The first time I truly began to understand the importance of serving individuals with special needs was during my freshman year of college, when I volunteered at an afterschool program for children with special needs called Frog Aides. Each volunteer was paired with a specific student, and we spent the evening participating in games, activities, and simple conversations. What stood out to me most was that building a relationship did not begin with having the perfect words or approach. It began with patience, communication, and listening. For many of the students on the autism spectrum, connection came through taking the time to understand how they expressed themselves and what made them feel comfortable, safe, and heard. I quickly fell in love with the program and returned every year throughout college. The more time I spent with these students, the more I realized that they were not asking for anything extraordinary. They wanted attention, kindness, inclusion, and the chance to be understood. Through facilitating activities and spending time with them one on one, I saw how meaningful it can be when someone is fully present and willing to meet a child where they are. That experience shaped the way I think about care and service. It taught me that supporting children with special needs is not about applying one universal method. It is about building trust and recognizing each child as an individual with their own needs, personality, and way of communicating. This foundation led me to continue serving children in another setting through my volunteer work at Manning Children’s Hospital in New Orleans, where I worked in the playroom and teen room facilitating games and activities for patients. While volunteering there, I became increasingly aware of how many pediatric patients also had developmental, behavioral, or communication-related needs. That experience opened my eyes to an important gap in care. I noticed that some of the approaches commonly used to help pediatric patients manage anxiety, understand medical procedures, or cope with hospitalization were not always as effective for children with special needs. In many cases, these children needed a more individualized approach rather than a standard step by step method. Seeing this deepened my interest in pursuing a career focused on children’s mental health, especially in hospital settings. I want to help create environments where children with special needs are not treated as though one strategy should work for everyone. Instead, I hope to advocate for care that is flexible, compassionate, and responsive to each patient as a whole person. My goal is to work in a role where I can help children feel emotionally safe, better understood, and more supported during some of the most overwhelming moments of their lives. As I continue my education in psychology and prepare for a career serving children and families, I hope to make a positive social impact by improving the way care is delivered to patients with special needs. I want to contribute to a system that values individualized communication, emotional support, and dignity as much as medical treatment itself. My experiences have shown me that meaningful change often begins in small moments, by listening closely, adapting with intention, and making sure every child feels seen. In my career, I hope to build on those moments and create spaces where children with special needs receive the understanding and support they deserve.

I had my first experience with nonprofits when I was fifteen years old. I volunteered on a medical nonprofit trip to Rio Bravo, Mexico, where the team needed as many hands as they could get. I arrived expecting that helping meant coming in with a clear plan and providing immediate relief. Instead, I learned one of the most important lessons that has shaped my career goals: the most meaningful nonprofit work begins by listening. The local community members showed us what they needed, how they wanted help, and where our support could be most useful. That experience changed the way I think about service and inspired my desire to pursue a career in the nonprofit sector. In Rio Bravo, I helped with clinic setup, patient intake, and triage, but the role that mattered most was one I created myself. I found myself drawn to the children in the waiting room who were scared, anxious, bored, or in pain. I sat with them, played games, told stories, and simply tried to make them feel safe. Through those moments, I realized that connection, trust, and compassion can be just as powerful as physical care. I also saw how lasting change does not come from outsiders deciding what a community needs. It comes from working alongside people, respecting their knowledge of their own lives, and helping build stronger systems that allow communities to thrive with dignity and independence. That is why I want to pursue a career in the nonprofit sector. I am drawn to nonprofit work because it allows service to be rooted in relationships, cultural awareness, and long term development rather than short term relief alone. While emergency support is important, my goal is to contribute to work that helps communities become less dependent on constant outside aid. I want to be part of efforts that focus on development, accountability, and thoughtful use of resources so that support creates lasting opportunities instead of temporary solutions. My future is in psychology, and I hope to use that path to create a positive impact in nonprofit settings. My experiences volunteering with children in Rio Bravo and later in hospital environments showed me that listening and emotional support can deeply affect a person’s well being. They also strengthened my desire to keep building the communication skills needed to connect with individuals from diverse communities. As I continue my education and training, I hope to bring those skills into nonprofit work that supports children and families, especially those facing barriers to mental health care, safety, and stability. Ultimately, I hope my work will help create communities where people feel heard, respected, and empowered. I want to support nonprofit efforts that do not just respond to need, but help build stronger foundations for the future. Whether that is through counseling, advocacy, or community based programs, I want my work to reflect the lesson Rio Bravo first taught me: real impact begins when we listen first, honor the strengths already within a community, and work together toward lasting development.

I first discovered the power of mental health support not in a counseling office, but in waiting rooms and hospital playrooms, where I saw how a simple moment of comfort could change a child’s entire experience. One of the biggest influences on this path was my volunteer work in Rio Bravo, Mexico. When I first began helping at the free medical clinics, I did not have one clearly defined role like the doctors and nurses around me. At first, I struggled with that and questioned where I fit in. Over time, I found myself naturally gravitating toward the children in the waiting room. Many of them were scared, anxious, bored, or in pain, and I began sitting with them, playing games, telling stories, and simply listening. What started as me trying to find my place gradually became my role. I realized that connecting with children, comforting them, and making them feel seen was meaningful in its own way. I also wanted to communicate with them and their families more deeply, so before returning the next summer, I began learning Spanish. That experience taught me that listening and human connection can be just as powerful as modern medicine, and it was what first led me toward a career in mental health. It made me understand that caring for a child’s emotional well being is just as important as caring for their physical health. That realization continued to grow through my volunteer work in the Child Life Department at Manning Children’s Hospital. In the Playroom and Teen Room, I worked directly with children who were facing medical and emotional challenges. Many of them felt isolated or overwhelmed, and I again saw how powerful play could be. Through games, conversation, and simple acts of kindness, I was able to help children relax and feel more like themselves. These experiences showed me that mental health support for children does not always begin with formal therapy alone. Sometimes it begins with trust, safety, and the opportunity to express emotions in a way that feels natural to them. That is a major reason I am so drawn to the mental health field, especially work with children in hospital settings. My interest in mental health has also been shaped by experiences with a wide range of communities. I have supported teens through Crisis Text Line, worked as a clinical technician in urgent care clinics, volunteered with children on the autism spectrum, and worked closely with Spanish speaking families. These roles have taught me that every person carries a unique story, and effective care requires patience, empathy, cultural awareness, and strong listening skills. They have also shown me that mental health support must be accessible and responsive to diverse backgrounds and needs. Because of these experiences, I am pursuing a degree related to mental health with the goal of working in pediatric mental health at a children’s hospital and eventually specializing in play therapy. I want to help children and families navigate fear, stress, illness, and life challenges with compassion and support. More than anything, I have been driven by the belief that children deserve to feel understood and emotionally safe, especially during the hardest moments of their lives. My experiences have confirmed that this is not only something I care deeply about, but something I am ready to dedicate my life to.