"We do not need guns or bombs to bring peace, we need love and compassion". This wonderful quote by Mother Theresa perfectly encapsulates how I view life and my responsibilities to others. Showing kindness, compassion, and understanding to everyone, regardless of their background is something we should all strive for, especially in this current day, where everyone seems so eager to be at each other's throats. Seeing someone as selfless and caring as Officer Braem is truly inspiring and gives me reassurance that one person truly can make a difference. Like Officer Braem, I affirm that one of the best characteristics for a law enforcement professional to exhibit is compassion. I believe that compassion is instrumental in having a positive and lasting impact in my community. On a larger scale I believe that this is the key to repairing the fractured relationship between the community and the police department, particularly North Minneapolis where I live. While this may seem like a lofty goal, it is entirely possible through small, personable actions in the community in cooperation with community members. Throughout my community in North Minneapolis there are multiple memorials dedicated to community members that have been killed. On weekends it is common for friends and families of these community members to gather at these memorials in order to remember the lives of those lost, and just spend time with each other. As a law enforcement officer, I would like to show my unity and support by visiting these memorials alongside community members, only after asking their permission for me to be there. I believe this would provide an excellent opportunity to have a positive impact by demonstrating a sense of unity and compassion. Trust is the foundation of a healthy relationship, which will help to leave a positive impact on all of those involved. Right now, in Minneapolis, many people do not have faith in law enforcement officers to stand up to officers that are abusing their authority and betraying the badge. I will affirm to my community that my oath to protect them from danger is adhered to, even if that danger is coming from another police officer abusing their power. This will help to build a sense of trust between me and the community and demonstrate that they can trust me to protect them just as much as I can trust them to protect me. Having that kind of bond is truly special and sure to leave a lasting and positive impact. While it may be cliche, it was my mom who inspired me to pursue a career in law enforcement. As a deeply dedicated social worker my mom would often tell me about the importance of serving and protecting others, especially those that cannot adequately do so for themselves. As I grew older and could understand and comprehend more of what her career entailed, she would tell of all of the horrible things she had seen people resort to either over custody of a child, child support payments, or any other thing. This is what really flared my interest in law enforcement. Learning about all of the horrific things people will do to each other really filled me with a sense of purpose and commitment to help and protect others. Reading about the amazing and lasting impact a single individual such as Officer Braem has affirmed to me that this is my career, this is my purpose.

Food is one of the most basic necessities, yet thousands of people in the United States currently do not have regular, reliable access to food and groceries. A notable number of these individuals are seniors, as in the case of my home city of Minneapolis. In order to help combat this heartbreaking trend I volunteer with Second Harvest Heartland, an organization dedicated to providing food and other groceries to those that need them. I have been volunteering with this wonderful organization since 2018 to provide a box of food and other groceries to seniors in the Minneapolis area, every three weeks. This opportunity to has been a truly life changing experience for me and has been instrumental in the development of my own personal vocation. One of my favorite parts of this opportunity is whenever the seniors first see me. Whenever they first see me, they always instantly smile and happily greet me. I have come to come learn that for many seniors, the social interaction is just as, if not more important than the food being delivered. Seeing how happy the seniors get when they see me makes me incredibly humble and gives me a great sense of purpose. This social interaction and providing necessary food and groceries makes this my favorite and most valued way of helping others in my community.

2020, the year of the pandemic. This is the year I will never forget. While the pandemic has been the source of great sadness, and tragedy, it has helped me to grow. Grow in a time and at a pace I would have never thought possible before the pandemic. Most notably, the pandemic has provided me with an excellent opportunity to reassess my life aspirations and develop my own personal vocation. The pandemic has helped me to realize how important helping others, particularly in regards to their mental health, a topic that has taken center stage during the pandemic. I have come to recognize this commitment as an integral part of who I am as a person. This is why I am so dedicated to the field of psychology. The pandemic has shown me that not everyone has access to effective mental health care. This observation has helped me to develop my current life aspirations and vocation, which is providing the science of psychology and mental health care to communities that are lacking them.

Compassion. Such a simple concept to understand, yet it seems to be a very difficult concept to exhibit. One only must watch the news as evidence of this. Conflicts rage all over the world whether it be about money, resources, religion, or even simply just for having a different opinion. These days it seems as though everyone's first reaction to any sort of conflict or challenge is to lash out in aggression, or post horrible, demeaning comments online. The added stress of the global coronavirus pandemic has only exacerbated the problem, as millions of people suddenly found their lives uprooted. While the pandemic certainly has made things challenging, I think that makes it all the more important for people to show compassion and acceptance toward one another, recognizing the fact that we are all going through this pandemic together, and it is not an excuse to treat others with disdain and anger. One of the most important things we can do to get through this pandemic is working together, and that can only be done by showing compassion for one another. Therefore, I think learning to show more compassion for another is the most important change I want to see in my community locally, the country, and the world. On a local, community focused level, I think this can be shown through additional programs and services to help people faced with any number of issues. One of the most notable of these would be additional mental health resources. Even before the pandemic, my local community of North Minneapolis was severely lacking in mental health resources and support centers. The pandemic, and all the additional stress resulting from it, highlighted how big of an issue this has become in the community. As a result of a lacking mental health care system, many individuals turn to other ways of dealing with their stress whether it be abusing substances or acting out violently. Then as a result of their behavior, these individuals are usually condemned by society and sometime their own family. I believe that by providing more mental health services and resources, we are showing more compassion, and saying "it's okay that you're feeling this way, and you don't have to try and hide it or feel ashamed about it". By providing this much needed compassion, I truly believe that we will be able to make a difference in my community. On a national level the lack of compassion for one another has been exacerbated by the pandemic. In the United States, I think we desperately need to learn to show more compassion for another, especially regarding social and political topics. Today it seems nearly impossible to discuss anything with any sort of social or political implications without people becoming livid when they hear that you don't share their same viewpoints. As we have seen in countless videos, this leads to people saying terrible, demeaning things about each other, and in some cases leads to physical violence. I would like to see a change where people are not wound so tight, and eager to let out all their stress and anger on somebody simply for having a different opinion then them. I think showing more compassion on the national level can be facilitated by learning more about different groups of people and adopting a more open-minded approach when discussing social and political topics with each other. The need for compassion is also a change I want to see on the world stage as well, particularly between wealthy, developed countries and poorer, less developed countries. Relationships between countries now seems to be almost solely based on financial gain. Wealthy countries only want to engage with poorer countries when it helps them to become more wealthy and powerful, instead of simply helping a struggling country out of kindness and compassion. I think this is part of what fuels the negative viewpoints and opinions many individuals from developed countries have of people from less developed and poorer countries, such as looking down on them as "less than". I think the change toward more compassion can be accomplished by a view highly regarded nations, such as the United States helping to prop up and support other poorer nations in order to set an example for the world. As mentioned prior, I am very committed to helping to improve my community, particularly in my local community of North Minneapolis. As such, I have remained committed to numerous volunteer organizations and opportunities for over ten years now. One of these organizations that I am still actively volunteering with today and that I am most proud of is Second Harvest Heartland, as I feel this particular organization provides me with a great opportunity to make a difference in my community. My position within this organization is a food distributor, which involves me delivering a box of groceries to a list of seniors in need within my community. I make these deliveries regularly every three weeks, so I have been able to establish a friendly and personal relationship with each of the seniors that I deliver food to. Not only does this provide much needed food and other groceries to seniors in need, but this opportunity also provides them with a chance to socialize with others. From my time working with them, I have to come appreciate the importance of this as some of them are widows, or estranged from their families, and so do not get much social interaction. While dropping a box of groceries off may seem like a regular, normal activity, I know that whenever they see me, their faces instantly light up and smile, and from that I can tell I am truly making a difference, one grocery box at a time.

"America is like a giant melting pot of people and cultures". That is an expression every person living in the United States has heard at least once. But what does a “melting pot” actually mean? To me the term melting pot isn’t as positive as it’s made it out to be. The term “melting pot” implies all of the different groups and ethnicities “melt” together to form the American culture. I think this expression fails to recognize and acknowledge the important, unique characteristics that distinguishes these groups from one another. That is what makes America great. The ability for countless different groups to come together and maintain a healthy, and prosperous country for all, while maintaining their own unique cultural characteristics. Therefore, I think it is much better to look at America as more of a “salad bowl”. Each group has their own unique characteristic, that when combined with others, forms the “salad”. However, for this approach and viewpoint to work, a level of open mindedness is needed. Given how important I think this characteristic in our society, my commitment to open mindedness is the characteristic I value most in myself. I am very proud of how I have been able to develop and further this characteristic throughout my life. Living in North Minneapolis has helped to facilitate the growth of this personal characteristic, as I have been exposed to a rich blend of multiple different cultures and people of different backgrounds than my own since I was born. Already, I have seen the benefits of having this characteristic and remaining committed to it. For example, growing up, particularly in high school, I had many friends that practiced Islam, which I knew very little about. Neither of my parents were committed to any religion when I was growing up, which meant it was primarily up to me to learn about anything revolving around religion. This commitment to open mindedness allowed me to learn a great deal about the religion of Islam and helped to challenge some beliefs I had prior to learning about it. Demonstrating this characteristic allowed me to better contribute to society as I now have a better understanding of the religion of Islam, which has millions of followers in the United States, and therefore wield considerable influence. My open mindedness towards Islam has allowed me to better communicate with and understand members of the Muslim community, which is a community that desperately needs open mindedness from those who do not practice it. I believe that the benefits of possessing this characteristic will only increase going into the future. Every year the United States is becoming a larger "salad", with people of more diverse backgrounds bring new, unique opinions to the United States. As such, the importance of open mindedness will only increase going into as future, as there will be a more complex mixture of groups and ethnicities that make up the American identity. My personal vocation is driven by the desire to help others and improve our world, so being able to better understand individuals from different groups will be vital in my life journey. In conclusion, the characteristic of being open minded is one of the most important characteristics for one to possess in the United States today, and will only increase in importance going forward, which is what makes it my most valued characteristic.