In June of 1995, a relief worker from Connecticut named Wendy was escaping a besieged Sarajevo in the back of a UN land rover. In her pocket was an ultrasound photo: my big sister was the size of a plum. A month later, in Zagreb, my mom went into panic-induced early labor after seeing news coverage of the Srebrenica massacre. She was stabilized and put on bed rest. When my sister was born in early December, they named her Sara—for the city where her life began. My mom’s experience working in the former Yugoslavia left an indelible mark on her—this mark was later diagnosed as post-traumatic stress disorder, or PTSD, for 15 more years. Her strength, along with her struggles, have given me a deep passion for mental health research and advocacy. In high school, I became particularly interested in the neurobiological underpinnings of mental health symptoms. Why would evolution ever allow the brain to produce painful, disadvantageous outcomes like PTSD? I simultaneously became increasingly curious about religion—perhaps because I was posing similar questions to God. When I came to Harvard, I declared a joint concentration in human evolutionary biology and the comparative study of religion, with a secondary in history, interested in the varied refractions each field offered of mental health. My desire to work in mental health research long-term was solidified during the process of writing my senior thesis, which examines how anthropological scholarship on healing rituals can help inform neuroscience research into PTSD treatment. As I worked on this project, I began to research possible next steps for after graduation, and applied to a wide variety of neuroscience programs. In January, I was accepted into my top choice program, the Cognitive Neuroscience MPhil program at Cambridge Univeristy’s MRC Cognition and Brain Sciences Unit. This world renowned research center has a specific focus on interdisciplinary collaboration. This masters program offers both thorough training in cognitive neuroscience methods, and the opportunity to develop a research project under the supervision of preeminent cognitive neuroscientists. The program offers much more than theoretical training: I will be assisting with clinical research and even working directly with patients who are struggling. This master's degree is a first step in my dream career path of impactful mental health research—but unfortunately, the financial aspect poses a serious challenge for me. I have been on majority financial aid for my entire undergraduate career, but need-based aid is essentially nonexistent at the graduate level at Cambridge. I am working hard this spring to find grant opportunities to offset the significant student loan commitment I will have to make next year. I would be incredibly honored to bring the legacy of John Young and the support of the Cochener to England, as I work towards my dream of helping people who suffer from mental health issues, particularly trauma related disorders—people like my mom.