My name is Kallie Hunter, and I am a rising junior at Furman University. I have learned the importance of mental health through my experiences and studies. I believe that mental health is crucial for everything we do. If someone were to have anxiety or depression, it would make it harder to accomplish basic tasks, much less difficult ones. Mental health affects how we think, feel, and act. It influences how we handle stress, relate to others, and make choices. Without good mental health, it is challenging to thrive in any area of life. I maintain my mental health in several ways. One of the most important methods for me is seeking help when I need it. I visit the school therapists when I feel overwhelmed or need someone to talk to. They provide me with strategies to cope with stress and anxiety, which helps me stay focused on my studies and personal life. Another way I maintain my mental wellness is by engaging in activities that calm me. Meditation has been a significant part of my routine. It helps me clear my mind and stay grounded. Listening to music is another activity that brings me peace. Music has a way of soothing my mind and lifting my spirits, which is essential during stressful times. Being involved in extracurricular activities also plays a role in my mental wellness. I am a member of the marching band and symphonic band at Furman University. Playing music with others gives me a sense of belonging and purpose. It is a great way to express myself and relieve stress. The family system and teamwork in the band provide a support system that is vital for my mental health. Working at Chick-fil-A as a Front of House employee has taught me the importance of balancing work and personal life. The job can be demanding and stressful, but it has also helped me develop time management skills and resilience. Interacting with customers and colleagues has improved my social skills and provided a sense of accomplishment. Volunteering at the Humane Society is another way I take care of my mental health. Helping animals and seeing their progress brings me joy and fulfillment. It is a reminder that small acts of kindness can make a big difference. Volunteering also gives me a break from academic pressures and allows me to focus on something positive. In conclusion, mental health is essential for leading a balanced and fulfilling life. By seeking help when needed, engaging in calming activities, participating in extracurriculars, working, and volunteering, I maintain my mental wellness. These practices help me stay focused and positive. I believe that taking care of my mental health is the foundation for achieving my goals and living a happy life.

I have my dream job as a Medical Examiner, I have a nice house where I support my mother and we don't have to worry about financial issues.

When I first thought about what I wanted to do for the rest of my life, I thought I wanted to be a musician in a military band. At that point in time, I had been playing clarinet for five years and I loved playing. I started taking lessons from a professional clarinet player and that was when I started to realize that being a professional musician was not my thing. Luckily, at the time, I was taking Anatomy and Physiology. I was drawn to learning about the human body and I thought it was the most interesting thing in the world. That is where I first started thinking about a medical career. Not long into that year of school, I came across the show NCIS. In this show, there is a Medical Examiner who quickly became one of my favorite characters. I thought his job seemed undeniably cool and at the time, I had never heard of it before. Growing up, I always had a strong stomach and I could easily talk about things that would gross out other people. I usually would not realize it until somebody said something about it. Not only that, but I consider myself more of an introvert than an extrovert. Working with live people never interested me because there would be so many ways that I could mess up. Of course, there are ways to mess up as a Medical Examiner, but somebody's life is not on the line. Not to mention, the world will always need people to do this job because it isn't very popular. These things are what brought me to want to be a Medical Examiner. Some people may think that there aren't many ways someone like me could make a difference as a Medical Examiner. This is not exactly true. There are ways I can make a difference even if the difference isn't what you would expect. For the police or investigative service to catch a killer, an autopsy would need to be done on a body. These autopsies show things like the cause of death and if there were any drugs in the person's system. The autopsy would help narrow down a suspect list. It almost gives a base for what the investigative service would be looking for in the killer. So, even though my plan for making a difference is not conventional, it is the one I'm going to stick with.

Out of all the Disney characters I have seen and all the movies I have watched, my favorite Disney character would have to be Stitch. I never thought about why he was my favorite character until now. I believe that I like him so much because when I was younger, I felt like I related to him. Throughout Lilo and Stitch, he realizes that he doesn't really have a family and he feels like the Ugly Duckling. He feels left different because he's not like everybody else. Eventually, he does find his family which are human rather than alien like him. In middle school, I almost felt lost. My mother had a job in a different state and I didn't grow up with a father figure. Some of my family members argued quite a bit not to mention I didn't have many friends. I didn't know what I wanted to do with the rest of my life like some others did. I didn't feel like I was accepted by the people I hung out with. Overall, I felt like I was the bad guy that nobody wanted to be around. I didn't feel accepted by people. This caused self-confidence issues and I felt like I was doing everything wrong. Now I know that nothing was wrong with me, I just needed that lesson. Towards the end of the move, Stitch pushed through and even though many people didn't like him, he still saved Lilo's life. After he did, people seemed to accept him. He became a family member and basically became good, despite his differences. Now I know I am not evil or bad but when I was younger, I definitely felt like it but I pushed through it though and finally got to high school. I found my group of friends, I gained a father figure, and my mom came back to work closer to home.