I am a Black, first-generation student who has endured many things including emotional abuse, physical abuse/neglect, and having close calls with homelessness. My troubles early in life catapulted me into a helping career supporting other women in similar and worse situations than me. Through helping other women, I have seen and learned how much worse it can be and the current tools we have to navigate these situations. I also learned through the professionals and family surrounding me: mostly women well into their careers and/or goals, willing to share their knowledge, time, and past traumatic experiences. As I continued in my career, I realized that many of the situations I and others encountered were systemic. My support, although helpful in the moment, was not putting a dent in the traumas and troubles we women face. I realized there were not enough long-term supports to help with transitions out of troubling situations such as domestic violence, unemployment, and homelessness. Mental health and social work were starting to feel like damage control. This led me from mental health to law. I am currently in law school seeking a legal master's degree with concentrations in international human rights and comparative law. My goal is to be in a position to review and create new statutes and policies that support short and long-term success for all minority demographics. With the money earned through this scholarship, I can continue my education while also taking time to rest without the stress of needing money for school. This year, before learning about this scholarship, I told myself I would take more time for me. Whether that's a vacation or a fun class, I will take time to acknowledge my achievements and reward myself for them. At this point surviving is an achievement for anyone! So far this year, I have traveled and self-advocated for more time with loved ones and myself. As I continue living life, I only hope to gain more insight into how I can continue supporting myself and other women around me. I have learned that supporting and treating myself well is important, but caring for others provides another level of gratification that can only occur through those actions. As I continue conquering my goals and scheduling time for rest, I also want to acknowledge and reward the people that helped get me to this point in life: the women surrounding me. Thank you for reading my essay.

Grief was the catapult into my interest for mental health. My mother passed away from cancer when I was 13. I had my first experience with a mental health counselor that year, and it was great. She knew exactly how to make me feel better in the moment, but every other waking second was torture. Even though she couldn't help me with everything, I knew I wanted the abilities she had: making the moment better. My father became my sole guardian and abused me until I graduated high school and moved away, only for him to follow me. I avoided him at all cost and attempted to move on with my life, pushing away new feelings of grief as if I had lost both parents. Despite being aware and working in the mental health field, it took years to acknowledge that I would benefit from those services, even if it meant just talking to someone. I received therapy and medication for nightmares I was having about my mom and dad. They technically worked, but at the cost of my personality and autonomy. I still didn't want to live. My will to live was initiated by my husband, who suffered from treatment-resistance depression. Years of meds led him to Ketamine. Before ketamine, I was waking up in the middle of the night to make sure my husband hadn't chugged the ibuprofen again. Before Ketamine, I had to remind my husband to bathe. It was nothing like the depression I experienced, which was really a sadness that I ignored and dissociated through until I could go to sleep. Still going to work and school full-time, I was upset at my husband for not being depressed "like me" and just wanting to be taken care of. COVID hit, and I no longer had a distraction from my despair. I fell into dysfunction with him. I finally understood -- and ironically-- seeing me malfunction was the catalyst for my husband to reach out and demand more mental health options for both of us. Ketamine being his solution, different and lower dose meds being mine. We're also more open about our mental health when speaking to others, unashamed about our past and needs. My first counselor ignited my interest in becoming a therapist, while my husband forced me to see all ranges of the work needed to help everyone. My friends and the people I surround myself with are advocates and supporters of anything that improves mental health for all.

The pandemic provided the break I needed from working while completing the last semester of my undergraduate degree. Besides during the COVID-19 pandemic, I have been working full-time since I began college in 2016. I have been working in my preferred field of psychology since 2018. The pandemic reminded me of how important mental health is, regardless of whether you are in a crisis or not. Everything could be fine: finances, sense of self, hobbies -- but that doesn't mean isolation isn't frightening or traumatizing. The pandemic reminded me of the isolation I went through during my childhood. The abuse and grief I experienced as a child was confronted alone, without anyone to encourage or stabilize me until I reached young adulthood. To see articles about combatting isolation in a nice home and celebrities trying to cheer up the masses reminded me that others have it worse, people are suffering intensely, and that I'm needed. There's not enough mental health professionals for the need our society currently has, and everyone can benefit from counseling. The pandemic showed me that small inconveniences, meltdowns, or a bad day can be alleviated with a well-trained ear and accurate intervention. Thank you:)

"The hardships you are going through now are nothing for the person you will eventually be." This sentence resonates with me because I went through a tremendous amount of trauma at a young age. Abuse, grief, and homelessness encompassed my childhood. With the few resilience factors I had, I was able to escape my past and help others escape theirs. I currently work a crisis helpline and am an advocate for domestic violence survivors. Due to my past, I can stomach the situations I hear over the phone, allowing me to focus on providing accurate resources and support. Previously, I worked for the Department of Child Services teaching life and coping skills to families whose children may or not have been removed due to abuse and/or neglect. My social work interest and background have provided me with the skills to gather resources for any problem. I believe with the skills I've learned over time, I could face my past again and protect myself and other victims around me. Although childhood trauma should not exist, it does. Being a stable adult for children in compromising situations allows me to help children cope and grow from their situations instead of giving in to temptations such as drugs and alcohol to cope. I want anyone struggling to know that if you can conquer your past once, you can do it again.