I encourage those around me through my experiences. You cannot help others before making sure you are taken care of to be able to function in everyday life. When I was twelve, I was diagnosed with a neurological disorder called functional neurological disorder, it affects everyday life and can be very debilitating. Since then, I've had this disorder. I've had to know myself, my boundaries, and my stressors. I know myself well, so I am able to help support others. People often need support when they are not setting boundaries. I end up being a person people often come to for advice. All my time in the medical system also helps me to be able to explain what is most likely to happen and what tests are most likely to be done. Personally, I know that I cannot change someone's life, but I can give suggestions to try to help them when they need it.

I am overcoming stereotypes of my disability. In 2014 I was diagnosed with Functional Nervous Disorder, a disorder that interprets stress as trauma believed to have no physical. It had been a long battle after losing my intendance. I got back to normal after intense therapy. For six years I became a teenager who had a disorder most people haven't even heard about. The enjoyment I had from teaching people more was exhilarating. My high school experience was rough. I went through a lot of personal changes as well as change to my household. Junior year I developed a tic. People with my disorder get tics. I brought it up to my doctor. We tried to get stress management tools. without a true diagnosis we had no way of accurate treatment. I had possible Multiple Sclerosis. The testing continued. I despise about my diagnosis of FND is how long it takes a doctor to believe me. When I was diagnosed, I went through tests. My favorite of all being the MRI. They’re calming. The neurologist that I saw diagnosed me with a complex tic disorder like Tourette syndrome. A follow up was scheduled for the next year to be sure. I had to wait a full three hundred and sixty-five days. School got harder for me. For the most part of my junior year my tics were painful but only in my face and hands. There was a singular vocal tic at the time. A sound I figured was a stimulation to cope with my anxiety. We moved on to zoom in March. I was able to work with the school. In the summer my first coparilla tic occurred. My thought at the time was how could I, become another statistic for the stereotype? More inappropriate tics followed. I lost confidence my senior year. Everyone talks about how the school year was an entirely different level of difficulty. I loved zoom school because I could hide. My high school took away the quiet room. That led suppression. Any person with tics will knows suppressing is painful. I took a fitness class through dual enrollment. It was going well. I was able to relax. That changed. I began to experience a relapse. Slowly my condition got worse. I quit my job for that reason. The relapse was drastic. I was no longer able to walk My worst fear was to be accused of faking. At that point I had already lost my ability to dance, to go to church, and to sit in class with my peers. I spent weeks trying to go through numerous appointments. I was told I was using my disability That was the final nail in the coffin. I took my own future into my control. During the pandemic people were rapidly getting diagnosed with functional nervous system disorder. I had never met anyone with the same disorder. I have found a community of people who support each other. General information made people fake tics for attention. The Tourette's community to rejected functional tics. I was dismissed by people just like me. My advice to someone who is going through a similar situation besides going to therapy would be educate yourself. Having Functional Nervous System disorder is a challenge. Educating myself about my disability has helped offer a solution. I am able to keep up with current information. Iranian study had a theory that the reason the neurons misfire is because the area in the brain that registers emotion is biologically enlarged. As of now I have met three people just like me on campus.

My mother is the rock of our family. She is someone that everyone needs in their life. She was adopted by my grandparents, growing up in a working-class blue-collar family. My mom is a first-generation college student with a bachelor's in business healthcare administration. She worked at Volunteers of America for most of my life, just recently she changed jobs but is still in the same field. In recent years she has had to take on bigger roles than just mom. Around fifth grade my dad injured his back. Before that my parents had split many responsibilities, they both worked in the twin cities area about a two-hour drive from our sleeper town. My sister and I did not get the chance at many activities before that because of their work schedules. In 2014 my life changed. I have functional neurological disorder sometimes known as conversion disorder. It is a disorder that can affect daily life immensely. My dad is not the best person to have in a medical setting just due to the fact that he can be very anxious. Mom became my advocate and record keeper; we’ve spent an immense amount of time sitting in waiting rooms and hospital rooms waiting and waiting. In high school she became my dad's medical advocate. He had a surgery for a spinal fusion that was invasive and unfortunately had negative effects. Our family dynamics changed suddenly. Mom took on most of the responsibilities that Dad could not do anymore. We went from a two-income household to a one income household. Our life seemed to stall. Disability comes with a lot of challenges especially for families. Mental health is a big factor. She has had to deal with a lot of crises that most people cannot imagine. My mom put her life on hold for my sister and me to have the best of life we could make for ourselves. We had only two expectations about education: one you need to try your best and if it is not a b, the second being you need to graduate and do some form of higher education (trade school, certificates, college, apprenticeship). On my dad's side I am one of the first to go to college, my dad never completed his trade school. She encouraged exploration into areas we were interested in. She is a huge believer in standing up for yourself. We were never allowed to say we did not like someone without giving a good reason. Well, we are Christian, my sister currently identifies as an atheist. My mother encourages my sister to explore the spirituality that may fit her. The serenity prayer is something our house lives by. I truly believe she is the epitome of a true Christian. She is respectful of anyone she meets, treating them on the same level as herself. Discrimination is something she frowns upon. She wants everyone to be safe and happy having seen what the world can do to people who never got a chance. Most of all she wants us to follow our own paths. I danced for ten years and hated the last two due to my disability progression, yet she respected my choice to continue. She watched my grandfather not get a chance at the life he wanted due to his own parents. Never once did she expect honor students out of us, even if we expected it ourselves. She’s still deciding if she wants to return to college to get her masters or do something else. She wants us to be happy and healthy.

Stem makes up everything we do. It is intertwined with almost every other subject. Chemistry can be extensively in art, such as oil painting repair and correct varnishing ratios. It is so undiscovered yet has so many patterns. I love patterns. They can be predictable and gratifying to know that you are moving in the correct direction. I chose environmental science because it is intertwined with many of the other areas of study I enjoy. It is considered a more feminine field but historically it is one of the few field's women were allowed to participate in science. It is also one of the leading fields in the climate crisis. My college teaches us that we are the ones who will be disproportionately affected and a large number of us will be working directly in the field. It also allows time to enjoy nature. A bit of background: I am from a rule town in Northern Minnesota. We have some of the most untouched lands and water in the entire country. Having the water around us is a huge part of our lives. To be able to protect the state I live in and preserve it for future generations is something I want to work for in the future. It is a huge goal and something that I obviously cannot do on my own. It may never happen the way I envisioned it now but to be able to at least make a possible impact is extremely exciting. I may go into more of the agriculture field. Keeping up with recent trends, the big media occasionally prompts sustainability. Recently the New York Times published an article on a meat packaging plant causing climate impacts. Many farmers were understandably upset. Farming does have an impact on the environment, but small local farms are not the main cause. It also goes along with numerous studies that point towards eating locally is more sustainable than a vegan diet. To be able to work on local biodiversity is a big passion and there are some trends pointing towards that field as a variable option. It is known that native plants are better for the local environment than the ones that are brought over to beautify a lawn. Minnesota is a land of prairies which may look unassuming but have complex biodiversity. The focus in native plants also would lead to more information on how to fight invasive species. In my state we have zebra mussels and blue green algae. On campus we have a huge study on the theory that neutered carp can fight the invasive algae in the lake. They do not let freshmen work on that project, but it is a huge topic on our campus. To be able to work in the natural environment in something that can incorporate many fields of science. Environmental science is a huge study that is being focused on due to the climate crisis. People are needed for the field and women may be the ones leading the way.