The struggle of overcoming obstacles when your mental health isn't where it needs to be is hard. Constantly overthinking, my mind is always running, panicking because I am unsure of what the future has waiting for me. I have anxiety and battle with depression. Knowing firsthand how mental health is often ignored in children is what inspired me to take action against the stereotypes formed with the topic. I am a proud advocate for mental health and illnesses. My childhood is a reason I became interested in mental health, the feeling of no one being there for you and the anxious tendencies creeping on you to the point that being around a large crowd makes you panic. Self-love is what I first struggled with growing up, being bullied about my looks was no help. I was in middle school, and girls were mean so I had no one to turn to other than a friend who also was battling depression and self-harm herself. I did all that I could to make sure the both of us were somewhat content. I have learned that it is okay to ask for help, it is okay to feel the way you are feeling, you have the right to express your emotions. I believe no one should tell you how to feel in situations they were not in. Though it might take some practice, especially if you've spent years criticizing yourself, it is okay to seek help in a variety of ways. The journey is specifically about you and your healing, you should take as much time as necessary. I am currently studying Psychology as well as Social Work, I plan on becoming a child psychologist. Mental health starts during your adolescent years. Letting the child learn at an early age how important it is to express themselves and their feelings can help contribute to change in the community. Foster children are also a focus that I have, I got the opportunity to learn about a program called "The Ruby Project" which focuses on providing therapy to foster children. This is where I decided on learning about social work, you provide resources to those in need of help. Over the past two summers, I have had the opportunity to work with children at a summer camp. I was with 8 and 9-year-olds one year and the next 9-11-year-olds. I created a safe space with both of my groups and they started opening up about their home lives. One even stated how she was being mistreated at home and how it affected her. When I was with the older kids, we had weekly check-in sessions, I even did an interactive lesson about how our words can hurt each other. One of the biggest accomplishments I had there was near the end of the summer, one child came up to me and stated how much they appreciated being able to talk to me about something she has always been afraid to talk about. I chose psychology to gain a better perspective on the development of the mind. I believe that there are many stereotypes against mental health due to the lack of education others have. When I tell people what I would like to do as my career, the first thing everyone says is that "Oh, you want to work with those crazy people." Providing therapy for those with mental health disorders and illnesses does not mean that they are crazy. With proper knowledge, there will be a large opportunity to bring awareness to mental health. I will change the negative views on mental health.

The struggle of overcoming obstacles when your mental health isn't where it needs to be is hard. Constantly overthinking, my mind is always running, panicking because I am unsure of what the future has waiting for me. I have anxiety and battle with depression. Knowing firsthand how mental health is often ignored in children is what inspired me to take action against the stereotypes formed with the topic. I am a proud advocate for mental health and illnesses. My childhood is a reason I became interested in mental health, the feeling of no one being there for you and the anxious tendencies creeping on you to the point that being around a large crowd makes you panic. Self-love is what I first struggled with growing up, being bullied about my looks was also no help. I was in middle school, and the boys and girls were mean so I had no one to turn to other than a friend who also was battling depression and self-harm herself. I did all that I could to make sure the both of us were somewhat content. I have learned that it is okay to ask for help, it is okay to feel the way you are feeling, and you have the right to express your emotions. I believe no one should tell you how to feel in situations they were not in. Though it might take some practice, especially if you've spent years criticizing yourself, it is okay to seek help in a variety of ways. The journey is specifically about you and your healing, you should take as much time as necessary. I am currently studying Psychology as well as Social Work, and I plan on becoming a child psychologist. Mental health starts during your adolescent years. Letting the child learn at an early age how important it is to express themselves and their feelings can help contribute to change in the community. Foster children are also a focus that I have, I got the opportunity to learn about a program called "The Ruby Project" which focuses on providing therapy to foster children. This is where I decided on learning about social work, you provide resources to those in need of help. I chose psychology to gain a better perspective on the development of the mind. I believe that there are many stereotypes against mental health due to the lack of education others have. When I tell people what I would like to do as my career, the first thing everyone says is that "Oh, you want to work with those crazy people." Providing therapy for those with mental health disorders and illnesses does not mean that they are crazy. Over the past two summers, I have had the opportunity to work with children at a summer camp. I was with 8 and 9-year-olds one year and the next 9 to 11-year-olds., I created a safe space with both of my groups and they started opening up about their home lives. One even stated how she was being mistreated at home and how it affected her. When I was with the older kids, we had weekly check-in sessions, I even did an interactive lesson about how our words can hurt each other. One of the biggest accomplishments I had there was near the end of the summer, one child came up to me and stated how much they appreciated being able to talk to me about something she has always been afraid to talk about. With proper knowledge, there will be a large opportunity to bring awareness to mental health. I will change the negative views on mental health.