I have lived a long life of pain and loneliness, a life filled with cruelty and neglect. For so long, I kept that cycle going, with family and friends. But when I was 15 years old, my father passed away, and it made me think. "Is THIS what he wanted me to be?" and I have been on a journey of bettering and discovering myself ever since. However, it was and still is a long and arduous road. A road filled with doubts, struggles, and fears. Even then, when I knew I had been emotionally neglected my whole life, I still didn't believe in the power of someone being there for you. Someone to hold your hand and tell you it'll be okay from the bottom of their heart. I knew I wanted to help others when a friend I used to talk to was struggling, and I helped him. I didn't think much of it, just doing what anyone should. But one day, he hugged me and told me I saved him. That showed me there aren't enough people who simply care and love willingly. I want to be the person who loves and cares. I want to be the one people can run to when they need a shoulder to cry on. I work to walk this path of strength and education not only to help strangers, but so I can be there for my own future family. So I have the knowledge to help and guide them, and the money to keep our roof above our head. Ever since I met my girlfriend, I have found my family. I see it in her eyes every day. I want to be what she deserves, and what our future children deserve. A caring, supportive, strong, and kind father who would lay down his life just for them to smile. My major will be in nursing and healthcare. I specifically want to go into mental health nursing. So I can be there for people who are worried or scared or lost. Better yet, whenever I can't be someone's everything, I'd have a good and safe way to direct them to seek more help. I feel like something we need to be better with as a society is accepting that mental health matters. Mental health is closely tied to physical health, and vice versa. But more than society needing to learn that, I feel like we as individuals need to learn it. To be better than the uncaring, hurtful people we were yesterday, and the only way to do that is to be better and love like we all deserve to be loved.