My experience with mental health issues felt like watching the walls of a castle crumble to the ground. But it influenced me to set goals for my career later in life. I aspire to become a therapist in order to help those in my community who battle with their mental health. I want to be someone who will just sit and listen to someone ramble on and on about whatever comes to their minds. To show people that they shouldn't be afraid to reach out and ask for help. I have given advice to many of my peers who have suffered with mental health troubles, which put in motion the aspirations that I have today. Since I first realized that those around me were enduring hardships caused by their minds, I have noticed that I now cherish the relationships that I have. To become close to someone and watch them go through something this difficult and feeling unable to help, shouldn't have to be a thing. Due to this, I aspire to be a companion with an open-mind as well as listening ears. The last thing anyone should have to feel is that they are not cared for, or that they're not being listened to when they pour their hearts out. I feel that it is my calling to make these people including myself feel less like a burden and more like a human being. Although society sees mental health as a negative thing, I believe that it is not. Of course many people suffer but that is because society beats them down. Throughout my life, I have witnessed parents berating their children for trying to seek out help from their own minds. Even I have fallen victim to it a few times. No child, adolescent, adult, or elderly person should be punished for a sickness that they're powerless against. Mental health is not something that is easy to control, especially since us humans are still researching how our minds function in the first place. Instead of tormenting people with mental health disorders, I believe we should be uplifting them. We should be trying to find ways to help ease their minds, not adding fuel to the fire that burns within it. If I were a therapist like I set my heart out to be, I know that I would make a more positive impact on the ever increasing number of mental health victims.

Major pop culture icon, Marilyn Monroe has always been an inspiration due to her being held as an icon for body positivity. She has been the object of many pieces of art such as Andy Warhol's "Marilyn" portrait, which recently set an auction record for an American artist for selling at 195 million dollars. I would say that this portrait definitely inspires me not only because it sold for $195 million, but because it captures Marilyn at the height of her career. "Marilyn" also inspires me because according to Warhol, it touches on the saint-like nature in which fans associate with celebrities. Later leading the public to treat these celebrities with a sensation of "holiness." The contrasting colors really bring out Marilyn's features as well. But overall made her more popular even in death, and pleased the crowds. The portrait even represented everything that Pop art had to offer. But sadly Warhol only saw her as production rather than a human being thanks to society.

The story man who can have it all, but favors the attention and love of an ex lover. The Great Gatsby is one of the most inspiring books that I've read. I say this because Mr. Gatsby came from nothing to something within a few years during the Roaring Twenties. He had made a name for himself in order to be closer to the woman that he truly loved. Which just goes to show that if you really want something you would do anything to try to get it even if it is another person. Gatsby put in so much effort not only to be close to Daisy, but he even befriended her cousin, Nick. Who Gatsby would later help after Nick arranged a meeting between Gatsby and Daisy. He would try to impress Daisy with his house and the parties that he throws in order to find her. He did everything in his power to have Daisy come back to him. He even took the blame for her. When Daisy committed a crime, Gatsby took the blame for her so that she wouldn't get in trouble. Leading him to pay with his own life.

Learning online during a pandemic may have been one of the hardest years of my life. I would catch myself trying to procrastinate, and sleep during the zoom lessons. I had developed an attitude of "I don't really care anymore," at the beginning. But I always feared failing my classes especially since I am in high school, so I quickly realized that if I don't change my attitude, and put in the work I would fail like my peers who never changed their attitudes and put the work in. I just didn't want to become one of those people, so I set out to be one of the hardest working students of that year. I made sure to set my alarm for 7 am in order to get myself ready for classes, and to be awake before the first period started. I would pay more attention to my teachers, and write down all of the notes that my teachers discussed. To keep myself active, I would choose the option to go on a walk during gym class, which gave me a break in between classes. I would not allow myself to fail any class, since I didn't have a class during lunch I would work on all of my homework from the previous classes. I managed to stay on top of all of my grades, which definitely helped me when it came to getting accepted into colleges. Although as a senior who is soon set to graduate, I still catch myself procrastinating sometimes. But I am slowly working to stop procrastinating overall. Yes, I do still have an "I don't care" attitude some days, but I know that those days always pass, and that everyone has them. But of course, I don't let that attitude damage my grades or education.

My experience with mental health has shaped my goal of wanting to make a positive impact on the life of those who surround me. From a young age, I watched the people around me, mainly friends and family suffer from the results of mental health troubles. Then around my middle school years, I began to feel the effects of my own failing mental health. So I set out to make a change because I felt that neither my friends, family, community, or I could reach out for help without feeling judgement. I understood from the age of 13 that it was hard for people to try to seek out help and I wanted to make a change in that. I prioritized my goals of becoming a therapist as well as helping those who felt comfortable enough to reach out for help from me. I realized that people who I had a closer relationship with, would ask me for more advice than people that I wasn't as close to. But I still felt the emotions of everyone, and I knew when something was wrong. I would take time out of my day just to sit with someone and talk with them about what was bothering them.

A practical solution that I would deem the most important, in order to help more people who struggle with mental health is to just listen to them. To be there with someone who is battling with their mental health and taking the time out of your day to hear them out without judgement. That's what makes the biggest impact on them. Allowing them to get whatever is on their chest, or mind out safely without the person feeling forced. Although you do have to build a major level of trust before they would try to open up to you. But in the end, the time spent building that trust from simply having an active conversation, or active listening skills is completely worth it. Maybe you spend an hour, or the whole night with that person who is struggling. Once that hour or night is over you might have changed their lives, maybe you set them down the path of reaching out for professional help. Do not just brush away or belittle what you have been told by this person because that would only make their troubles worse. Throughout my years of experience of the struggle with mental health, I can personally say that listening does help, belittling doesn't. So sit down in a place that is comfortable to whoever it is, and show them that you truly do care about them. Even if you feel that it might be "too late" to help them, it's never to late to listen, and that's the first step.

"When you get your paycheck, put away the bulk of it and make what's left last until the next time you get paid." That is the most helpful piece of financial advice that I've ever received. Although I have not had an actual job yet, whenever I get money from helping someone out, or my birthday, I put the bulk of it in an envelope in my dad's safe. This advice has really helped me learn self-control, how to budget, and how to save my money. I grew up in a family whose main focus was to save money, so I've always had a knack for saving since I was little but this advice has influenced how I save today. I believe that if I never heard this advice, I would be more careless when it comes to money. But I persevere so that I don't burn through the money that I try to save. Of course there are times where I would like to just go out and waste the money, but I always remind myself of the advice that I was given. I feel that I am going to carry on this advice and when I do get a job, I will know how to be responsible with the money that I earn. I will also try to spread this advice to my loved ones, and people that I know who have to learn how to save as well as budget their money. I am grateful to have received this advice because it will help me in the future.

Throughout my years in both middle and high school, I have witness many of my peers lose themselves to depression, anxiety, and many other mental health troubles that get pushed to the side. Two of my closest friends went down this dark road, both occasions led to their own self harm. The first was caused by a major heartbreak. When the heart wants something and can't have it, the heart then causes the mind to spiral, and in this case my best friend at the time spiraled badly. What was I to do? We were only in seventh grade, and I wasn't sure how to help. Until one day, I was the person who had to take away a piece of glass he found outside of our school. I won't forget that day, because it showed me that when your mind turns against you for the worst, you do things that you shouldn't, even with your friends around. The second situation was again another best friend, a girl this time. She had been bullied throughout her life due to a factor that she just couldn't control. Her voice. Little kids are awful, and middle school children tend to be the worst tormentors. I could always tell that something off about her character, and come to find out due to the bullying she was left with major depression, anxiety, and unfortunately more self harm. But at the time there was nothing that I could do except lend them an open ear. It was too dangerous to tell an adult, or their family in fear of the situations getting worse because many adults own mental health were degraded so they only copy what they have experienced. These experiences inspired me to want to enter the mental health field because I am sick and tired of mental health being played off as some type of joke until someone loses their loved one. My experiences shaped my career aspirations by influencing me to want to become some type of therapist who not only gives advice, and lends an open ear but who always befriends the people who come to see me to allow them to feel more comfortable, and less like they're confiding in a stranger. I feel that I can make a difference in suicide prevention because I have witnessed the affects of mental health first hand, and I don't play it off as a joke. This is serious to me, and I would like for the ever-increasing numbers to decline.

I support equality and diversity because at this point in time there's no point in being against it. So many people have fought so hard to be in the position they are in currently. It doesn't matter what color, ethnicity, gender, or sexuality nowadays, all that really matters is your character, personality, and how you respect others. Although, where I am from I've witnessed inequality, and it is awful. My friend shouldn't have to be verbally abused just because she likes girls. Or that kid who is literally from Africa, should not be the butt of the joke because his skin color is a darker shade. Inequality is terrible, so I support equality, and diversity be allow myself to learn about the different types of people and be an open minded person. It doesn't take much to realize that it's better to keep your mouth shut when you have negative thoughts about someone else when it comes to factors of their lives that they can't change.

1.) I deserve this scholarship because I do not care at all about my future college debts. Obviously who would? I mean college is cheap right, a couple hundred here, maybe a thousand there. It's not like I've spent twelve or thirteen years of my life grinding my academical life, and working hard to achieve good grades. No nothing like that at all. 2.) My academic goals are to completely fail at high school from procrastinating and waiting until 11:59pm to turn in that essay that was assigned about a month ago. I mean who cares about that little piece of paper. What do you call it again? Oh right, a dimploma. Then there's college, my plan is to go into so much debt, I mean a lot of it. 3.) There was this one time where I had to overcome getting straight A's during my senior year of high school. I mean come on not a single B, or C. What's the point in not making mistakes. That's what I had to do, since you know, "you'll never learn if you don't make mistakes." So that's what I set out to do. Yes, these are all satirical.

I believe that it is important fir people to be involved in their communities in order to have their voices heard, and to inspire others in the community to help each other out when the time comes. In my community I have helped by babysitting the children of hard working parents, and lending an open ear to many members of my community who have needed it. I provided children with a safe learning environment, and eased the stress of parents by allowing them to go to work without worrying for their children. Among those children, and adults I have formed a bond that lets them confide in me when they are troubled by my reach doesn't stop there. I have extended my listening skills among my peers, and I pleases me to let people know that they can always come to me as I will be a companion with open ears. I plan to help my community through my future career as some type of therapist by listening to more people about their troubles. I will offer them positive suggestions, or advice if they would like it. I plan to make a comfortably safe environment, and befriend my community so they don't feel as though they're confiding in a stranger. My goal is to allow my community to know that many people battle with mental health and that it shouldn't be swept under the rug.

Once the Covid-19 pandemic began, leading to all schools to turn to remote learning, I was given a choose. That choice was to either persevere and continue to do well academically, or allow myself to fail and blame it on remote learning. Sure there were sometimes that I felt like sleeping through the whole school day. But did I do that? Absolutely not. I knew what I was going to risk if I did that so I chose to focus on my education, and not allow myself to get lazy. I worked hard all day and night to finish assignments a long time before they were due, so that I would not procrastinate until the last minute. Although I can not say the same for many of my peers. I am glad that I put my education first because that school year was difficult but I ended it with a report cards of all A's which helped me when it came to colleges accepting me this year.

My favorite ways to help others are to babysit, and lend an open ear to whoever needs it. In my community may parents have to work long hours, and at night. So I take it upon myself to babysit my friends, family, and etc. children to make their lives easier. Both the children and parents get help when I babysit because it allows the parents to go to work without worrying about their children. It helps the children because they have a safe potential learning environment to be in as they wait for their parents to pick them up. It also allows the parents and children to build bonds with me as a babysitter which leads me to be a companion with open ears to them. Although I don't just offer my listening skills to the people I help outside of school. My "services" extend to the inside of my school, as I enjoy helping my peers get their worries and stresses off of their chests'. It is a wonderful feeling when I know that someone feels comfortable and safe enough to confide in me and ask for advice. It really does make me feel that I am making that positive impact that I dream about making.

I would like my legacy to be the impact that I will make on the increasing numbers of people who struggle with mental health. In the future, I plan to help as many people as I can, and be their companion with an open ear. I would like to inspire more people to care about mental health troubles, instead of pushing them aside. I don't enjoy seeing how people such as myself, someone who struggles with mental health be degraded all because they have internal battles, that others may not understand. I would like my legacy to show the world that we are people too, and that it hurts us more to keep our troubles a secret when we are in situations where we can't be accepted, or even helped. My legacy would allow people to feel more comfortable to reach out for help so that we can stop losing our loved ones to something that can be helped.

The sentence that I would share with the world is, " Sometimes the smallest things, take up the most room in your heart." I would share this sentence because nowadays people turn towards more materialistic things. In a good majority of these cases, people try to have the most expensive things as if they were competing against each other. Even in love, many couples try to show off to other couples that they can "provide" expensive things for their significant other. Although a lot of the time these materialistic relationships do not last long because there is more love for the material rather for the relationship, and other person. But something as little as a compliment goes a long way with, or without romance involved. If a girl were to compliment a man on his smile, he would remember that for life and vice versa. The little things make the most impact because they more meaningful value.

Cleaning. My room, the bathroom, garage, you name it. Cleaning will always make me happy. Little by little separating garbage from clothes, and keepsakes from donations. Slowly the clutter is cleared, the dust wiped, and the dirt swept away. Along with it goes all of the negative thoughts that have been littering my mind. Cleaning to me is a way to relieve myself from stress by organizing my surroundings. The mind, and the mess of the house reflect on each other, which I find fascinating. Every time that I have the chance to clean, I take advantage of it. It's almost like there is a sort of rush, or "high" of dopamine created by my own body. Honestly it's addicting. Once I am focused on cleaning, I don't want to stop because I know that the rush of happiness would soon go away. But I know that when I do stop cleaning I can always occupy myself with my dog, who also provides happiness until I clean again.

What motivates me? I guess I would say my boyfriend. Why you may ask? Well...every single morning, I wake up and I know that someone believes in me. When I am at my lowest, and I don't believe in myself, he is always by my side encouraging me. He knows that I have the potential to do the things that I find impossible, and tells me not to give up. You know not many people are like that nowadays, especially parents, so it's nice to know that somebody, anybody believes in me. Sometimes all it takes in one person to really believe in you to encourage you to believe in yourself. So slowly but surely, my boyfriend is helping me believe in myself, which furthers the motivation that I receive on a daily basis. Another thing that motivates me is the fear of failing myself. There is nothing worse than discouraging yourself when you fail at one of your goals, or something you deemed important. I am afraid of letting myself down because I set up many high hopes for my future.

To make the people that surround me feel loved, I just sit with them and listen to whatever is on their mind. I let them express their thoughts and emotions in a way that many people don't do to their selfishness. But I choose to not judge them, and give them advice when I know that something awful could potentially happen. Just being a companion with open ears forms a deeper bond with someone, which ultimately strengthens, and shows the love that I have for them. I would stay up all day and night to just to make a friend, family member, or even my boyfriend feel loved. Allowing them to feel comfortable, and listened to because nowadays that is something that us humans as a whole struggle to do, thanks to everyday life along with stress. But as many people have said before me, "it is the little things, that make the most impact." The little gestures such as listening, hugging, maybe even buying a stuffed animal for someone lets them know that I love them.

Imagine dedicating years of life to academics, as senior year comes to a close, and pretty soon you'll be walking down to the stage to get your diploma. Upon receiving the diploma, you look around for your parents. Only to find that their faces have lighten up with excitement, they are proud, and overall they are overjoyed. That is my joy, that's what it means to me. So I plan to keep on seeking out joy in my life by bringing joy to others, and helping those who are in need. My goal is to slowly but surely spread joy to everyone around me, and to the people who suffer with mental health troubles. I know that pursuing psychology will only increase my knowledge of the mind, which honestly brings me joy. Not just because I'll be learning more about something that I've always had an interest in, but I'll also be learning how the minds of others' work so that I can be an open ear to them.

Grinding everyday, just to better my life. I spend many hours of my life focusing not only on my studies but on myself. I have accomplished receiving a 4.0 GPA from this dedication. I intend to further this dedication in order to graduate from college/university. After graduation, I plan to dove into my dream career to help those who struggle with mental health troubles. I would like to better the world since the number of mental health specialists is on the rise. I have been so in love with mental health, and psychology for a majority of my life. I always wanted to learn why people do things and act on thoughts as well as emotions. I have watched many people in my life struggle, and beaten down by their mental health. Not to mention that I have also been troubled with it, so it only seems right to pursue something that I know personally.