresses of life and thrive.