I've struggled with mental health over the course of my life. I've dealt with anxiety, which manifested itself in many ways, including poor self-confidence and self-image. This last year, I had my first personal experience with therapy, which radically improved my own mental health, further demonstrating the importance of counseling. My experiences with anxiety, grief, and counseling have pushed me to enter the field of mental health so that I can continue to advocate for mental health in my community. Anxiety has been something I've dealt with a majority of my life. When I was young, I struggled with excessive shyness, often being pushed out of my comfort zone just to say hello. As I aged, I found ways to express myself through theatre and music, but anxiety made its way into those passions as well. I began to dread performances, having nightmares about forgetting lines. This year, it reached a point where I was anxious about my friendships, doubting that people cared for me in the way they said they did. It was exhausting, but I learned to cope with it thanks to counseling. I've found my way out, and these experiences have pressed even further the importance of helping others find their own ways out. This year, I also lost a close friend to cancer. He'd been battling cancer for as long as I'd known him, but it taught me about the grieving process. When I learned he had passed, I was relatively calm. I learned that perhaps my heart wasn't broken because of all the ways I had already grieved my friend in a healthy way. I'd watched him struggle to do simple things because he didn't have the strength. I'd watched him lose many close relationships when they were confronted with the reality of his disease. I was able to make a quick trip home and visit him as he neared the end of his life. All these things taught me that you can grieve a person before they're ever even gone. That doesn't mean I never miss him. He was an advocate for mental health, though, and he taught me that no situation has to steal your joy. He is the best example I've seen of someone confronting a dark situation with humor and joy. He was a light to everyone, and he has inspired me to be the same. Even when he struggled mentally, it was important to him to pour into others. I hope to be that to my own people. My own experience with counseling this year has changed me radically. I reached a point in my anxiety journey where I realized I couldn't battle alone anymore, and I made one of the proudest decisions of my lifetime: I decided to move. I stepped in the direction of change, rather than letting it consume me, and it changed my life. I've always been very emotionally aware, but awareness doesn't always equate to well-being. My counselor constantly complimented my awareness and understanding of my own emotions but also pushed me to consider my self-talk more honestly. I learned about how easy it was to lie to myself about where I was at mentally and how quickly those lies can become absolute truth. My counselor helped me unravel those "truths" that I had taught myself. This year, as I struggled through anxiety and grief, I found truth and a deeper awareness of myself through counseling. My counseling experience has further solidified my commitment to counseling others--helping them through anxiety, walking with them through grief, and helping to lead them toward self-awareness and healing.

I've struggled with mental health over the course of my life. I've dealt with anxiety, which manifested itself in many ways, including poor self-confidence and self-image. This last year, I had my first personal experience with therapy, which radically improved my own mental health, further demonstrating the importance of counseling. My experiences with anxiety, grief, and counseling have pushed me to enter the field of mental health so that I can continue to advocate for mental health in my community. Anxiety has been something I've dealt with a majority of my life. When I was young, I struggled with excessive shyness, often being pushed out of my comfort zone just to say hello. As I aged, I found ways to express myself through theatre and music, but anxiety made its way into those passions as well. I began to dread performances, having nightmares about forgetting lines. This year, it reached a point where I was anxious about my friendships, doubting that people cared for me in the way they said they did. It was exhausting, but I learned to cope with it thanks to counseling. I've found my way out, and these experiences have pressed even further the importance of helping others find their own ways out. This year, I also lost a close friend to cancer. He'd been battling cancer for as long as I'd known him, but it taught me about the grieving process. When I learned he had passed, I was relatively calm. I learned that perhaps my heart wasn't broken because of all the ways I had already grieved my friend in a healthy way. I'd watched him struggle to do simple things because he didn't have the strength. I'd watched him lose many close relationships when they were confronted with the reality of his disease. I was able to make a quick trip home and visit him as he neared the end of his life. All these things taught me that you can grieve a person before they're ever even gone. That doesn't mean I never miss him. He was an advocate for mental health, though, and he taught me that no situation has to steal your joy. He is the best example I've seen of someone confronting a dark situation with humor and joy. He was a light to everyone, and he has inspired me to be the same. Even when he struggled mentally, it was important to him to pour into others. I hope to be that to my own people. My own experience with counseling this year has changed me radically. I reached a point in my anxiety journey where I realized I couldn't battle alone anymore, and I made one of the proudest decisions of my lifetime: I decided to move. I stepped in the direction of change, rather than letting it consume me, and it changed my life. I've always been very emotionally aware, but awareness doesn't always equate to well-being. My counselor constantly complimented my awareness and understanding of my own emotions but also pushed me to consider my self-talk more honestly. I learned about how easy it was to lie to myself about where I was at mentally and how quickly those lies can become absolute truth. My counselor helped me unravel those "truths" that I had taught myself. This year, as I struggled through anxiety and grief, I found truth and a deeper awareness of myself through counseling. My counseling experience has further solidified my commitment to counseling others--helping them through anxiety, walking with them through grief, and helping to lead them toward self-awareness and healing.

I've struggled with my mental health over the course of my life. I've dealt with anxiety, which manifested itself in many different ways. I've had poor self-confidence and self-image, and I've certainly been confronted with grief. This last year, however, I had my first personal experience with therapy, which radically improved my own mental health, further demonstrating the importance of counseling to me. My experiences with anxiety, grief, and counseling have pushed me to enter the field of mental health. Anxiety has been something I've dealt with a majority of my life. When I was young, I struggled with excessive shyness, often being pushed out of my comfort zone just to say hello. As I aged, I found ways to express myself through theatre and music, but anxiety made its way into those passions as well. I began to dread every performance, having nightmares about forgetting lines. This last year, it reached a point where I was anxious about my friendships, doubting that people cared for me in the way they said they did. It has been exhausting, but it is something I've learned to cope with thanks to counseling. My experiences with anxiety this last year reminded me how lost people can be, even within their own heads, and how important it is that people don't stay there. I've found my way out, and these experiences have pressed even further the importance of helping others find their own ways out. Anxiety isn't the only issue I've dealt with, however. I've been confronted, this year especially, with periods of grief. I've grieved people that are still alive and people who aren't. I lost a very close friendship this year, which I spent a lot of time grieving. It has, however, greatly informed the way that I have looked at (and will continue to look at) relationships I will form in the future. I didn't realize the dangers of miscommunication fully until I was deep in the middle of them and will not allow overthinking to take hold of my relationships in the future. The only feeling that can hurt as bad as grieving someone who is still alive, though, is grieving someone lost too soon. This year I lost two people. First, a brother of a close friend, who I knew very well, took his own life. This was my first up-close confrontation with suicide, and it taught me some very important lessons. Most notably, it taught me that a person can never know how much time they have left with someone. I wasn't close friends with this young man, but I knew him very well and was a part of small groups with him in years past. Thinking that I'll never get to speak into his life, maybe change his mind, breaks my heart, but it further pushes me into the career of counseling. I don't ever want to lose someone to their own mind again. Second, I lost a much closer friend to cancer. He'd been battling cancer for just about as long as I'd known him, so this was less sudden, but it did teach me about the grieving process and how it can differ. When I received the news he had passed, I found myself relatively calm, as though I had a complete peace around this situation. I learned that perhaps my heart wasn't broken because of all the ways I had already grieved my friend. I'd watched him struggle to do simple things because he didn't have the strength. I'd watched him complete high school online because he couldn't risk being exposed to sickness. I'd watched him be unable to leave for college because he had to continue treatment, and I watched him lose many close relationships when they were confronted with the reality of his disease. I was able to make a quick trip home and visit him as he neared the end of his life. All these things taught me that you can grieve a person before they're ever even gone. That doesn't mean I never miss him. I still sometimes think of things I'd like to say to him, but I always knew that this may come to pass. He taught me, though, that no situation has to steal your joy. He is the best example I've ever seen of someone confronting a dark situation with humor and joy. He was a light to everyone around him, and he has absolutely inspired me to be the same. His mental health wasn't always perfect, but even when he struggled, it was important to him to pour into others. I hope to be that to my own people. Finally, my experience with counseling this year has changed me radically. I reached a point in my anxiety journey where I realized I couldn't battle alone anymore, and I made one of the proudest decisions of my lifetime: I decided to move. I stepped in the direction of change, rather than letting it consume me, and it absolutely changed my life. I've always been very emotionally aware, but awareness doesn't always equate to well-being. In my case, it certainly didn't. My counselor constantly complimented my awareness and understanding of my own emotions, but also pushed me to consider my self-talk more honestly. I learned about how easy it was to lie to myself about where I was at mentally and how quickly those lies can become absolute truth. My counselor helped me unravel those "truths" that I had taught myself. This year, as I struggled through anxiety and grief, I found truth and a deeper awareness of myself through counseling. In the past, I watched my mom benefit from a counseling program that changed the direction of my family, and this made me want to pursue counseling. My counseling experience has further solidified my commitment to counseling others--helping them through anxiety, walking with them through grief, and leading them gently toward self-awareness and healing.

One person can make a difference. Throughout high school, I was a part of many organizations, some of which were toxic, and I worked to reshape those organizations into a place where bullying was not welcome. As Vice President and then President of my high school's Thespian Troupe, the other officers and I created a safe and accepting environment where all people felt welcomed. Through this experience, I was able to advocate on behalf of those who struggled to stand up for themselves. Additionally, my junior year, I was selected to be a member of an anti-bullying team that presented to grades 4-6 in the Rolla Public Schools. Before presenting, we had several trainings where we learned about different types of bullying; this served as a reminder and was eye-opening for me to realize how prevalent bullying is not only in my school but in the world at large. Through this program, we were able to come alongside middle school students and teach them how to recognize bullying and advocate both for themselves and for one another. I remember one blonde little girl who raised her hand to share, "Sometimes bullying can make you stronger." It broke my heart to think that someone had normalized bullying for this little girl, and I responded, "It's true that bullying can make someone stronger, but no one should be able to tell you how you need to change yourself or have power over you. No one has a right to hurt you in a way that makes you different--that is only up to you." I hope that I was able to make a difference in this little girl's view of bullying. While I have been an anti-bullying advocate for many years, my decision to pursue psychology and return to Rolla as a therapist has a more personal root. There was a time in my life a few years ago when I was really struggling with some familial relationships, which led me to seek therapy. I was, unfortunately, not able to find a local therapist that I felt comfortable going to, and I experienced the frustration of the mental health system. My plans to pursue therapy as a career have also been shaped by secondary trauma in my own life, centered around my adopted sister, whom I love so much. But her becoming a part of my life has been one of the hardest things I’ve ever gone through. Many times, she's lost control of her emotions in ways that have led me to shut myself in my room and cry, hoping she’ll be willing to speak rationally when I come out. It’s also taught me about the value of counseling and therapy because, when she was at her worst, my mom started a counseling program that taught her how to differently parent a child with reactive attachment disorder (RAD). And it worked wonders. My sister doesn’t get trapped in her own head anymore, and she has grown into a beautiful and functional young lady who is able to express herself rather than just shutting down. Through my experiences in my own family, my struggles with mental health, and my anti-bullying advocacy, I have developed a deep personal commitment to children and adolescents struggling with mental health and bullying. Since I faced challenges finding a mental health professional, I hope to improve the process simply by being present--by advocating for additional mental health professionals and serving as a resource to those struggling in my hometown. I believe one person can make a difference, and I hope to be that one person.

In my life so far, I've been shaped by many people without even always knowing it. Those people, the people who have shaped me into the man I am now often go unnoticed, but thinking about them and all that they have done for me, I feel nothing but grateful. I have had many incredible influences in my life that have pointed me to where I am now, but the most influential of them all has been my mom. She has never stopped teaching me, even when she didn't know it. In fact, I've often found myself most inspired by her bravery and strength that she has always had, even when she thought nobody saw it. Growing up, my mom worked from home so that she could be with my siblings and I. She would spend 8 hours a day working on her laptop, laser focused on whatever task she had at hand, with an attention to detail that I can't even begin to comprehend. After working an 8 hour day, we came home from school, and her work continued, though now she wasn't working her day job, but rather the persistently difficult job that it is to be a mother. She would spend as much time with us as she could, trying to make sure that we didn't waste our lives with a screen in our faces. She never gave up, not for one minute, and, looking back, I can't recall a single moment where I saw the wear and tear of her constant busyness catch up to her. She just kept going. She has also taught me about the importance of a willingness to change. Several years ago, my family adopted a little girl from India who, for the longest time, was prone to these fits of violent, inexplicable rage. She would lash out, both physically and verbally, when things didn't go her way, and I had begun to reach a breaking point, when I started to notice a change in the way my mom was behaving. She was talking to my sister differently and, at first, it drove me crazy. I lashed out at her many times, telling her how dumb it was and about how it wasn't working, but she persisted. As time passed, I began to realize that she was right. I couldn't remember the last time my sister had lost her temper, and now she was so tender with the rest of us. My mom had never given up, but instead, she was willing to adapt, believing that this new way of parenting my sister would work. Finally, she's taught me about the importance of vulnerability. As I've gotten older and more mature, she has brought down some of the walls she had built up. She has shown me that she isn't always this perfect champion who never fails, who never breaks, who never cries. Before, when I was younger, what I needed was a pillar of strength to guide me where I was going. But the older I've gotten, the more she has become a friend, which is the new role she saw in my life that needed filling. She's taught me about the importance of advocating for yourself, as she stepped into a new job that has fulfilled her much more than she ever was working at home. She is such an inspiration to me and, whether she knew it or not, she has always been the most influential person to me.

I have a passion for performing. I've always loved the idea of being on stage, but I didn't discover my creative passion until I was about 10 years old. Since then, I've been in more shows than I can count, and I've loved every minute of it. From being involved with my school theatre to participating in the incredibly active and living community theatre in my area, I have taken every opportunity I could to be on a stage and to perform for live audiences. I am truly passionate about performing, and while it's certainly easy from an outside perspective to see performers as vain, the reason I do it is because I love to see how it affects other people. I love to make people smile and laugh, and I also love to see them moved by incredibly powerful stories. That is what I love about the theatre: it is so human. It puts a mirror up to society and shows the audience what performers see. It gives the audience the opportunity to reflect and learn in an emotional and deep way that can't be taught. It grants them the gift of laughter and joy in times where they feel that they have none. There is nothing better than seeing all the people who leave a theatre a little different than they walked in. It's such a beautiful thing that can only be fully experienced in live theatre. As much as I love theatre, it does keep me very busy, which is why my interest is incredibly piqued by the second question, because it's almost unfathomable to me. An extra 24 hours! I would like to think that with that extra time, I would find more time do be productive, but more than that I think I would also find more time to do the things that I love to do. I'd spend more time singing just to sing, without worrying about the stress of an upcoming performance. I also think I'd love to read and write more. As with my love of theatre and performing, I love telling stories. This includes writing them! I love creating stories from my own mind to express how I see the things and people around me, and also to transport people away from the world we often seem trapped in. With reading, it has always felt almost like a chore. It's never been something I just got to do at my leisure, but rather have had to do for the sake of an assignment. I would love to spend some of those extra hours figuring out what I like to read, not influenced by the outside forces that have always informed those decisions. Although I love performing for audiences and writing pieces for others to enjoy, I feel most creative when I am alone in nature. As an introvert, I use this time to recharge so that I have more energy to contribute to my live theater performances or to generate ideas for a story that's percolating in the back of my mind. Using my creative abilities--through live theatre, through writing, and through continued learning about myself through reading--allows me to use my passions to contribute to the world around me.

I have had several experiences with mental illness in my own life and in my family. As a result of secondary trauma in my life, I've decided to pursue therapy as a career so that I can help people cope with and hopefully overcome their difficult situations. My secondary trauma is centered around my adopted sister, whom I love so much. Because I have taken on secondary trauma from her mental illness, I have developed positive and negative coping mechanisms, including creating a busy schedule to get away from home as well as denial (to myself and to others) that I’m struggling at all. Her becoming a part of my life has been one of the hardest things I’ve ever gone through but has also led to positive change in my life because I have witnessed the importance of therapy. My sister was almost 8 when my family chose to adopt her over 5 years ago. Since then, she's lost control of her emotions many times in ways that have led me to shut myself in my room and cry, hoping she would be willing to speak rationally when I came out. It has also taught me about the value of counseling because, when she was at her worst, my mom started a counseling program that taught her how to parent a child with reactive attachment disorder (RAD) differently in a way that encouraged my sister to attach in a healthy way. And it worked wonders. My sister doesn’t get trapped in her own head anymore, and she has grown into a beautiful and functional young lady who is able to express herself rather than just shutting down. Seeing that is part of what has made me want to become a therapist. The change that can happen in someone’s life from counseling is astonishing and is something that I want to be able to do for people. I've also struggled with mental health, not just as a result of my sister, but in my own private life. I have had pretty severe anxiety at several different times in my life. Whether it was fear so intense that it caused me to throw up or even just a constant, subtle anxiety that has prevented me from finding stillness, I have dealt with this a lot in my life. At one point a few years ago, I asked my parents to seek counseling, and they worked to find a local counselor for me but found it difficult to find the right fit. In the meantime, I found solutions in my own life and with the people around me. I'm able to regulate my thoughts and worries by moving around and taking time to focus on breathing. I also have an active religious beliefs that I continue to rely on. It is my goal to return to my hometown as a counselor for young adults because it's so difficult to find a counselor here. At times in my life, I have suffered negative effects from mental illness in myself and in my family. I don’t want anyone to feel trapped, without a voice. I want to help people find the voice that’s been buried in anxiety or bullied out of them, or maybe discover their voice for the first time. I want to make a difference in others' lives--the kind of difference I saw in the life of my family from my mom's counseling program--by becoming a therapist.

I have had several experiences with mental health in my own life and in my family. As a result of secondary trauma in my life, I've decided to pursue therapy as a career so that I can help people cope with and hopefully overcome their difficult situations. My secondary trauma is centered around my adopted sister, whom I love so much. Because I have taken on secondary trauma from her mental illness, I have developed positive and negative coping mechanisms, including creating a busy schedule to get away from home as well as denial (to myself and to others) that I’m struggling at all. Her becoming a part of my life has been one of the hardest things I’ve ever gone through but has also led to positive change in my life because I have witnessed the importance of therapy. My sister was almost 8 when my family chose to adopt her over 5 years ago. Since then, she's lost control of her emotions many times in ways that have led me to shut myself in my room and cry, hoping she’ll be willing to speak rationally when I come out. It’s also taught me about the value of counseling because, when she was at her worst, my mom started a counseling program that taught her how to parent a child with reactive attachment disorder (RAD) differently in a way that encouraged my sister to attach in a healthy way. And it worked wonders. My sister doesn’t get trapped in her own head anymore, and she has grown into a beautiful and functional young lady who is able to express herself rather than just shutting down. Seeing that is part of what has made me want to become a therapist. The change that can happen in someone’s life from counseling is astonishing and is something that I want to be able to do for people. I've also struggled with mental health, not just as a result of my sister, but in my own private life. I have had pretty severe anxiety at several different times in my life. Whether it was fear so intense that it caused me to throw up or even just a constant, subtle anxiety that has prevented me from finding stillness, I have dealt with this a lot in my life. At one point a few years ago, I asked my parents to seek counseling, and they worked to find a local counselor for me but found it difficult to find the right fit. In the meantime, I found solutions in my own life and with the people around me. I'm able to regulate my thoughts and worries by moving around and taking time to focus on breathing. I also have an active religious beliefs that I continue to rely on. It is my goal to return to my hometown as a counselor for young adults because it's so difficult to find a counselor here. At times in my life, I have suffered negative effects from mental illness in myself and in my family. I don’t want anyone to feel trapped, without a voice. I want to help people find the voice that’s been buried in anxiety or bullied out of them, or maybe discover their voice for the first time.

I have had several experiences with mental illness in my own life and in my family. As a result of secondary trauma in my life, I've decided to pursue therapy as a career so that I can help people cope with and hopefully overcome their difficult situations. My secondary trauma is centered around my adopted sister, whom I love so much. Because I have taken on secondary trauma from her mental illness, I have developed positive and negative coping mechanisms, including creating a busy schedule to get away from home as well as denial (to myself and to others) that I’m struggling at all. Her becoming a part of my life has been one of the hardest things I’ve ever gone through but has also led to positive change in my life because I have witnessed the importance of therapy. My sister was almost 8 when my family chose to adopt her over 5 years ago. Since then, she's lost control of her emotions many times in ways that have led me to shut myself in my room and cry, hoping she would be willing to speak rationally when I came out. It also taught me about the value of counseling because, when she was at her worst, my mom started a counseling program that taught her how to parent a child with reactive attachment disorder (RAD) differently in a way that encouraged my sister to attach in a healthy way. And it worked wonders. My sister doesn’t get trapped in her own head anymore, and she has grown into a beautiful and functional young lady who is able to express herself rather than just shutting down. Seeing that is part of what has made me want to become a therapist. The change that can happen in someone’s life from counseling is astonishing and is something that I want to be able to do for people. I've also struggled with mental health, not just as a result of my sister, but in my own private life. I have had pretty severe anxiety at several different times in my life. Whether it was fear so intense that it caused me to throw up or even just a constant, subtle anxiety that has prevented me from finding stillness, I have dealt with this a lot in my life. At one point a few years ago, I asked my parents to seek counseling, and they worked to find a local counselor for me but found it difficult to find the right fit. In the meantime, I found solutions in my own life and with the people around me. I'm able to regulate my thoughts and worries by moving around and taking time to focus on breathing. I also have an active religious beliefs that I continue to rely on. It is my goal to return to my hometown as a counselor for young adults because it's so difficult to find a counselor here. At times in my life, I have suffered negative effects from mental illness in myself and in my family. I don’t want anyone to feel trapped, without a voice. I want to help people find the voice that’s been buried in anxiety or bullied out of them, or maybe discover their voice for the first time.

I have had several experiences with mental illness in my own life and in my family. As a result of secondary trauma in my life, I've decided to pursue therapy as a career so that I can help people cope with and hopefully overcome their difficult situations. My secondary trauma is centered around my adopted sister, whom I love so much. Because I have taken on secondary trauma from her mental illness, I have developed positive and negative coping mechanisms, including creating a busy schedule to get away from home as well as denial (to myself and to others) that I’m struggling at all. Her becoming a part of my life has been one of the hardest things I’ve ever gone through but has also led to positive change in my life because I have witnessed the impact of therapy on my family. My sister was almost 8 when my family chose to adopt her over 5 years ago. Since then, she's lost control of her emotions many times in ways that have led me to shut myself in my room and cry, hoping she’ll be willing to speak rationally when I come out. It’s also taught me about the value of counseling because, when she was at her worst, my mom started a counseling program that taught her how to parent a child with reactive attachment disorder (RAD) differently, in a way that encouraged my sister to attach in a healthy way. And it worked wonders. My sister doesn’t get trapped in her own head anymore, and she has grown into a beautiful and functional young lady who is able to express herself rather than just shutting down. Seeing that is part of what led me to set a goal of becoming a therapist. The change that can happen in someone’s life from counseling is astonishing and is something that I want to be able to do for people. I've also struggled with mental health, not just as a result of my sister, but in my own private life. I have had pretty severe anxiety at several different times in my life. Whether it was fear so intense that it caused me to throw up or even just a constant, subtle anxiety that has prevented me from finding stillness, I have dealt with this a lot in my life. At one point a few years ago, I asked my parents to seek counseling, and they worked to find a local counselor for me but found it difficult to find the right fit in our rural area. In the meantime, I found solutions in my own life and with the people around me. I'm able to regulate my thoughts and worries by moving around and taking time to focus on breathing. I also have active religious beliefs that I continue to rely on. Because of my experiences, it is my goal to return to my hometown as a counselor for young adults because it's so difficult to find a counselor here. At times in my life, I have suffered negative effects from mental illness in myself and in my family. I don’t want anyone to feel trapped, without a voice. I want to help people find the voice that’s been buried in anxiety or bullied out of them, or maybe discover their voice for the first time.

I have had several experiences with mental illness in my own life and in my family. As a result of secondary trauma in my life, I've decided to pursue therapy as a career so that I can help people cope with and hopefully overcome their difficult situations. My secondary trauma is centered around my adopted sister, whom I love so much. Because I have taken on secondary trauma from her mental illness, I have developed positive and negative coping mechanisms, including creating a busy schedule to get away from home as well as denial (to myself and to others) that I’m struggling at all. Her becoming a part of my life has been one of the hardest things I’ve ever gone through but has also led to positive change in my life because I have witnessed the impact of therapy on my family. My sister was almost 8 when my family chose to adopt her over 5 years ago. Since then, she's lost control of her emotions many times in ways that have led me to shut myself in my room and cry, hoping she’ll be willing to speak rationally when I come out. It’s also taught me about the value of counseling because, when she was at her worst, my mom started a counseling program that taught her how to parent a child with reactive attachment disorder (RAD) differently, in a way that encouraged my sister to attach in a healthy way. And it worked wonders. My sister doesn’t get trapped in her own head anymore, and she has grown into a beautiful and functional young lady who is able to express herself rather than just shutting down. Seeing that is part of what led me to set a goal of becoming a therapist. The change that can happen in someone’s life from counseling is astonishing and is something that I want to be able to do for people. I've also struggled with mental health, not just as a result of my sister, but in my own private life. I have had pretty severe anxiety at several different times in my life. Whether it was fear so intense that it caused me to throw up or even just a constant, subtle anxiety that has prevented me from finding stillness, I have dealt with this a lot in my life. At one point a few years ago, I asked my parents to seek counseling, and they worked to find a local counselor for me but found it difficult to find the right fit in our rural area. In the meantime, I found solutions in my own life and with the people around me. I'm able to regulate my thoughts and worries by moving around and taking time to focus on breathing. I also have active religious beliefs that I continue to rely on. Because of my experiences, it is my goal to return to my hometown as a counselor for young adults because it's so difficult to find a counselor here. At times in my life, I have suffered negative effects from mental illness in myself and in my family. I don’t want anyone to feel trapped, without a voice. I want to help people find the voice that’s been buried in anxiety or bullied out of them, or maybe discover their voice for the first time.

I have had several experiences with mental illness in my own life and in my family. As a result of secondary trauma in my life, I've decided to pursue therapy as a career so that I can help people cope with and hopefully overcome their difficult situations. My secondary trauma is centered around my adopted sister, whom I love so much. Because I have taken on secondary trauma from her mental illness, I have developed positive and negative coping mechanisms, including creating a busy schedule to get away from home as well as denial (to myself and to others) that I’m struggling at all. Her becoming a part of my life has been one of the hardest things I’ve ever gone through but has also led to positive change in my life because I have witnessed the importance of therapy. My sister was almost 8 when my family chose to adopt her over 5 years ago. Since then, she's lost control of her emotions many times in ways that have led me to shut myself in my room and cry, hoping she’ll be willing to speak rationally when I come out. It’s also taught me about the value of counseling because, when she was at her worst, my mom started a counseling program that taught her how to parent a child with reactive attachment disorder (RAD) differently in a way that encouraged my sister to attach in a healthy way. And it worked wonders. My sister doesn’t get trapped in her own head anymore, and she has grown into a beautiful and functional young lady who is able to express herself rather than just shutting down. Seeing that is part of what has made me want to become a therapist. The change that can happen in someone’s life from counseling is astonishing and is something that I want to be able to do for people. I've also struggled with mental health, not just as a result of my sister, but in my own private life. I have had pretty severe anxiety at several different times in my life. Whether it was fear so intense that it caused me to throw up or even just a constant, subtle anxiety that has prevented me from finding stillness, I have dealt with this a lot in my life. At one point a few years ago, I asked my parents to seek counseling, and they worked to find a local counselor for me but found it difficult to find the right fit. In the meantime, I found solutions in my own life and with the people around me. I'm able to regulate my thoughts and worries by moving around and taking time to focus on breathing. I also have an active religious life that I continue to rely on. It is my goal to return to my hometown as a counselor for young adults because it's so difficult to find a counselor here. At times in my life, I have suffered negative effects from mental illness in myself and in my family. I don’t want anyone to feel trapped, without a voice. I want to help people find the voice that’s been buried in anxiety or bullied out of them, or maybe discover their voice for the first time.

In my high school career, I’ve participated in many activities. I spent 2 years running cross country, but I didn’t find a place there. I was also in band but found myself not fitting in there either. In exploring my interests, I found theater, which has become one of my biggest passions. I am now the president of my school's thespian troupe and participate in many aspects of theater to help tell beautiful stories on the stage, all because I went out on a limb and auditioned for the spring musical my freshman year. Through these experiences, I’ve met a lot of people, which has given me unique insight into how they think, how they feel in a given moment, and how and when to listen, leading me to pursue a career as a therapist. I see therapy and theater as connected; theater is all about getting into the mind of someone else. When you play a character, you are not acting as yourself; you are portraying someone else’s thoughts and feelings. Similarly, as a therapist, I would utilize the skills I’ve developed in theater by understanding others’ perspectives. Theater has also taught me empathy, which is important because nobody fully understands what someone else is going through; as a therapist, I must listen to, love, empathize, and just be there when someone is willing to talk about their struggles. My plans to pursue therapy as a career have also been shaped by secondary trauma in my own life; I have developed coping mechanisms, including creating a busy schedule to get away from home as well as denial (to myself and to others) that I’m struggling at all. This secondary trauma is centered around my adopted sister, whom I love so much. But her becoming a part of my life has been one of the hardest things I’ve ever gone through. Many times, she's lost control of her emotions entirely in ways that have led me to shut myself in my room and cry, hoping she’ll be willing to speak rationally when I come out. It’s also taught me about the value of counseling and therapy because, when she was at her worst, my mom started a counseling program that taught her how to better parent a child with reactive attachment disorder (RAD). And it worked wonders. My sister doesn’t get trapped in her own head anymore, and she has grown into a beautiful and functional young lady who is able to express herself rather than just shutting down. Seeing that is part of what has made me want to become a therapist. The change that can happen in someone’s life from counseling is astonishing and is something that I want to be able to do for people. I don’t want anyone to feel trapped, without a voice. I want to help people find the voice that’s been buried in anxiety or bullied out of them, or maybe discover their voice for the first time. On top of my adopted sister, I have two other siblings, and we will graduate within a 6-year period. Because of the cost associated with college and having to take care of several other kids, my parents have made paying for college primarily my responsibility. I've received an academic scholarship offer from the school I plan on attending, but it covers just over half the cost. Because of that, and because I would like to graduate debt free (or as close to it as possible), this money would help me get that much closer, and I would be incredibly grateful for your consideration.