My mother, Arissa Grizzle, is one of the best people I have ever met. I am not saying that just because she gave birth to me. She raised me to be independent, caring, and many other things. When I become a mom one day, I hope to be as great as she is. My mom is a person who is resilient, passionate, and compassionate. She will never know the full extent of how much I adore and admire her. She has taught me a lot just by living her life. Resilience. One of the many words that describe my mom. In 2014, my mom was diagnosed with leukemia. She had six kids, the youngest being 4 at the time. She felt her life crumbling, but she said, "I'll give myself one day to cry because tomorrow I have to start planning for treatment. I don’t have time to pity myself. I have to stay alive for my kids.” Having the mindset to say that is laudable. But for my mom, it was a must-have in her mind. She had to begin fighting the next day. An inequitable fight with blood cancer. She knew she had to win, though. And that she did. She is now in her sixth year of remission. Another example of her resilience would be her addiction. During cancer treatments, she was given numerous pain pills. Which her body unfortunately started to crave even when she was not in pain. She knew in a short amount of time that she had an addiction. So she told her doctor, who recommended an addiction center. She soon began working on getting her body to not depend on the pills anymore. She has never relapsed and has stayed diligent in her recovery. As hard as it might have been to not only beat cancer but also beat an addiction, she did both. Even when she had times when she wanted to give up, she never did. She not only displayed this when her health was deteriorating but also in her career. Passionate. Another word that describes my mom. My mom graduated high school in 1988. When she graduated, she immediately went to school to do what she had always wanted to do. Nursing. She got her bachelor's and master's degrees in nursing. She lost sleep and the chance to live through the “college experience” because of her passion for learning her craft. She describes her career as “her reason to be alive." She has two jobs at the moment. One in the ER and one as a supervisor at a clinic. Another example of her passion would be the fact that she is currently enrolled in college again. She is going to school to get her nurse practitioner license. She is juggling two jobs while being a full-time student. She says, "It is all worth it.” All the stress and anxiety are worth it because she is doing what she loves. Being a nurse requires a great deal of compassion, and luckily, my mom has a lot of it. In conclusion, my mom has many great qualities that make her an astonishing person. She is a woman who knows who she is and what she wants. She is determined to work hard every day. Her everyday life can show how much she cares for others. she is someone many can look up to. She has overcome cancer and addiction. She works two jobs while being a full-time college student. She will always try her best to help and encourage people. That is why she is admirable.

My name is Kaitlin Bates. I am 18, and I have depression, anxiety, and adjustment disorder. In middle school, I was bullied, which caused me to try and end my life multiple times. I have since learned to live with my mental illnesses, and I have not tried to commit in 5 years. Everything I've been through has made me become fascinated with mental health and how it could take over someone's life. In high school, I realized I wanted to major in psychology. I took a dual enrollment class to make sure, and I loved it. I loved learning about humans and mental health. My next plan in life is to go to LSU and major in psychology. I already got accepted! I plan to go all the way through and get my doctorate. I’m prepared to work hard all through college for this. After my degree, I plan to take the two state tests and officially become a clinical psychologist! I plan on starting a clinic with my family and helping all those in need of mental health. I want to make mental help more accessible in rural areas like mine. Hopefully, the acceptability of mental illnesses will follow. I hope to prevent what happened to me from happening to another kid. I hope to have free therapy days. Where anyone can walk into the clinic and seek help. I believe everyone with mental illnesses deserves help when needed. So, I plan on being the change I hope to see. Mental health is so often frowned upon. Especially in minority cultures. But I plan on changing that. By not only being open about my mental illnesses but helping others deal with theirs. Breaking the stereotype that all people with mental illnesses are "crazy" is a must. People are so quick to judge without being informed on what mental illnesses even are. I plan on doing many public events in my community to spread awareness. With this plan, I can also show those who are struggling with mental illnesses how to live with it like I do. I can help them with the knowledge I'll gain from school and personal experiences. To prepare for this plan on LSU campus, I plan to participate in as many mental health events as possible. I know that once I get to graduate school, I will have to do an internship. which I'm sure will also help prepare me for what I want to do in the future.