The Wizard of Oz is one of my favorite movies, and we, as the audience, can watch the origin story of the Wicked Witch and Glinda in this prequel. I love how it focuses on friendship and identity, especially with the Wicked Witch and her uncovered powers. Behind every fantasy movie, there is a realistic theme we, as individuals, can relate to. It's fascinating how producers and directors can make a piece like Wicked to be related to their audience. Ariana Grande features in the movie as one of the main characters. She plays Glinda. I love Ariana Grande, I have been a fan of her music and the shows she features on since I was in middle school. I have a cover music video of myself singing to her song, Problem, featuring Iggy Azalea. After watching the movie, I was able to reflect that the witch is not as evil as one thinks. There is always a background story to understand before assuming how they were their whole life. I found this movie to be a very powerful movie for understanding the true definition of identity. In some scenes, I was able to relate how it feels to degrade yourself. There's always a way to turn a bad thing into a good outcome.

Maintaining a stable mental health is important to me because it prevents a mental illness. The understanding of mental health has evolved over the years. As a psychology major, I believe it's important to support people in maintaining good mental health and preventing serious harm. Some signs indicate a person may be struggling and there are resources available for various types of traumas. Unfortunately, there is a shortage of child psychiatrists, and children with mental illnesses may be misunderstood or not treated properly, leading to serious outcomes. My ambition is to become a forensic psychologist, specializing in studying the minds of criminals. In this field, a deep understanding of how criminals are shaped is essential. Many criminals have experienced childhood traumas that have influenced their adult lives. The development of criminal behavior is influenced by both nature and nurture. Individuals enduring trauma must receive the necessary help to prevent harm to themselves and others. This is crucial for the criminal justice system in decreasing crime, especially among the young men population. Most violent crimes are performed by young men. This correlates back to their childhood traumas and following the stereotypes of "being more manly" or "showing no emotions". Providing resources for men is part of my plan to help others' mental health and prevent crimes.

In today's world, we hear a lot about mental health and mental illnesses but a couple of decades ago it wasn't recognized. We are living in a generation that is focusing on mental health and has the resources. I believe mental health is important and I am glad as the years go on more people are becoming more supportive of the issues going on with mental health. Today college students endure so much stress that has to do with the economy, politics, school work, and personal traumas. Anxiety and depression have been a big indicator that has been affecting college students. My mental health is important because as a college student with high goals and a family depending on me is not something I can just give up on. College students are the most affected population by anxiety and depression. I have suffered with anxiety my whole life. It is not something that just goes away. As a college student, it can sometimes get in the way of my goals. At times I have to take a step back, breathe, and get back on track. I have never let my anxiety get in the way of opportunities that could have an impact on my future. Universities have plenty of resources that help students in various ways. I have used each one of those resources to improve my mental health and maintain my goal priorities. Maintaining good grades is not always an easy challenge when having difficult interruptions in life. There have been words said by advisors that have positively impacted me. A year ago I lost a good friend of mine it was the worst pain I have endured. My grades were at the lowest but the support I received from family, friends, and advisors has been a pleasant journey in my healing process. As I continue to grow as a student going for a psychology degree I hope my experiences can help others in the future. Having a support system can save a life, just having that one person who can listen to you is very important. I am grateful for my support system and I appreciate them every day. On my bad days, it's a reminder that it can be psychological, if I keep telling myself "I can't do this", repeatably, I will never make progress. Once I start reminiscing my positive affirmations, everything works out the way I planned.

One day, you are playing in a playground with your class, and the next, you are wondering what you're going to do for the rest of your life. It sounds depressing, but is it? The purpose of life is to learn and grow from prior mistakes and life-altering decisions. Growing up with immigrant parents was hard when I was in high school. My father was not able to attend middle school or high school due to his financial situation. I kept in mind that the reason I am living this privileged life is because of them, regardless if they do not speak English. I always think back to the butterfly effect and what I would've been doing right now if they never came to the United States. The stories my parents tell me and watching the news, just seeing what's going on in the little town they come from is horrifying. A family friend on my mom's side was kidnapped 10 years ago, they contacted his family and demanded thousands. To this day he never appeared, he was never found. I remember seeing my mom crying and not being able to go visit family due to her immigration status. When my mother's mom passed away, my mom couldn't go back to her home in Mexico for the same reason. I have never seen my father cry. The one time I have ever seen him cry was when his mother passed away and couldn't fly to Mexico and see her one last time. Fear of leaving my brother and me behind from not being able to come back to the United States. That is the reason why I chose to pursue a higher education. My parents did not grow up with the same privileges as I have right now. I want to take advantage of those opportunities. Throughout high school, I sought help with figuring out FAFSA, NCRDS, scholarships, and anything that prepared me to apply for college. I received a lot of help and I appreciate everyone that became a part of my journey. Ms. Giri from Knightdale High School during my senior year of high school was such an amazing help. At any moment that I was confused, she prepared me and delivered the most useful advice I have every received. Through hard moments in college I always remind myself that my parents did not immigrate to the United States for nothing, they immigrated for me to grow in a safe environment and to achieve a higher education. Their last name will be behind Dr. one day.

Interruptions in life are unexpected and can hold back a person. Life can be good one moment and the next can be a devasting interruption. My mental health has been a roller coaster throughout the years. I've been through losses and struggles which has held me a few steps back. While I attend school I always made it clear that I will never give up. I never gave up, after many failures and disappointments, I picked myself up and kept trying. Growing up as a firstborn woman and first generation in college has taken a toll on my mental health in the beginning. Both parents of mine are only Spanish speakers and have always counted on me. I was to be the role model for my little brother. It took a lot for me to put myself out there, I was diagnosed with anxiety and depression at a young age but that didn't deter me. He looked up to me and I knew best not to disappoint. I learned how to control my anxiety, by having to talk to someone, going on a walk, and learning a breathing technique. Slowly I was able to understand that everything goes into their place as long as I risk it. If I had never put myself out there I would not progress and fulfil my achievements. After losing a good friend of mine, I lost myself, I became severely depressed and was dissociating from reality. At this time I was in my second year in college and my mental health was so low and was contemplating dropping out. In the end, I did not end up dropping out and decided to finish up the courses. I did not end up being satisfied with the results of the courses I had taken and decided to retake them in the upcoming semester. I am so grateful for the support I had during this time and it is something I value so much because they have kept me motivated with my academic performance. The loss of my friend was not meant to be a painful memory but a reason to appreciate life. I learned that even during hard times it is best to take a break and reflect on yourself. The best remedy for my mental health that I have received throughout my journey was my family. We may have our ups and downs but anytime I was at my lowest they brought the light to me. Prioritizing my mental health is very important to me as I am studying psychology. I want to help others overcome anxiety and depression. One's mentality plays a big role in mental health. Most of the time we are so focused on a small situation we don't realize that this feeling can be temporary. We get so tied up in our thoughts. Talking to someone like friends, a family member, or anyone willing to listen can save a life. Every day I am growing and learning how to cope with my anxiety and depression.

Throughout history, there are many people that have made a difference and are known for these big accomplishments. We never look at the smaller details of what they went through and that's the most important part of admiring a historical figure. Thomas Edison is someone I admire from history. He inspires me and motivates me to keep going and get through these challenges and negative comments from people to make it to his high goal. A little background of Thomas Edison, he invented our most popular modern life tech, such as the lightbulb, phonograph, motion the picture camera, the telegraph, and as well as the telephone. With many failed attempts, 1,000 unsuccessful attempts throughput inventing the lightbulb, it took a while for him to proceed to create these fascinating inventions. Not to mention throughout his educational life, teachers would denigrate Thomas Edison. Teachers would claim he was "too stupid to learn anything". Thomas Edison yet did not give up and with these 1,000 failed attempts and proceeded to say "I didn't fail 1,000 times. The light bulb was an invention with 1,000 steps". I personally agree with his statement and dedication, for the fact that he kept the same mentality he had to keep himself sane after negative commentary being said to him. I've been through situations where teachers were not so positive towards my education. It brought me down but I think about how Thomas Edison been there and whom never gave up so quickly even after many tries, yet is now known as an inventor of a modern invention we use today. He has proven these teachers they were wrong about him.