Philanthropy is the act of promoting the welfare of others. Its goals are to address social issues, improve the quality of life for individuals or communities, and much more. With philanthropy comes the important topic of mental health that can go unnoticed or not even talked about at all. I am passionate about philanthropy because my goal in life is to become a therapist and be able to have the opportunity to make a positive impact on individuals and my community. I am 19 years old and a freshman in college who is majoring in social work. I get asked a lot why I want to be a social worker, as they do "not make a lot of money." Well, to look at things from my childhood, I have grown up getting anything I needed: food in my stomach and a roof over my head. I lived in a middle-class home all my life with a backyard I could play all day in. I was integrated into sports at an early age. I had stable friends and friend groups my entire childhood. But something was missing, and that something was a loving and stable marriage from my parents. Altogether, my parent's marriage has been nothing short of messy, toxic, and sad. Cycles of talk of divorce and arguments so bad one had to leave the house, to the silent treatment later on in the night with no regard for my whereabouts or feelings, and then being fine the next day like nothing had ever happened. Furthermore, this has caused many problems as I grew up. Self-esteem issues, anxiety, toxic relationships, and a skewed view of love. I know what it feels like to be alone and feel like no one can understand or help. Throughout my career, my greatest fulfillment will come from knowing that I am making a positive impact in people's lives by supporting their mental health. I struggled with mental health for years until I sought professional help and started healing. This career is not about the money, as I have a drive to support others who are struggling just like I have. Growing up has many challenges with emotional hurdles to overcome. I understand what it feels like to feel isolated and overwhelmed, and that is why I want to be a compassionate ally for others. I plan to make a positive impact by advocating for mental health awareness, volunteering or working in areas with limited access to mental health services, helping clients recognize their strengths, and much more. I want to use my platform to promote mental health education, as it can sometimes go unrecognized, and I even want to partner with schools or community organizations. Overall, everyone deserves to have a helping hand no matter what they are going through, and I am determined to be that person.

Mental health is such an important topic to discuss and can be overlooked in our society. Women may experience unique challenges related to their well-being such as hormonal fluctuations, societal pressures, and gender roles. It is crucial to prioritize our mental health and seek support when needed. Mental health has had and still is making an impact on my life. As one of my biggest goals is to become a therapist, it is one of my priorities to shine a light on this topic and remind people they are not alone. Mental health has impacted my academic performance in numerous ways over the years. I was diagnosed with ADHD (attention-deficit/hyperactive disorder) and anxiety. ADHD and anxiety are two separate conditions but can exist at the same time and even share the same symptoms. My ADHD has had an impact on me in school as I am very forgetful, have trouble paying attention, and have a short attention span. Anxiety has me constantly worrying, having low self-esteem, irritability, and similar to ADHD-frequent mood changes. With all of this weight on my shoulders, school has been a struggle. It is hard for me to manage my stress and concentrate. I sometimes tend to get behind in class and I lose motivation. These issues are not talked about in school nearly enough and girls especially, are seen as "stupid" and "airheaded" when we have trouble in school. I want to shine a light on these issues at school, so more students can be heard and understood. When it comes to my personal life, mental health has an even bigger impact. My anxiety and ADHD follow me outside the classroom. My whole life I have struggled with impulsivity, mood swings, and low self-esteem. I used to strongly dislike what I saw in the mirror and it transitioned over to how and when I ate which caused me to have an eating disorder in my early freshman year. This is also not talked about enough, especially in Women. It is swept under the rug and it is much more common in women than men. I am just now learning the meaning of self-love but the transition from middle school to high school was also something I had to learn how to handle and adjust to. I was constantly comparing myself to the older, prettier girls, giving attention to the wrong guys, and struggling with constant drama. High school was when everything hit me all at once, like mental health, who is right for me and who isn't, how my childhood affected my mental health, and surrounding myself with the right things and people. At the end of the day, these things have an impact on my behavior and personality, and no one likes a negative nelly so I take many steps in prioritizing myself to overcome my struggles. I started going to therapy my freshman year and have been continuing to go for 4 years now. I journal, meditate, read self-help books, and spend my time with people who make me feel loved. As I am now 18, I am gaining more self-confidence and learning the true meaning of self-love and how to have a positive outlook on life despite my mental health struggles. I am going to Western Kentucky University in the fall of 2024 and majoring in social work. I plan to help teenage girls out just like I have helped myself over the years and shine a light on mental health.

Mental health can be easily hidden and this is why it's so important to shine a light on it. Just like Trevor, I have had many personal struggles with mental illness, and have seen my close friends and family members struggle too. Because of my childhood and how that mentally shaped me, I have a strong desire to help those in need. With that being said, I have struggled with emotional stability during my childhood and it has continued to show in numerous ways as I got older. My mother has been diagnosed with anxiety, ADD, and BPD (Borderline Personality Disorder) Along with my father being diagnosed with anxiety and depression. Growing up, love to me looked like yelling, arguing, name-calling, crying, and then apologizing and that cycle continuously repeated. Experiencing an unstable relationship between two parents who struggle to love each other doesn't teach the child not to love the parents, it teaches the child to not love themselves. My struggle with mental health didn't start to hit me until around seventh grade. It started with anxiety. I joined a club soccer team with girls I Idolized. I thought they were the most beautiful girls I have ever seen and I thought they were amazing at soccer. I constantly compared myself to them wondering why I didn't look like them, or why I couldn't be as good at soccer as them. It further progressed to self-doubt and hatred, including panic attacks before and after every practice and game. I was never taught self-love as I had a mother who also struggled with it as well and a low self-esteem followed me into 8th grade when COVID-19 hit. Being stuck at home gave me more time to point out all the things I didn't like about myself and I soon began to have an unhealthy relationship with food and my body image. I restricted myself on what I ate, counted my calories, and had mental breakdowns when I would eat "bad" which at most was a fast food meal. By high school, trauma from my childhood started to manifest itself in how I treated others and how I would let others treat me. Showing kindness was not something that was familiar in my household so I wasn't fully aware of how poorly I treated others or how they treated me. I had a tendency to be rude or disloyal to the friends I loved the most. Including getting easily irritated or angry when it was not needed. On the other hand, romantic relationships have been and still is a struggle for me. Men who would show me kindness, love, and respect aren't the ones I'd be attracted to. It's the ones who are mean, unloyal, and give me attention on their own time are the ones who catch my eye. I never saw what it was like for a father to love his wife, or treat her with respect, so boys treating me the same seemed familiar to me. In these past 4 years of high school, dealing with suppressed trauma, self-love, anxiety, and many other mental health aspects have been a huge struggle for me. But these struggles have taught me to become a better person for myself and others. It has taught me that you are more than your struggles and it's never too early or late to reach out for help and start healing. Because of my childhood and the struggles along with it, I hope to someday become a mental health therapist and help others who have been struggling as well.