Gender disparity, oh where do I even begin? The more I get slapped in the face with the fact that me being a woman has an effect on the quality of my life, in a negative manner at that, the more outraged I get. It's a simple chain of events really because that outrage then turns into fuel for confronting the problem. However, the gender disparity in Texas puts it in a whole new light. Texas legislation executes its power in more impactful ways than other places. So, I feel if gender disparity is tackled in Texas it would then put pressure on other places to follow suit. Right now, Texas has several policies mandating dress codes based on biological sex/gender. This is nothing other than a direct jab at the LGBTQ+ community. Legislations laws are supposed to protect our general safety and ensure our rights as citizens. Yet, one of our rights is freedom of expression and that extends to the messages put out from our clothing. So, instead of protecting its citizens, Texas has put a target on the backs of those not willing to conform to something they are not for the comfort of those not willing to accept people for who they are. Everyone should be able to proudly embody everything that they are. While choosing a major, I realized something. It’s not about what a person is already good at, but what they are willing to work towards bettering themselves in. That’s where passion stems from. The decision for me to major in psychology came from a relentless desire I have to help society from the inside. Psychology is my mark on the world, and majoring in it is a stepping stone to creating history. I plan on using my degree to aid in the psychological effects of gender disparity. Some of the psychological effects of gender inequality include higher levels of stress, anxiety, depression, and post-traumatic stress disorder in women and people of marginalized genders. Wedging a gap between who someone is and who they are allowed to be can cause low self-esteem and negative body image which can in turn increase the rates of gender dysphoria. My ultimate life goal is to operate a chain of mental health institutions, where affordable and accessible mental help is guaranteed by a majority-minority staff. I hope to be able to provide mental stability to those facing this kind of discrimination. My role is to keep people able-minded throughout their mentally taxing fight for equality.

While partaking in community service and disaster relief has helped me improve in innumerable ways, my inspiration for doing so was not derived from that outcome. Volunteering creates a positive, long-lasting, and even life-changing experience for others. Providing this to someone in what is more times than not one of the most unforeseen and scariest times of their life is worth more than anything I could gain out of doing it for me. Volunteers are also a key resource for increasing a communitys' response capacity. A plan provides clarity for response personnel and a means to share critical, time-sensitive information with the public. The more information put out lessens the shock factor destruction has on the people affected. Being a part of something so much bigger than me alone is what keeps me coming back. In the past, I have worked alongside community service and disaster relief programs doing whatever they had scheduled and needed extra hands with. This mostly consisted of cleanup and revitalization efforts. However, natural disaster assistance goes beyond helping to repair homes in flooded or destroyed areas. It's also about catering to an individual's interpersonal needs. In the upcoming future, I plan to take my volunteering to a level that also combines my career interest. With me being an aspiring clinical psychologist, the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration's (SAMHSA) Disaster Preparedness, Response, and Recovery program will allow me to contribute more to disaster relief while working in the field of mental health. It is not uncommon for people to show signs of stress after exposure to a disaster making it important to monitor the mental and emotional health of those affected. Although everyone reacts differently to disasters, some of those affected may suffer from serious mental or emotional distress. Finding treatment in a timely fashion will help individuals minimize these negative outcomes. To be a humanitarian is to be selfless. It means helping people who are suffering. It means helping save someone's life. My contributions to the humanitarian aspect of life are not at all for me. Volunteering is something that does not discriminate when it comes to age and ability which is why I do not plan on stopping even in old age. I’m forever dedicating my life to helping those in need because when you change a person's life positively it's inspirational. This inspiration can then spark them to do the same as me and over time a community of individuals willing to help others for the greater good is built. It’s a goal that can take longer than any of us can live through, but it is a goal that will continue long after we are gone.

Hi, my name- no there aren't enough words for that. We'll start at the top, my head. I'm a fast thinker it's hard for my mouth to keep up, especially because I don't have a fully functioning prefrontal cortex to run things through before I say them. Moving to the body, I'm a feen for anything athletic. I love track & field but can't tell whether I'm running toward my dreams or away from my problems. Last stop, my feet. I walk, or run, my own path. Never been one to follow the crowd. And if it's not obvious from how this is written, I'm quite chaotic with a little balance. As far as giving back to my community goes, I have that on lock. Growing up, I was fascinated with psychological thrillers and digging beneath the surface to find the meaning of things. Through these movies, I was introduced to the world of mental illness. Critical thinking and evaluation took over my mind. My passion for psychology grew stronger as I got older and realized there's a lack of mental help in my community. The stigma around mental health in my community is insufferable. Many people go years or even lifetimes without seeking help because they fear how the world will perceive them if they reach out, including those close to them. My efforts of lessening the problem concerning mental health in my community will consist of informing and promoting. Informing those who don't realize there is a problem and re-educating those misinformed is the first step. People simply do not know what they don't know. If I hear someone making a negative or wrong comment concerning mental health, I will not sit around. Change calls for challenge. I’ll speak up respectfully to correct what’s been said. Promoting seeking help through the media can reach so many people. And among those people, someone will need help. What’s accepted online is often accepted within society as well. The more comfortable people are having conversations about needing and seeking help, the more comfortable people are with getting that help. It is critical for me to intervene because if not, who will? I cannot sit around waiting for someone else to fix a problem when I am capable of it. A well-known saying people use implies a need to be fit and healthy because, without the body, there is nowhere to live. Well much like that saying, there is nowhere for a person to go outside their mind.

Growing up, I was fascinated with psychological thrillers and digging beneath the surface to find the meaning of things. Through these movies, I was introduced to the world of mental illness. Critical thinking and evaluation took over my mind. My passion for psychology grew stronger as I got older and realized there was a lack of mental help in my community. I've had my share of mental health issues but it wasn’t my suffering that urged me to make a change. It was the suffering of those around me. The stigma around mental health in my community is insufferable. Many people go years or even lifetimes without seeking help because they fear how the world will perceive them if they reach out, including those close to them. My efforts of lessening the problem concerning mental health in my community will consist of informing and promoting. My ultimate life goal is to operate a chain of mental health institutions, where a majority-minority staff guarantees affordable and accessible mental help. Working in close relation with other forms of mental health professionals is a part of that goal as well. It doesn't stop there, I'll go into the schools and fight for the representation of psychology in students, something I wish I had myself. Becoming a clinical psychologist will enable me to help numerous communities and provide resources for those who don’t have any. When I stand back and look at the Black community, I see time and time again people with mental illnesses being ignored or taken as a joke. Whether it’s breaking the stigma or educating the uneducated, something has to give. Informing those who don't realize there is a problem and re-educating those misinformed is the first step. People simply do not know what they don't know. If I hear someone making a negative or wrong comment concerning mental health, I will not sit around. Change calls for challenge. I’ll speak up respectfully to correct what’s been said. Promoting seeking help through the media can reach so many people. And among those people, someone will need help. What’s accepted online is often accepted within society as well. The more comfortable people are having conversations about needing and seeking help, the more comfortable people are with getting that help. It is critical for me to intervene because if not, who will? I cannot sit around waiting for someone else to fix a problem when I am capable of it. A well-known saying people use implies a need to be fit and healthy because, without the body, there is nowhere to live. Well much like that saying, there is nowhere for a person to go outside their mind.

Broken, frantically trying to piece myself together only it's hard to assemble a puzzle when you’ve never seen the completed picture. Maybe I’ve always been like this, so in theory, there's nothing to piece 'back' together. Onlookers chant “You are so strong!” as they praise my attempts to keep going. Finding inspiration in the fact that I miraculously never stay down. It’s starting to feel as though they find amusement in my wearying perseverance. “How can this be? Why live if to live like this?” Something along those lines I imagine running through their thoughts. Perhaps I'm projecting. Can't help myself by Sun Yuan and Peng Yu. This artwork inspires me to keep going just as much as it does for me to stop. An old robotic-type arm screeches as it tries to sweep its’ blood-like oil back into itself. The singular arm struggles to keep up as the blood, I mean oil, spills faster than it's being repaired. Through all of this, there are people on the outside watching. Entertained, inspired, and sympathetic they all are. You see as time goes on the robotic arms’ efforts to help itself are no longer effective. I want to keep going because I believe I’m worth fighting for. Even if I have to do it alone while everyone else waits on the side until I’m suitable for them. But I’m just as influenced to stop because a few years ago this beautiful work of art gave out. But as the screeching silenced and the oil flooded the surrounding area, the machine was at peace. No more being humiliated by the onlookers or exhausted from trying to help itself.

Covid affected me in ways that I was not at all prepared for. Relatives in my household that worked were on break or isolated from everyone in their department. At the time, the main focus was not getting covid so, I was under the impression that everything would be good since everybody was protected. Wrong. Online school started, and I had a dysfunctional computer. “That’s okay, my school is providing them.” I thought to myself. Unfortunately, for an unknown reason, I was denied a device for some time. School was completely different with there being no room for error. Stressing trying to reach perfection only led me to plummet into an abyss. I managed but getting good grades drained everything out of me. I had no time for anything else, and my mental state suffered. With Covid being on the rise, it was understandable that everyone focused on physical health. However, this led to my internal problems being neglected. No one to turn to in my household and no friends to reach out to. I was trapped, trapped in quarantine alone with my suffering mind. Though the world is starting to get back on its feet from the pandemic, the effects it has had on me have not lightened up. I’m still recovering from the traumatic effects of quarantine. I’m expected to go back to life as usual before covid with all its brought onto me on my back. Invalidated, I’ve been silenced, aside from this writing, trying to heal. I did find some light in Covid. It really showed me just how human everyone is. I wasn't the only one struggling and even those who thought they had the answers were scarred. It was a missed opportunity to come together as a society, but the glimpse I saw was beautiful. Growing up, I was fascinated with psychological thrillers and digging beneath the surface to find the meaning of things. Through these movies, I was introduced to the world of mental illness. Critical thinking and evaluation took over my mind. My passion for psychology grew stronger as I got older and realized there's a lack of mental help in my community. I've had my share of mental health issues but it wasn’t my suffering that urged me to make a change. It was the suffering of those around me. It’s no secret that getting admitted to a mental health facility is much easier than getting out. Pushing a group of people to the side until they are able to make the 'normal' or majority comfortable. But why strive to make the majority feel at ease when it is the minority that are the outliers. I’m overly thoughtful and tend to be the person looking when you think nobody is. I’m able to use my natural ability as my drive to change the world. My goal is to turn things around, shifting the perspective to empathizing with those who have mental illnesses instead of trying to reshape them to fit into society. While choosing a major, I realized something. It’s not about what a person is already good at, but what they are willing to work towards bettering themselves in. That’s where passion stems from. The decision for me to major in psychology came from a relentless desire I have to help society from the inside. Psychology is my mark on the world and majoring in it is a stepping stone to creating history.

Hi, my name- no there aren't enough words for that. We'll start at the top, my head. I'm a fast thinker it's hard for my mouth to keep up, especially because I don't have a fully functioning prefrontal cortex to run things through before I say them. Moving to the body, I'm a feen for anything athletic. I love track but can't tell whether I'm running toward my dreams or away from my problems. Last stop, my feet. I walk, or run, my own path. Never been one to follow the crowd. And if it's not obvious from how this is written, I'm quite chaotic with a little balance.