I've been a fan of Sabrina Carpenter since I was in elementary school. Girl Meets World was my favorite show, and I've been a fan since her album Evolution was released. Her music has changed and grown with her, and I've grown with it. What inspires me the most however, is how sure she is in herself. With her style, her tours, her music, she has this aura of confidence that follows her through every project. Due to her confidence, she puts a lot of work into everything she does. Her Short n' Sweet tour is meticulously planned out, with deep thought put into every minor detail. All of the video recordings had to have been made months in advanced. She's frequently wearing new variations of outfits, which take time to make and plan. She has her surprise song segment, so she has to rehearse all potential songs. She even has to come up with different "Juno" positions, and in the past tour it was "Nonsense" lyric changes. Sabrina opened for Taylor Swift during the Eras Tour, which is a significant, and dare I say, historical music tour. She has made so many accomplishments within the last two years---including her two Grammy wins. All because of her confidence, comfort, and contentment in herself. I have many aspirations for myself and my future career, and her mentality is one I want to have.

As my family pulled into the parking lot of the church, I felt my chest tighten and my head get fuzzy. I very quickly went from feeling comfortable with the idea of a new youth group, to being reluctant to even leave the car. Every alarm bell went off in my head, and I couldn’t focus on anything other than the feeling that I was somehow making a mistake by going inside. My whole body felt hot and shaky, and my tear-streaked face burned red with embarrassment. I spent the whole night unable to breathe, and resorted to familiarizing myself with the carpeted floor because I couldn’t look anyone in the eye. I didn’t play the games, I didn’t talk in small groups, and for a while, I skipped almost every other week. The thought of going made me so anxious that I would become physically ill. When I forced myself go, I would bring my sketchbook with me as a form of respite. During this period of my life, art became a critical part of my identity serving as my chosen coping mechanism in dealing with my frequent bouts with anxiety. Although I originally hated the way I felt when I thought about going to my new youth group, I was determined to go and enjoy myself. I did my best to push myself to think and feel differently about it. Instead of dreading having to be around everyone, I took it as an opportunity to quietly observe and understand everyone a little better. Rather than feeling irritated that I was spending my Saturday with people I thought didn’t care for, I took it as a chance to make new friends. Eventually, I had a good streak of going every Wednesday. All the alarms that went off in my head proved to be false. I’ve built some amazing relationships with friends and mentors and have taken many opportunities to serve in my community. Within a year, I overcame my anxiety about the youth group, and it’s become one of the highlights of my week. Fast forward to the present, and my experiences from my youth group have helped me grow as a person. It has gifted me the confidence to put myself in unfamiliar environments and thrive in them. By working in churches, camps, and other similar settings, I’m now better equipped with the tools to be at ease with unease. This integral chapter of my life has shaped my perspective on anxiety and the ways in which I manage it. My experience with anxiety has had a meaningful influence on my choice to become an art therapist. I want to take my passion for visual arts and the knowledge I’ve gleaned from dealing with anxiety and channel it towards helping others. I want to support and empower people who face mental health challenges in their day-to-day life to overcome them. Throughout my whole senior year, I have worked on my sustained investigation, which is an art portfolio with pieces made around a central idea. Mine was created based off of my experience with anxiety and how it conflicts with my personality. It's been an outlet for me and I have been able to say so much without needing to find the words. I have a better understanding of myself, and it gives the people in my life the opportunity to understand me better. Creating art puts my mind at peace, and I know it can be used as a technique for healing to help others as well.

As my family pulled into the parking lot of the church, I felt my chest tighten and my head get fuzzy. I very quickly went from feeling comfortable with the idea of a new youth group, to being reluctant to even leave the car. Every alarm bell went off in my head, and I couldn’t focus on anything other than the feeling that I was somehow making a mistake by going inside. My whole body felt hot and shaky, and my tear-streaked face burned red with embarrassment. I spent the whole night unable to breathe, and resorted to familiarizing myself with the carpeted floor because I couldn’t look anyone in the eye. I didn’t play the games, I didn’t talk in small groups, and for a while, I skipped almost every other week. The thought of going made me so anxious that I would become physically ill. When I forced myself go, I would bring my sketchbook with me as a form of respite. During this period of my life, art became a critical part of my identity serving as my chosen coping mechanism in dealing with my frequent bouts with anxiety. Although I originally hated the way I felt when I thought about going to my new youth group, I was determined to go and enjoy myself. I did my best to push myself to think and feel differently about it. Instead of dreading having to be around everyone, I took it as an opportunity to quietly observe and understand everyone a little better. Rather than feeling irritated that I was spending my Saturday with people I thought didn’t care for, I took it as a chance to make new friends. Eventually, I had a good streak of going every Wednesday. All the alarms that went off in my head proved to be false. I’ve built some amazing relationships with friends and mentors and have taken many opportunities to serve in my community. Within a year, I overcame my anxiety about the youth group, and it’s become one of the highlights of my week. Fast forward to the present, and my experiences from my youth group have helped me grow as a person. It has gifted me the confidence to put myself in unfamiliar environments and thrive in them. By working in churches, camps, and other similar settings, I’m now better equipped with the tools to be at ease with unease. This integral chapter of my life has shaped my perspective on anxiety and the ways in which I manage it. My experience with anxiety has had a meaningful influence on my choice to become an art therapist. I want to take my passion for visual arts and the knowledge I’ve gleaned from dealing with anxiety and channel it towards helping others. I want to support and empower people who face mental health challenges in their day-to-day life to overcome them. Creating art puts my mind at peace, and I know it can be used as a technique for healing to help others as well.

As my family pulled into the parking lot of the church, I felt my chest tighten and my head get fuzzy. I very quickly went from feeling comfortable with the idea of a new youth group, to being reluctant to even leave the car. Every alarm bell went off in my head, and I couldn’t focus on anything other than the feeling that I was somehow making a mistake by going inside. My whole body felt hot and shaky, and my tear-streaked face burned red with embarrassment. I spent the whole night unable to breathe, and resorted to familiarizing myself with the carpeted floor because I couldn’t look anyone in the eye. I didn’t play the games, I didn’t talk in small groups, and for a while, I skipped almost every other week. The thought of going made me so anxious that I would become physically ill. When I forced myself go, I would bring my sketchbook with me as a form of respite. During this period of my life, art became a critical part of my identity serving as my chosen coping mechanism in dealing with my frequent bouts with anxiety. Although I originally hated the way I felt when I thought about going to my new youth group, I was determined to go and enjoy myself. I did my best to push myself to think and feel differently about it. Instead of dreading having to be around everyone, I took it as an opportunity to quietly observe and understand everyone a little better. Rather than feeling irritated that I was spending my Saturday with people I thought didn’t care for, I took it as a chance to make new friends. Eventually, I had a good streak of going every Wednesday. All the alarms that went off in my head proved to be false. I’ve built some amazing relationships with friends and mentors and have taken many opportunities to serve in my community. Within a year, I overcame my anxiety about the youth group, and it’s become one of the highlights of my week. Fast forward to the present, and my experiences from my youth group have helped me grow as a person. It has gifted me the confidence to put myself in unfamiliar environments and thrive in them. By working in churches, camps, and other similar settings, I’m now better equipped with the tools to be at ease with unease. This integral chapter of my life has shaped my perspective on anxiety and the ways in which I manage it. My experience with anxiety has had a meaningful influence on my choice to become an art therapist. I want to take my passion for visual arts and the knowledge I’ve gleaned from dealing with anxiety and channel it towards helping others. I want to support and empower people who face mental health challenges in their day-to-day life to overcome them. Creating art puts my mind at peace, and I know it can be used as a technique for healing to help others as well.

I’ve been in advanced art classes for four years; building my skills, learning new ones, and feeding my creative spirit. For an entire year I’ve worked on my sustained investigation for AP that explores my own anxiety and mental health, making an entire portfolio with it. Creating has become an act of healing for me, and I know it can be for others. I’m going to be an art therapist, a career path that utilizes my creativity, my interest in psychology, and my passion to help others. Over the past four years I have done nothing but work and persevere for my future. I’ve planned, made decisions, kept up good grades from day one of high school to my last, and I’ve gotten into the University of Virginia to further my education and become the absolute best I can be. I want to establish my own practice and build a place of comfort for others and myself. Throughout history, emotion has been felt through art and being emotional is a beautiful thing. On top of doing art therapy, I want to teach hold my own art classes and teach people the different ways to create, to keep the act of creating alive. I believe that you don't have to be good at something to love doing it, but the more you do it, the better you become.

As my family pulled into the parking lot of the church, I felt my chest tighten and my head get fuzzy. I very quickly went from feeling comfortable with the idea of a new youth group, to being reluctant to even leave the car. Every alarm bell went off in my head, and I couldn’t focus on anything other than the feeling that I was somehow making a mistake by going inside. My whole body felt hot and shaky, and my tear-streaked face burned red with embarrassment. I spent the whole night unable to breathe, and resorted to familiarizing myself with the carpeted floor because I couldn’t look anyone in the eye. I didn’t play the games, I didn’t talk in small groups, and for a while, I skipped almost every other week. The thought of going made me so anxious that I would become physically ill. When I forced myself go, I would bring my sketchbook with me as a form of respite. During this period of my life, art became a critical part of my identity serving as my chosen coping mechanism in dealing with my frequent bouts with anxiety. Although I originally hated the way I felt when I thought about going to my new youth group, I was determined to go and enjoy myself. I did my best to push myself to think and feel differently about it. Instead of dreading having to be around everyone, I took it as an opportunity to quietly observe and understand everyone a little better. Rather than feeling irritated that I was spending my Saturday with people I thought didn’t care for, I took it as a chance to make new friends. Eventually, I had a good streak of going every Wednesday. All the alarms that went off in my head proved to be false. I’ve built some amazing relationships with friends and mentors and have taken many opportunities to serve in my community. Within a year, I overcame my anxiety about the youth group, and it’s become one of the highlights of my week. Fast forward to the present, and my experiences from my youth group have helped me grow as a person. It has gifted me the confidence to put myself in unfamiliar environments and thrive in them. By working in churches, camps, and other similar settings, I’m now better equipped with the tools to be at ease with unease. This integral chapter of my life has shaped my perspective on anxiety and the ways in which I manage it. My experience with anxiety has had a meaningful influence on my choice to become an art therapist. I want to take my passion for visual arts and the knowledge I’ve gleaned from dealing with anxiety and channel it towards helping others. I want to support and empower people who face mental health challenges in their day-to-day life to overcome them. Creating art puts my mind at peace, and I know it can be used as a technique for healing to help others as well.

Creating art has always been a healing experience for me. Struggling with anxiety, I find it difficult to put how I feel into words. Throughout my entire senior year I've been working on my sustained investigation that is based off of the internal fight between my personality and anxiety. I've created 12 pieces but my favorite is my piece, "It's All in the Details". This one is so simple, but it's incredibly meaningful to me. My anxiety causes me to become lost in myself and feel stuck at times. My mind becomes a mess and I hide myself away out of self preservation and my personality is reserved. However, there are always small parts of me visible like a fun, bright nail color, or shoes with a funky pattern. These small decisions that I make daily reflect who I am. A star is embroidered around my eye to emphasize the idea of "the eyes are the window to the soul." I'm an emotional person and I feel deeply. No matter how hard I try to keep to myself, my genuine emotions can be read through my eyes. This piece is so important to me because now others have a better understanding of me, and can learn to get a better understanding of others.

There is so much beauty in the world, sunsets, rain puddles, flowers in the breeze. But there's also beauty in other people and little things. The kind lady at the gas station, the baby that smiled at me in the cereal aisle at the grocery store, the man singing Christmas music outside of Sam's Club greeting everyone that walks by. There’s beauty in the way the sun comes through the windows of the museum just right, the butter-yellow color of the door and shutters on that house, the rows and rows of gift bows at the dollar store. The most amazing thing about beauty though, is how it’s subjective. I love looking at other artworks and seeing a beautiful world through a completely different lens. There is so much you can learn about the perspectives of humanity, just by taking a stroll through a gallery. That’s why I make art. Not only to see the different views in our world, but to add onto the beauty that’s there and to create an even bigger picture.

Jacob has always had my back. From when I was three and he was nine and he chased away a bunch of bees that were coming for me, leaving him with a new fear of bees, to him helping me through every single, minor, little step towards my future college journey. He’s always been my day one and I couldn’t be more thankful for him. Jacob joined the military back in 2019, when I was in middle school, and his leaving was a rough adjustment period for me. I hated having to get used to the quiet and the fact that the room below mine was empty. He wrote me letters, letters I keep and will cherish forever, but due to being in bootcamp, we couldn’t even call or text whenever we wanted like we could our sister in California. I will never ever forget the day that he was allowed to have his phone for a short period of time and shot me an unexpected “I love you” text, the first time I had heard from him in months. I still get a little teary when I think about it. I’ll also never forget the day he came home from bootcamp. My parents decided to surprise my younger brother and me. We went to Chick-fil-a for breakfast one Saturday morning, and my mom took a picture of us with my older brother and sister posing behind our seats. This isn’t the only time he has surprised us though. About 3 years ago, we had just got home from a beach vacation and were bringing in all the luggage when a random car pulled up. And suddenly, I dropped everything I had been holding and took off running across the yard. It had been the first time I had hugged him in a year, and it felt so good. What I appreciate the most, however, is that nothing ever feels different when he comes home. Jacob walks into the house and it’s like he’s been walking into our house every day for the last 5 years. Like he had never been gone. Even now that he’s gotten married to Rosi, who he met while in the military and is one of the best people ever, it still feels normal. She fits into our family perfectly and when the two of them come home, it’s like she’s been in our lives forever. They come home and we watch movies during the day and play Jack Box games at night on the Nintendo switch. And we never stop laughing. Inside jokes are continually being made and they give me moments that I will always remember. The thing I love most about my brother though, is how he isn’t afraid to show how much he loves me, how much he loves his family. He shows his love through his action: helping me with college preparations, playing games, surprising us. He even bought his house with all of us in mind, so that when we come to visit, we all have a place to sleep—and we do. He and Rosi hosted Thanksgiving 2023 and it was the best holiday I ever had. Our older sister flew in, we drove there, and even though it was a place I had never been before, I was right at home. I find that to be a common feeling with Jacob, he makes every place feel like home.

As my family pulled into the parking lot of the church, I felt my chest tighten and my head get fuzzy. I very quickly went from feeling comfortable with the idea of a new youth group, to being reluctant to even leave the car. Every alarm bell went off in my head, and I couldn’t focus on anything other than the feeling that I was somehow making a mistake by going inside. My whole body felt hot and shaky, and my tear-streaked face burned red with embarrassment. I spent the whole night unable to breathe, and resorted to familiarizing myself with the carpeted floor because I couldn’t look anyone in the eye. I didn’t play the games, I didn’t talk in small groups, and for a while, I skipped almost every other week. The thought of going made me so anxious that I would become physically ill. When I forced myself go, I would bring my sketchbook with me as a form of respite. During this period of my life, art became a critical part of my identity serving as my chosen coping mechanism in dealing with my frequent bouts with anxiety. Although I originally hated the way I felt when I thought about going to my new youth group, I was determined to go and enjoy myself. I did my best to push myself to think and feel differently about it. Instead of dreading having to be around everyone, I took it as an opportunity to quietly observe and understand everyone a little better. Rather than feeling irritated that I was spending my Saturday with people I thought didn’t care for, I took it as a chance to make new friends. Eventually, I had a good streak of going every Wednesday. All the alarms that went off in my head proved to be false. I’ve built some amazing relationships with friends and mentors and have taken many opportunities to serve in my community. Within a year, I overcame my anxiety about the youth group, and it’s become one of the highlights of my week. Fast forward to the present, and my experiences from my youth group have helped me grow as a person. It has gifted me the confidence to put myself in unfamiliar environments and thrive in them. By working in churches, camps, and other similar settings, I’m now better equipped with the tools to be at ease with unease. This integral chapter of my life has shaped my perspective on anxiety and the ways in which I manage it. My experience with anxiety has had a meaningful influence on my choice to become an art therapist. I want to take my passion for visual arts and the knowledge I’ve gleaned from dealing with anxiety and channel it towards helping others. I want to support and empower people who face mental health challenges in their day-to-day life to overcome them. Creating art puts my mind at peace, and I know it can be used as a technique for healing to help others as well.

As my family pulled into the parking lot of the church, I felt my chest tighten and my head get fuzzy. I very quickly went from feeling comfortable with the idea of a new youth group, to being reluctant to even leave the car. Every alarm bell went off in my head, and I couldn’t focus on anything other than the feeling that I was somehow making a mistake by going inside. My whole body felt hot and shaky, and my tear-streaked face burned red with embarrassment. I spent the whole night unable to breathe, and resorted to familiarizing myself with the carpeted floor because I couldn’t look anyone in the eye. I didn’t play the games, I didn’t talk in small groups, and for a while, I skipped almost every other week. The thought of going made me so anxious that I would become physically ill. When I forced myself go, I would bring my sketchbook with me as a form of respite. During this period of my life, art became a critical part of my identity serving as my chosen coping mechanism in dealing with my frequent bouts with anxiety. Although I originally hated the way I felt when I thought about going to my new youth group, I was determined to go and enjoy myself. I did my best to push myself to think and feel differently about it. Instead of dreading having to be around everyone, I took it as an opportunity to quietly observe and understand everyone a little better. Rather than feeling irritated that I was spending my Saturday with people I thought didn’t care for, I took it as a chance to make new friends. Eventually, I had a good streak of going every Wednesday. All the alarms that went off in my head proved to be false. I’ve built some amazing relationships with friends and mentors and have taken many opportunities to serve in my community. Within a year, I overcame my anxiety about the youth group, and it’s become one of the highlights of my week. Fast forward to the present, and my experiences from my youth group have helped me grow as a person. It has gifted me the confidence to put myself in unfamiliar environments and thrive in them. By working in churches, camps, and other similar settings, I’m now better equipped with the tools to be at ease with unease. This integral chapter of my life has shaped my perspective on anxiety and the ways in which I manage it. My experience with anxiety has had a meaningful influence on my choice to become an art therapist. I want to take my passion for visual arts and the knowledge I’ve gleaned from dealing with anxiety and channel it towards helping others. I want to support and empower people who face mental health challenges in their day-to-day life to overcome them. Creating art puts my mind at peace, and I know it can be used as a technique for healing to help others as well.

As my family pulled into the parking lot of the church, I felt a tightening in my chest and a prickling sensation that spread across my face like TV static. I shifted from feeling comfortable with the idea of a new youth group, to being reluctant to even leave the car. Every alarm bell went off in my head, and I couldn’t focus on anything other than the feeling that I was somehow making a mistake by going inside. My whole body felt hot and shaky, and my tear-streaked face burned red with embarrassment. I spent the whole night unable to breathe, and resorted to familiarizing myself with the carpeted floor because I couldn’t look anyone in the eye. I didn’t play the games, I didn’t talk in small groups, and for a while, I skipped almost every other week. The thought of going made me so anxious that I would become physically ill. When I forced myself to go, I would bring my sketchbook with me as a form of respite. During this period of my life, art became a critical part of my identity serving as my chosen coping mechanism in dealing with my frequent bouts with anxiety. Although I originally hated the way I felt when I thought about going to my new youth group, I was determined to go and enjoy myself. I did my best to push myself to think and feel differently about it. Instead of dreading having to be around everyone, I took it as an opportunity to quietly observe and understand everyone a little better. Rather than feeling irritated that I was spending my Saturday with people I thought didn’t care for, I took it as a chance to make new friends. Eventually, I had a good streak of going every Wednesday. All the alarms that went off in my head proved to be false. I’ve built some amazing relationships with friends and mentors and have taken many opportunities to serve in my community. Within a year, I overcame my anxiety about the youth group, and it’s become one of the highlights of my week. Fast forward to the present, and my experiences from my youth group have helped me grow as a person. It has gifted me the confidence to put myself in unfamiliar environments and thrive in them. By working in churches, camps, and other similar settings, I’m now better equipped with the tools to be at ease with unease. This integral chapter of my life has shaped my perspective on anxiety and the ways in which I manage it. My experience with anxiety has had a meaningful influence on my choice to become an art therapist. I want to take my passion for visual arts and the knowledge I’ve gleaned from dealing with anxiety and channel it towards helping others. I want to support and empower people who face mental health challenges in their day-to-day life to overcome them. Creating art puts my mind at peace, and I know it can be put to great use as a method of healing for others as well.

As my family pulled into the parking lot of the church, I felt a tightening in my chest and a prickling sensation that spread across my face like TV static. I shifted from feeling comfortable with the idea of a new youth group, to being reluctant to even leave the car. Every alarm bell went off in my head, and I couldn’t focus on anything other than the feeling that I was somehow making a mistake by going inside. My whole body felt hot and shaky, and my tear-streaked face burned red with embarrassment. I spent the whole night unable to breathe, and resorted to familiarizing myself with the carpeted floor because I couldn’t look anyone in the eye. I didn’t play the games, I didn’t talk in small groups, and for a while, I skipped almost every other week. The thought of going made me so anxious that I would become physically ill. When I forced myself to go, I would bring my sketchbook with me as a form of respite. During this period of my life, art became a critical part of my identity serving as my chosen coping mechanism in dealing with my frequent bouts with anxiety. Although I originally hated the way I felt when I thought about going to my new youth group, I was determined to go and enjoy myself. I did my best to push myself to think and feel differently about it. Instead of dreading having to be around everyone, I took it as an opportunity to quietly observe and understand everyone a little better. Rather than feeling irritated that I was spending my Saturday with people I thought didn’t care for, I took it as a chance to make new friends. Eventually, I had a good streak of going every Wednesday. All the alarms that went off in my head proved to be false. I’ve built some amazing relationships with friends and mentors and have taken many opportunities to serve in my community. Within a year, I overcame my anxiety about the youth group, and it’s become one of the highlights of my week. Fast forward to the present, and my experiences from my youth group have helped me grow as a person. It has gifted me the confidence to put myself in unfamiliar environments and thrive in them. By working in churches, camps, and other similar settings, I’m now better equipped with the tools to be at ease with unease. This integral chapter of my life has shaped my perspective on anxiety and the ways in which I manage it. My experience with anxiety has had a meaningful influence on my choice to become an art therapist. I want to take my passion for visual arts and the knowledge I’ve gleaned from dealing with anxiety and channel it towards helping others. I want to support and empower people who face mental health challenges in their day-to-day life to overcome them. Creating art puts my mind at peace, and I know it can be put to great use as a method of healing for others as well. All of the pieces of art I have submitted reflect the internal conflict between my anxiety and my personality and have helped me in my journey with mental health and anxiety. The bright, colorful elements symbolize me among the anxious expression.

As my family pulled into the parking lot of the church, I felt my chest tighten and my head get fuzzy. Suddenly, I went from feeling comfortable with the idea of a new youth group, to being reluctant to leave the car and go inside. Every alarm was going off in my head, and I couldn’t focus on anything other than the feeling that going in was a mistake. My whole body was hot and shaky, and my face red with tears. I spent the whole night unable to breathe, crying, and staring at the floor because I couldn’t look anyone in the eye. I didn’t play the games, I didn’t talk in small groups, and for a while, I skipped almost every other week. The thought of going made me so anxious to the point of feeling sick. When I did go, I brought my sketchbook to draw in rather than participating to avoid contact with anyone. Art became part of my identity during this period of my life because making art became my coping mechanism to deal with the anxiety I faced every day. Although I hated the way I felt when I thought about my new youth group, I was determined to go and enjoy myself, so I did my best to push myself to think and feel differently about it. Instead of dreading having to be around everyone, I took it as an opportunity to quietly observe and understand everyone a little better. Rather than feeling irritated that I was spending my Saturday with people I thought didn’t care for, I took it as a chance to make new friends. Eventually, I had a good streak of going every Wednesday, and all the alarms that went off in my head proved to be false. I’ve built some amazing relationships with friends and mentors and have taken many opportunities to serve in my community. Within a year, I had overcome my anxiety about youth, and it’s become one of the best parts of my week. My experience with anxiety has had a meaningful influence on my choice to become an art therapist. I want to take my passion for creating art and the knowledge I have from dealing with anxiety and use it towards helping others. I want to support and assist people who face mental health challenges in their day-to-day life to overcome them. Making art puts my mind at ease, and I know it can be a beneficial tool to help others as well.

As my family pulled into the parking lot of the church, I felt my chest tighten and my head get fuzzy. Suddenly, I went from feeling comfortable with the idea of a new youth group, to being reluctant to leave the car and go inside. Every alarm was going off in my head, and I couldn’t focus on anything other than the feeling that going in was a mistake. My whole body was hot and shaky, and my face red with tears. I spent the whole night unable to breathe, crying, and staring at the floor because I couldn’t look anyone in the eye. I didn’t play the games, I didn’t talk in small groups, and for a while, I skipped almost every other week. The thought of going made me so anxious to the point of feeling sick. When I did go, I brought my sketchbook to draw in rather than participating as a way to avoid contact with anyone. Art became part of my identity during this period of my life because making art became my coping mechanism to deal with the anxiety I faced every day. Although I hated the way I felt when I thought about my new youth group, I was determined to go and enjoy myself, so I did my best to push myself to think and feel differently about it. Instead of dreading having to be around everyone, I took it as an opportunity to quietly observe and understand everyone a little better. Rather than feeling irritated that I was spending my Saturday with people I thought didn’t care for, I took it as a chance to make new friends. Eventually, I had a good streak of going every Wednesday, and all the alarms that went off in my head proved to be false. I’ve built some amazing relationships with friends and mentors and have taken many opportunities to serve in my community. Within a year, I had overcome my anxiety about youth, and it’s become one of the best parts of my week. My experience with anxiety has had a meaningful influence on my choice to become an art therapist. I want to take my passion for creating art and the knowledge I have from dealing with anxiety and use it towards helping others. I want to support and assist people who face mental health challenges in their day-to-day life to overcome them. Making art puts my mind at ease, and I know it can be a beneficial tool to help others as well.