In terms of my academic and career goals, I wish to pursue a bachelor’s degree in the field of psychology and go into medical school to obtain a degree in medicine to become a psychiatrist. I think I always wanted to do something that had to do with helping others. In this aspect, however, I wanted to help people with their psychological health. My friends and family have been a huge part of my journey in figuring out what I want to do with my life. Additionally, we all have our problems, and I am often the one they come to when someone has said something hurtful, or when they have issues in their personal lives. Both my friends and my siblings have described me as attentive and caring, and I would like to say I am. Generally, I just like to listen to people’s stories and help them work through whatever they are going through. I like to be able to be part of a person’s healing process and say, “I did that. I helped them, and they look so much happier.” I just love making people happy. It makes me happy. I want to be able to become a psychiatrist in order to help those with mental health issues and bring comfort and peace into their lives. So many people in the world are plagued by the excruciating experience that is a mental disorder, and I want to make a difference in people’s lives. I don’t want to just give people medicine and tell them, “Here, this will fix your health. Keep taking that, again and again, and again..” People start to lose trust in the people that are supposed to help them heal. They lose trust in medicine. Medicine is supposed to help, not harm. I want to give the medicine needed to heal, but I also want to go through the healing processes- the needed processes to prevent relapsing into mental disorders. My goals will benefit society because I want to do more than just give medicine- I want to connect with people, and I want to expand mental health awareness around the world, in places that are not the most mentally aware. I want to be able to expand upon society’s understanding of anxiety, depression, and bipolar disorder- because they are real and important issues. They are issues that affect an individual’s day-to-day life. And they are issues that, when affecting an individual, affect the processes of society. When the president of a country is battling depression, how can they lead and take care of a country, when they are not capable of caring for themselves? Noam Sphancer, Ph. D., once said, “Mental health…is not a destination, but a process. It’s about how you drive, not where you’re going.” I want to be the person that helps people to go through the process- the journey. As a psychiatrist, I want to not only improve individual health but society’s health, and provide care for those who cannot afford it. But overall, I want to help those who do not see themselves as valuable, and I want to be the one to help them realize their true potential, and help them realize that they do matter. A universal truth is that every single person on this planet is important and has a place in the world. And I want to be the one to say, “You do matter. You are important. You do have a place in this world. And you can get better- one step at a time.” One step at a time.

Books are not only paper-bound objects, with words flowing from page to page, those pages creased and torn by loving fingers. Books are magic- they are transportation devices that take you to castles ruled by silent queens, to battlefields written in blood and ink, and to haunted houses with lonely spirits. One book that I have learned a lot from, and that has stayed in my mind ever since I read it, is They Called Us Enemy by George Takei. The book is a graphic novel and speaks volumes with only heartfelt pictures and emotional language. Takei tells how he and his family learned to make the best out of the worst. Executive 9066 was ordered by President Roosevelt, and Americans of Japanese descent were evicted and moved into internment camps across the nation. It was an excruciating experience for the Japanese residing in the United States, and Takei shared the events that occurred during his childhood in the camps. He learned about resilience, faith, love, a country torn by prejudice, and when to stand up for oneself. America’s past has always interested me, and as uncomfortable as it is, I believe it is imperative to speak about important issues. George Takei’s book helped me reinforce the belief that America has done terrible things, as many countries have done. And we can say that we are a great country, but it will never be a great country unless we learn from the past mistakes that have been made; unless we learn to love, and unless we change the corruption embedded in society. I loved They Called Us Enemy not just because of the heartfelt pictures and emotional language but also because of the powerful message: we must change for the better and for the future.

I was in 5th grade, and our class had started a new project. We were to start writing our very own books. The teacher said we would have them published, and I thought, “Having something we made published? Holding it in my very own hands?” I was excited, so I started writing. That small project led me to discover a new hobby: I loved to write. I tended to be very indecisive in what I wanted to write. I started many books, but rarely did I finish them. I wrote of princesses wielding powers, estranged witches, ice skaters with big dreams, and heroes in unlikely places. After completing three draft books, I write of ghosts finding love, a small town with secrets bound in Greek myth, an isolated teen’s journey through life, and girls being comfortable with their bodies. Another hobby I have involves drawing. I started drawing in 2019, and it was discouraging to look at my art and then look at others, but I loved to draw. So I kept drawing. Drawing isn’t something I frequently do, especially with my busy schedule, but when I do, I immerse myself in the lines I create, charcoal smudges on the page, and bent sketchbook pages. Writing and drawing aren’t just hobbies for me. Writing is a mindset. Drawing is a mindset. It’s something that I look forward to, learn from, and can connect to. And I don’t just look forward to it; I look back and see how far I have come from my 11-year-old-self writing on that paper pad; to see how far I have come in my art journey, and I continue to grow. Because hobbies aren’t just something we enjoy, they are something we learn from.

Imagine yourself in a crowded room, voices overlapping, and feeling suffocated as someone accidentally jabs you in the arm with their purse. Then you reach inside your jacket pocket and pull out your earbuds, connecting them to your phone, and soon, soft music pours into your ears. Everything seems to slow down, and your heart is calm as the voices and people are drowned out by a combination of guitar notes and acoustic vocals. I constantly find myself in overwhelming situations, but music is something that always manages to calm my nerves. I tend to be a very stressed and anxious person, so always having my earbuds on me is comforting. Music makes me feel safe, happy, and even sad. I find it interesting how something that can make you happy can make you feel sad at the same time, but I think that is what I like about music. It's versatile and has so much emotion within a few lyrics and chords. Listening to music helps me think deeply about certain situations in my life, whether I listen to R&B or soft rock. By doing so, I can calm down in stressful situations and unplug from a world that can be a little too overwhelming sometimes.