In the past nine years, I have had seven different therapists. While my experience with therapy only started in fourth grade, my mental health journey began much earlier. I was only four when I was first diagnosed with Selective Mutism, and it was just a couple years later that I was diagnosed with Depression, Social Anxiety Disorder, and Generalized Anxiety Disorder. Each therapist I had didn’t work out for separate reasons. One was completely unsure of how to treat two different problems at the same time, another one’s company didn’t want anybody with external problems with anger (even though that therapist was fantastic at treating me), and another therapist had conspiratorial theories about why my mental health struggles existed that he forced onto me. I have friends who have spent years begging for therapy, and others who feel they cannot trust a single one after multiple bad experiences. And I can truly understand and relate to both sides. I feel that therapy is a necessary step in treatment for any mental health problem and can be helpful even without any diagnosis, just for general stress and hardship. Talking to a good therapist will help anyone figure out their own brain and make individual plans to guide themselves. I am pursuing a degree and future career in the mental health field for two reasons: because I personally know just how much proper mental health care can improve someone’s quality of life, and because I want people to have a psychologist who truly cares about and understands them, as a result of my own experiences of having therapists who didn’t care. When people realize that the person treating them wants the best for them and is able to understand how they are feeling, they are more willing to trust what the therapist says. I want to be able to see this positive change in as many people as possible, which I can only do by helping them all the way through it. It is especially important to me to work with children and teenagers. These age groups are uniquely vulnerable because they are more likely to have their problems be ignored and more likely to not be believed. If a child or teen feels that this is happening to them, I hope I can be someone, even if I am the only one, who will believe them, and be an adult on their side, who wants to help them. I also want to work with the issues a lot of psychologists stay away from: anger, juvenile delinquency, Personality Disorders, and so many more. I can’t wait to show youth who have been abandoned by so many people, that there is someone there for them, and that there are always ways to change and grow as people if they desire to do so and put effort into it. Too many psychologists ignore that children and teenagers cling to the disorders they developed as a coping mechanism. I plan to entirely acknowledge that and always consider it while working with patients, because they will not improve when that fact is ignored. I will always help my patients, no matter what they struggle with. This field is so important to me because of my past experiences with it and to make sure people get the help they actually need. I am so excited to continue studying this in college and to see the difference this profession can make in many people’s lives.

In the past nine years, I have had seven different therapists. While my experience with therapy only started in fourth grade, my mental health journey began much earlier. I was only four when I was first diagnosed with Selective Mutism, and it was just a couple years later that I was diagnosed with Depression, Social Anxiety Disorder, and Generalized Anxiety Disorder. Each therapist I had didn’t work out for separate reasons. One was completely unsure of how to treat two different problems at the same time, another one’s company didn’t want anybody with external problems with anger (even though that therapist was fantastic at treating me), and another therapist had conspiratorial theories about why my mental health struggles existed that he forced onto me. I have friends who have spent years begging for therapy, and others who feel they cannot trust a single one after multiple bad experiences. And I can truly understand and relate to both sides. I feel that therapy is a necessary step in treatment for any mental health problem and can be helpful even without any diagnosis, just for general stress and hardship. Talking to a good therapist will help anyone figure out their own brain and make individual plans to guide themselves. I am pursuing a degree and future career in the mental health field for two reasons: because I personally know just how much proper mental health care can improve someone’s quality of life, and because I want people to have a psychologist who truly cares about and understands them, as a result of my own experiences of having therapists who didn’t care. When people realize that the person treating them wants the best for them and is able to understand how they are feeling, they are more willing to trust what the therapist says. I want to be able to see this positive change in as many people as possible, which I can only do by helping them all the way through it. It is especially important to me to work with children and teenagers. These age groups are uniquely vulnerable because they are more likely to have their problems be ignored and more likely to not be believed. If a child or teen feels that this is happening to them, I hope I can be someone, even if I am the only one, who will believe them, and be an adult on their side, who wants to help them. I also want to work with the issues a lot of psychologists stay away from: anger, juvenile delinquency, Personality Disorders, and so many more. I can’t wait to show youth who have been abandoned by so many people, that there is someone there for them, and that there are always ways to change and grow as people if they desire to do so and put effort into it. Too many psychologists ignore that children and teenagers cling to the disorders they developed as a coping mechanism. I plan to entirely acknowledge that and always consider it while working with patients, because they will not improve when that fact is ignored. I will always help my patients, no matter what they struggle with. This field is so important to me because of my past experiences with it and to make sure people get the help they actually need. I am so excited to continue studying this in college and to see the difference this profession can make in many people’s lives.

In the past nine years, I have had seven different therapists. While my experience with therapy only started in fourth grade, my mental health journey began much earlier. I was only four when I was first diagnosed with Selective Mutism, and it was just a couple years later that I was diagnosed with Depression, Social Anxiety Disorder, and Generalized Anxiety Disorder. Each therapist I had didn’t work out for separate reasons. One was completely unsure of how to treat two different problems at the same time, another one’s company didn’t want anybody with external problems with anger (even though that therapist was fantastic at treating me), and another therapist had conspiratorial theories about why my mental health struggles existed that he forced onto me. I have friends who have spent years begging for therapy, and others who feel they cannot trust a single one after multiple bad experiences. And I can truly understand and relate to both sides. I feel that therapy is a necessary step in treatment for any mental health problem and can be helpful even without any diagnosis, just for general stress and hardship. Talking to a good therapist will help anyone figure out their own brain and make individual plans to guide themselves. I am pursuing a degree and future career in the mental health field for two reasons: because I personally know just how much proper mental health care can improve someone’s quality of life, and because I want people to have a psychologist who truly cares about and understands them, as a result of my own experiences of having therapists who didn’t care. When people realize that the person treating them wants the best for them and is able to understand how they are feeling, they are more willing to trust what the therapist says. I want to be able to see this positive change in as many people as possible, which I can only do by helping them all the way through it. It is especially important to me to work with children and teenagers. These age groups are uniquely vulnerable because they are more likely to have their problems be ignored and more likely to not be believed. If a child or teen feels that this is happening to them, I hope I can be someone, even if I am the only one, who will believe them, and be an adult on their side, who wants to help them. I also want to work with the issues a lot of psychologists stay away from: anger, juvenile delinquency, Personality Disorders, and so many more. I can’t wait to show youth who have been abandoned by so many people, that there is someone there for them, and that there are always ways to change and grow as people if they desire to do so and put effort into it. Too many psychologists ignore that children and teenagers cling to the disorders they developed as a coping mechanism. I plan to entirely acknowledge that and always consider it while working with patients, because they will not improve when that fact is ignored. I will always help my patients, no matter what they struggle with. This field is so important to me because of my past experiences with it and to make sure people get the help they actually need. I am so excited to continue studying this in college and to see the difference this profession can make in many people’s lives.

When I was in preschool, my mother had come in one day and a girl in my class went up to her to ask about me. “Why doesn’t he ever talk?” she asked. It was that year that I was first diagnosed with Selective Mutism, then Social Anxiety Disorder and Generalized Anxiety Disorder. I could talk with my immediate family, but not with any of my extended family. My Selective Mutism especially affected me at activities outside of my home, at places like school, sports, church, and clubs. If someone asked me something, I was too afraid of looking “weird” to not answer, but I was completely unable to bring anything up myself. At school and church there were many times when I was too afraid to ask to use the restroom. I often tried to “hype myself up” for it, telling myself that I only had to ask a simple question and then I wouldn’t be in pain from holding it anymore, but I was never able to. This resulted in multiple accidents at those places, which then made my anxiety about going there even worse. As much as I loved all my sports and clubs, I was unable to speak there too. If I got hurt while playing a sport, I couldn’t bring it up or ask for help. At clubs, I refused to do the presentations everyone else did and never made friends. Today, while anxiety still affects me, I seem like an entirely different person at times. I’ve never taken any medication for my anxiety disorders, any improvement has been entirely from therapy. I cannot remember a time when I wasn’t in therapy. Speech therapy started immediately (for Selective Mutism and stuttering), and mental health therapy for anxiety and depression began in fourth grade. In therapy, I’d have to go up to other people in the building and play a game with them. Then, they’d set up meetings with other kids my age to talk to. My therapist would come to my school to check if the therapy was helping me. As I got older, I’d have to make lists of things that scared me too much to do and things that didn’t, then I’d work on getting over them one by one. In middle school, I gained a group of friends, did presentations in school and clubs, and felt more able to speak up when I needed something. Getting older has caused new anxieties, with driving, doing more by myself, and going to college on my own. But I still work on these with my therapist every week. I write similar lists and go through them one at a time, and I am making my cat an Emotional Support Animal so I can take him to college with me. Dealing with these anxiety disorders and being in therapy my whole life have shown me exactly what I want to do in the future. I will be studying Clinical Psychology, and I hope to work with youth as a psychologist. I will help kids and teens struggling with the same things I have struggled with to find the tools they need in order to be successful, in the same way I have taught that to myself.

In the past nine years, I have had seven different therapists. While my experience with therapy only started in fourth grade, my mental health journey began much earlier. I was only four when I was first diagnosed with Selective Mutism, and it was just a couple years later that I was diagnosed with Depression and Generalized Anxiety Disorder. Each therapist I had did not work out for separate reasons. I have friends who have spent years begging for therapy, and others who feel they cannot trust a single one after multiple bad experiences. And I can truly understand and relate to both sides. I have always worked to decrease any harassment or bullying in school because it can negatively affect anyone’s mental health. At the start of seventh grade, I began planning out a Gay-Straight Alliance. The club became a thing for the first time at that school when I was in eighth grade. I would lead each meeting and plan events for us to raise awareness around school and money for LGBT/suicide helplines. That year, I was also asked by the health teacher to teach the entire LGBT part of the curriculum to all the classes. I did so to raise awareness and decrease bullying in our school. I feel that therapy is a necessary step in treatment for any mental health problem and can be helpful even without any diagnosis. I am pursuing a degree and future career in the mental health field for two reasons: because I personally know just how much proper mental health care can improve someone’s quality of life, and because I want people to have a psychologist who truly understands them. When people realize that the person treating them wants the best for them and is able to understand how they are feeling, they are more willing to trust what the therapist says. I want to be able to see this positive change in as many people as possible, which I can only do by helping them all the way through it. It is especially important to me to work with children and teenagers. These age groups are uniquely vulnerable because they are more likely to have their problems be ignored and more likely to not be believed. If a child or teen feels that this is happening to them, I hope I can be someone, even if I am the only one, who will believe them, and be an adult on their side, who wants to help them. I also want to work with the issues a lot of psychologists stay away from: anger, juvenile delinquency, Personality Disorders, and so many more. I can’t wait to show youth who have been abandoned by so many people, that there is someone there for them, and that there are always ways to change and grow as people if they desire to do so and put effort into it. Too many psychologists ignore that children and teenagers cling to the disorders they developed as a coping mechanism. I plan to entirely acknowledge that and always consider it while working with patients, because they will not improve when that fact is ignored. I will always help my patients, no matter what they struggle with. This field is so important to me because of my past experiences with it and to make sure people get the help they actually need. I am so excited to continue studying this in college and to see the difference this profession can make in many people’s lives and society at large.

In the past nine years, I have had seven different therapists. While my experience with therapy only started in fourth grade, my mental health journey began much earlier. I was only four when I was first diagnosed with Selective Mutism, and it was just a couple years later that I was diagnosed with Depression and Generalized Anxiety Disorder. Each therapist I had did not work out for separate reasons. One was completely unsure of how to treat two different problems at the same time, another one’s company didn’t want anybody with external problems with anger (even though that therapist was fantastic at treating me), and another therapist had conspiratorial theories about why my mental health struggles existed that he forced onto me. I have friends who have spent years begging for therapy, and others who feel they cannot trust a single one after multiple bad experiences. And I can truly understand and relate to both sides. I feel that therapy is a necessary step in treatment for any mental health problem and can be helpful even without any diagnosis, just for general stress and hardship. Talking to a good therapist will help anyone figure out their own brain and make individual plans to guide themselves. I am pursuing a degree and future career in the mental health field for two reasons: because I personally know just how much proper mental health care can improve someone’s quality of life, and because I want people to have a psychologist who truly cares about and understands them, as a result of my own experiences of having therapists who didn’t care. When people realize that the person treating them wants the best for them and is able to understand how they are feeling, they are more willing to trust what the therapist says. I want to be able to see this positive change in as many people as possible, which I can only do by helping them all the way through it. It is especially important to me to work with children and teenagers. These age groups are uniquely vulnerable because they are more likely to have their problems be ignored and more likely to not be believed. If a child or teen feels that this is happening to them, I hope I can be someone, even if I am the only one, who will believe them, and be an adult on their side, who wants to help them. I also want to work with the issues a lot of psychologists stay away from: anger, juvenile delinquency, Personality Disorders, and so many more. I can’t wait to show youth who have been abandoned by so many people, that there is someone there for them, and that there are always ways to change and grow as people if they desire to do so and put effort into it. Too many psychologists ignore that children and teenagers cling to the disorders they developed as a coping mechanism. I plan to entirely acknowledge that and always consider it while working with patients, because they will not improve when that fact is ignored. I will always help my patients, no matter what they struggle with. This field is so important to me because of my past experiences with it and to make sure people get the help they actually need. I am so excited to continue studying this in college and to see the difference this profession can make in many people’s lives.

In the past nine years, I have had seven different therapists. While my experience with therapy only started in fourth grade, my mental health journey began much earlier. I was only four when I was first diagnosed with Selective Mutism, and it was just a couple years later that I was diagnosed with Depression and Generalized Anxiety Disorder. Each therapist I had did not work out for separate reasons. One was completely unsure of how to treat two different problems at the same time, another one’s company didn’t want anybody with external problems with anger (even though that therapist was fantastic at treating me), and another therapist had conspiratorial theories about why my mental health struggles existed that he forced onto me. I have friends who have spent years begging for therapy, and others who feel they cannot trust a single one after multiple bad experiences. And I can truly understand and relate to both sides. I feel that therapy is a necessary step in treatment for any mental health problem and can be helpful even without any diagnosis, just for general stress and hardship. Talking to a good therapist will help anyone figure out their own brain and make individual plans to guide themselves. I am pursuing a degree and future career in the mental health field for two reasons: because I personally know just how much proper mental health care can improve someone’s quality of life, and because I want people to have a psychologist who truly cares about and understands them, as a result of my own experiences of having therapists who didn’t care. When people realize that the person treating them wants the best for them and is able to understand how they are feeling, they are more willing to trust what the therapist says. I want to be able to see this positive change in as many people as possible, which I can only do by helping them all the way through it. It is especially important to me to work with children and teenagers. These age groups are uniquely vulnerable because they are more likely to have their problems be ignored and more likely to not be believed. If a child or teen feels that this is happening to them, I hope I can be someone, even if I am the only one, who will believe them, and be an adult on their side, who wants to help them. I also want to work with the issues a lot of psychologists stay away from: anger, juvenile delinquency, Personality Disorders, and so many more. I can’t wait to show youth who have been abandoned by so many people, that there is someone there for them, and that there are always ways to change and grow as people if they desire to do so and put effort into it. Too many psychologists ignore that children and teenagers cling to the disorders they developed as a coping mechanism. I plan to entirely acknowledge that and always consider it while working with patients, because they will not improve when that fact is ignored. I will always help my patients, no matter what they struggle with. This field is so important to me because of my past experiences with it and to make sure people get the help they actually need. I am so excited to continue studying this in college and to see the difference this profession can make in many people’s lives.

In the past nine years, I have had seven different therapists. While my experience with therapy only started in fourth grade, my mental health journey began much earlier. I was only four when I was first diagnosed with Selective Mutism, and it was just a couple years later that I was diagnosed with Depression and Generalized Anxiety Disorder. Each therapist I had did not work out for separate reasons. One was completely unsure of how to treat two different problems at the same time, another one’s company didn’t want anybody with external problems with anger (even though that therapist was fantastic at treating me), and another therapist had conspiratorial theories about why my mental health struggles existed that he forced onto me. I have friends who have spent years begging for therapy, and others who feel they cannot trust a single one after multiple bad experiences. And I can truly understand and relate to both sides. I feel that therapy is a necessary step in treatment for any mental health problem and can be helpful even without any diagnosis, just for general stress and hardship. Talking to a good therapist will help anyone figure out their own brain and make individual plans to guide themselves. I am pursuing a degree and future career in the mental health field for two reasons: because I personally know just how much proper mental health care can improve someone’s quality of life, and because I want people to have a psychologist who truly cares about and understands them, as a result of my own experiences of having therapists who didn’t care. When people realize that the person treating them wants the best for them and is able to understand how they are feeling, they are more willing to trust what the therapist says. I want to be able to see this positive change in as many people as possible, which I can only do by helping them all the way through it. It is especially important to me to work with children and teenagers. These age groups are uniquely vulnerable because they are more likely to have their problems be ignored and more likely to not be believed. If a child or teen feels that this is happening to them, I hope I can be someone, even if I am the only one, who will believe them, and be an adult on their side, who wants to help them. I also want to work with the issues a lot of psychologists stay away from: anger, juvenile delinquency, Personality Disorders, and so many more. I can’t wait to show youth who have been abandoned by so many people, that there is someone there for them, and that there are always ways to change and grow as people if they desire to do so and put effort into it. Too many psychologists ignore that children and teenagers cling to the disorders they developed as a coping mechanism. I plan to entirely acknowledge that and consider it while working with patients, because they will not improve when that fact is ignored. I will always help my patients, no matter what they struggle with. This field is so important to me because of my past experiences with it and to make sure people get the help they actually need. I am so excited to continue studying this in college and to see the difference this profession can make in many people’s lives.

When I was in seventh grade, my biggest goal was to become a CIA Agent. I researched the CIA, and talked about my plan to start as a Police Officer, then work my way up to the FBI, and eventually be able to join the CIA. A year later, I saw an opportunity to take the first step. I applied to the Law and Public Safety (LPS) program at a trade school. Only after getting accepted it became quite terrifying for me. Throughout eighth grade, I was exactly the opposite of what LPS was probably looking for; I was barely eighty pounds, had been diagnosed with Selective Mutism, and I did not know what true motivation felt like. The first day of each year is called “shout down day.” Our teacher, Mr. V (though we usually just call him “Sir”), would interrogate us on core values, deadly errors, exercises, and stretches that we were supposed to memorize over the summer. Everyone messed up. He expected us to “correct” any mistake by doing push ups. Sometimes just ten, other times fifty or a hundred. Every day, we spent two hours at LPS, and the first day each year is always the same. I walked out of the classroom for the first time, with one harsh day completed. Even though the soreness stayed with me for days after and I had spent the entire day telling myself that I would not return the following day, I knew immediately that I had changed and would return. Similar to how your body builds muscles, the police and military use a “break them down to build them up” strategy, which Mr. V drew inspiration from. I had been broken down, emotionally and physically, but I came out knowing that I got through it. I performed physically in ways most others my age couldn’t. I kept my mind stable and able to think. These are the types of days that Mr. V loves to euphemize as “character building days.” He must be right because every day I leave the classroom feeling stronger, more confident, and more resilient than the day before. LPS and Mr. V are unique. It’s a small class that we have every single day for all four years of high school, but Mr. V is much more than just a teacher. He is a kind and intelligent former Police Officer who finds it important to share his knowledge with us. Through every hardship in high school, he has been there for me. He helped me discover just how much I can do if I really challenge myself, and I will forever be grateful for him and the class he created in order to change lives.

My community, as well as a lot of others, struggles with a lack of third spaces, no resources outside of school for children, and slow community development. I help change these things with everything I do in 4-H, an organization I have been a part of since first grade, specifically with the Magic Club for the past eight years. Just having 4-H as an organization in towns gives kids and teens a place to go and have fun. Growing up, I was extremely introverted and never played many sports. 4-H gave me a club to join and really helped me make friends, some that I would have never even met if not for 4-H. I’m the oldest of my club and its president, so I lead a lot of the meetings and outings. Making this available to other kids has provided so many people with a community to be a part of. It has also brought these kids to helpful people who aren’t parents or teachers and taught valuable lessons. Every child in 4-H must do presentations and public speaking, preparing them for the future. One of the most important parts of 4-H to me is how it brings the community together and helps where it can. Every year we do a fair and carnival, both a safe place for kids to explore. We also do science days, craft shows, summer camp, and mall events. These all get a lot of the community involved and provide a fun place for everyone. Clubs also do community service of their own. In the Magic Club, we’ve gone to schools for kids with Autism and centers for people with Down Syndrome to perform for them and help them feel that they can experience what others do. In the future, I plan to do more events like this, making sure to make everyone feel accepted and included.

I wanted to make sure that my first group was crochet terms, since I really enjoy crocheting. I used the four words “hook” (the tool used to crochet), “chain” (a basic stitch to make a line of crochet), “stitch” (any next step in a crochet project), and “round” (all the stitches one way down). I immediately noticed that “hook” and “round” are also both considered boxing terms, so I decided to make that my next category (in order to cause the classic Connections confusion). I looked up what words I could use and chose “clinch” (when the fighters grab each other), “haymaker” (type of punch), “jab” (another type of punch), and “bout” (a singular boxing match). This is likely my easiest category since most of these words can’t really go into any other categories, even though people will assume “hook” and “round” are a part of it. I then wanted to do Major League Baseball teams, because I love watching baseball. I chose to do my favorite team, the Mets, and another easy team, the Yankees. I tried to find names that could connect to something else. Guardians and Pirates stood out to me as they’re both words from movies. I used Guardians for this category because people are less likely to know it’s a team compared to the Pirates. For the last team from this category, I chose the Twins. It can’t belong to any other category, but people may not realize it’s an MLB team. The last category was “The First Word of Popular Movie Franchises.” I had to do “Pirates (of the Caribbean)”, then “Star (Wars),” “Teenage (Mutant Ninja Turtles),” and “Monsters (Inc.).” People who have attempted my Connections often thought “hook” and “stitch” were a part of this category.

I was in ninth grade when I first watched The Perks of Being a Wallflower. I loved it so much that I watched it again two weeks later with my sister. Some of the main themes and other things that stood out to me during the film are friendships and relationships, mental health, and the main character’s closeness with a kind teacher. The main character, Charlie, starts out lonely with no one but his older sister and he slowly becomes part of a group of friends, who all help each other throughout the film. There’s a great emphasis on the huge part an amazing friendship plays in your life. This movie always reminds me to become friends with kind people, and to keep them close when I’m struggling because they will help even in the worst situations. Charlie struggles with his mental health throughout the film. He has depression, anxiety, and trauma. I immediately felt a connection to him because I have also struggled with my mental health in the past. There were some scenes I watched and realized I had said the same exact words he had said. It was this aspect of the movie that really made me reflect. Having this movie out there really made me feel less alone in my struggles and showed me how there’s always hope when you are able to consider the people you talk to and the things you do. Now, when I feel especially sad or defeated, I go straight to The Perks of Being a Wallflower, and pull myself out of that sadness. One of the other bigger topics in the movie to me, though it was not to a lot of other people, was Charlie’s relationship with his English teacher. He’s an intelligent, but quiet, student, and his teacher sees that. They talk often and the teacher helps Charlies feel less alone, more confident, and less anxious or depressed. This stood out to me when I watched it the first time because I was in my first year of high school, and I had finally met that teacher in my life. His class, a Law and Public Safety four year program, challenged me academically, mentally, and physically. I felt more confident than I ever had after getting through the first day of school. Within just a few months, I began to truly enjoy school, make close bonds with people when I wouldn’t have before, and challenge myself to perform better than ever. This teacher helped me go from quiet and distracted to confident and strong in barely any time. I will forever thank him for that just as I thank The Perks of Being a Wallflower for helping me feel so much less alone with so many different aspects of my life.