Pediatric Rehabilitation. The need is high, the availability is low. My dream is to help babies and children with disabilities rehabilitate to grander abilities. I would help them to exceed the limitations that life has struck them with. My goal is to become an Occupational Therapist. I seek to help children with their motor development. Teaching them how to use their hands to brush their teeth, tie their shoes, or even feed themselves. I dream of helping them with sensory issues if certain textures were to hinder them from completing a task or eating certain foods. I dream of helping them grow and learn to use their limitations for greater success in their life development. The business I would love to start in my local community is a pediatric rehabilitation facility. It will have an area for Occupational therapy, Physical therapy, and Speech therapy on one side of the building and a daycare or school on the other side. This dream I have was inspired by my little sister. Born with Cerebral Palsy, brain damage from the womb. My sister has a lot of limitations. She is unable to feed herself, walk or talk. She requires the assistance of another individual 24/7. My parents sacrificed so much of their time, attention, and energy for my sister so she could have a great life and feel loved in every way possible. Growing up, I would go to therapy with my sister, watching the therapist do everything they can to aid my sister in her abilities. Raising a child with disabilities is difficult, especially when you still need to work a full-time job and have a social life of your own. Times are hard, especially in this day and age with inflation rising and the cost of living tripling. We are all individuals trying to make ends meet. Caring for those with disabilities, you have to take a great amount of time off from work, due to the multiple doctor appointments, many therapy sessions, commute to and from schools, and needing an at-home nurse to help you take care of your blessed child. My goal is for my business to aid those parents and guardians taking care of those with disabilities to be able to have a “one-stop shop” type of facility. Their child will be taken care of during the day and can also attend their therapy sessions at the same time. One less thing for the parents or guardians to worry about. Their children will be in safe hands the whole day, having fun, learning and growing their motor skills and brain development. To develop this business, I would need to finish my education. It will further my dream to become a reality. I am currently studying in the kinesiology program at my state's University to finish my bachelor's in Kinesiology. The following is to shadow and apply to an Occupational Therapy school, hopefully in the state, and specialized in Pediatrics. In doing this I will learn how to be successful in accomplishing my dream. After I graduate, I will work as an Occupational Therapist. While working as an Occupational therapist I plan to gain more insight into the business aspect of my field. I will also continue my education by taking classes to pursue the business aspect of my dreams. This will be the next step to being successful in a newly developed business. I will strive hard to make my dream a reality.

DREAM BIG “Never let it be said that to dream is a waste of one's time. Dreams are our realities in waiting. In dreams, we plant the realities of our future.” In 1987, my grandfather came to America. He worked two jobs to make ends meet for his family. His wife stayed at home in Jamaica taking care of their six children. My grandfather worked tirelessly day and night, saving wages to sponsor his family to come to America. He dreamed of an opportunity for a better life, for his children to have it easier than he was ever able to dream. Year by year, my family slowly immigrated their way, uprooting their whole life. His dream became a reality, no one could tell him no. His dream resulted in three generations of successful family members. Who would have known that my immigrant family would later become nurses, dental hygienists, doctors, entrepreneurs and even managers in a multinational corporation. My grandfather dreamed big, so I will dream big. My dream is to help babies and children with disabilities rehabilitate to grander abilities. I would help them to exceed the limitations that life has struck them with. My goal is to become an Occupational Therapist. I seek to help children with their motor development. Teaching them how to use their hands to brush their teeth, tie their shoes, or even feed themselves. I dream of helping them with sensory issues if certain textures were to hinder them from completing a task or eating certain foods. I dream of helping them grow and learn to use their limitations for greater success in their life development. My wildest dream is to one day open my own pediatric rehabilitation facility. It will have an area for Occupational therapy, Physical therapy, and Speech therapy on one side of the building and a daycare or school on the other side. This dream I have was inspired by my little sister. Born with Cerebral Palsy, brain damage from the womb. My sister has a lot of limitations. She is unable to feed herself, walk or talk. She requires the assistance of another individual 24/7. My parents sacrificed so much of their time, attention, and energy for my sister so she could have a great life and feel loved in every way possible. Growing up, I would go to therapy with my sister, watching the therapist do everything they can to aid my sister in her abilities. Raising a child with disabilities is difficult, especially when you still need to work a full-time job and have a social life of your own. This planted the seed for my dreams. The education I receive will be used to make my dream become a reality. I am currently studying in the kinesiology program at my state's University to finish my bachelor's in Kinesiology. The next plan is to shadow and apply to an Occupational Therapy school, hopefully in state, and specialized in Pediatrics. In doing this I will learn how to be successful in accomplishing my dream. After I graduate, I will work as an Occupational Therapist. While working as an Occupational therapist I plan to gain more insight into the business aspect of my field. I will also continue my education by taking classes to pursue the business aspect of my dreams. This will be the next step to being successful in accomplishing my wildest dream and making it a reality. My grandfather dreamed big, so will I dream big. I will constantly strive to make my dreams a reality.

Destigmatization of mental health Loneliness, my mental health battle that stemmed from childhood. When it comes to the question about the current state of my mental health, I can honestly tell you that right at this moment, I have not given up. Growing up with a sibling with cognitive and physical disabilities, I experienced a lot of mental stress, especially since I am the only sibling. As an only child for a few years, I was blessed with unlimited time and attention from my parents. I would however pray for a sibling because I still felt lonely. When I became eight, the unlimited time and attention from my parents quickly vanished, due to the birth of my sibling. I often felt guilty and upset with myself, that I prayed for a sibling so I would never feel lonely again. I was blessed with a sibling, but it was not the sibling I wanted. My sister has Cerebral Palsy, born with brain damage, never being able to have a proper chance at life. My parents, amazing as they are, their time and attention needed to be given to my sibling. Her needs are high, and it is not easy having to raise a child with physical and cognitive disabilities. It puts a great mental, physical, and emotional strain on my parents. As a result, I began to struggle with constantly feeling lonely and neglected throughout the rest of my childhood. My parents did everything they could for me with what they had left over. I thank them for even attempting to still show me love and attention. It wasn't enough. I've constantly strived to be an overachiever, succeeding in everything I take on. I didn't want to add to my parents' stress with having another child they needed to worry about and take care of. I raised myself to be independent, not wanting to rely on anyone for assistance. I strived for the lone wolf life. I never want to ever feel like a burden to anyone. I have cried many nights feeling lonely and unloved. Feeling I can't go to anyone for help, because I need to be able to handle my own emotions, my struggles, and my stress by myself. As an adult, I sometimes still cry at night because of my mental health issues. I wonder why I am so sad, why I am so exhausted, why am I so stressed out. My aspirations are to one day have a successful career and business where I can give back to my parents, and help them with their mental and financial health. I would also want to have a safe space for my sister when she becomes older, and my parents are unable to take care of her. Taking care of her will pass on to me then. I aspire to have my own business, to help other families who have children with disabilities. I would open a Physical, Occupational and Speech therapy facility with a daycare combined. This will help the parents or guardians of disabled children to go about their daily life for a few hours a day. I am not sure if I will ever fully overcome my mental health battle with loneliness, but I have not, and will not give up. I thank you, for your time and consideration.

Destigmatization of mental health Loneliness, my mental health battle that stemmed from childhood. When it comes to the question about the current state of my mental health, I can honestly tell you that right at this moment, I have not given up. Growing up with a sibling with cognitive and physical disabilities, I experienced a lot of mental stress, especially since I am the only sibling. As an only child for a few years, I was blessed with unlimited time and attention from my parents. I would however pray for a sibling because I still felt lonely. When I became eight, the unlimited time and attention from my parents quickly vanished, due to the birth of my sibling. I often felt guilty and upset with myself, that I prayed for a sibling so I would never feel lonely again. I was blessed with a sibling, but it was not the sibling I wanted. My sister has Cerebral Palsy, born with brain damage, never being able to have a proper chance at life. My parents, amazing as they are, their time and attention needed to be given to my sibling. Her needs are high, and it is not easy having to raise a child with physical and cognitive disabilities. It puts a great mental, physical, and emotional strain on my parents. As a result, I began to struggle with constantly feeling lonely and neglected throughout the rest of my childhood. My parents did everything they could for me with what they had left over. I thank them for even attempting to still show me love and attention. It wasn't enough. I've constantly strived to be an overachiever, succeeding in everything I take on. I didn't want to add to my parents' stress with having another child they needed to worry about and take care of. I raised myself to be independent, not wanting to rely on anyone for assistance. I strived for the lone wolf life. I never want to ever feel like a burden to anyone. I have cried many nights feeling lonely and unloved. Feeling I can't go to anyone for help, because I need to be able to handle my own emotions, my struggles, and my stress by myself. As an adult, I sometimes still cry at night because of my mental health issues. I wonder why I am so sad, why I am so exhausted, why am I so stressed out. My aspirations are to one day have a successful career and business where I can give back to my parents, and help them with their mental and financial health. I would also want to have a safe space for my sister when she becomes older, and my parents are unable to take care of her. Taking care of her will pass on to me then. I aspire to have my own business, to help other families who have children with disabilities. I would open a Physical, Occupational and Speech therapy facility with a daycare combined. This will help the parents or guardians of disabled children to go about their daily life for a few hours a day. I am not sure if I will ever fully overcome my mental health battle with loneliness, but I have not, and will not give up. I thank you again for your time and consideration.

Destigmatization of Mental Health Loneliness, my mental health battle that stemmed from childhood. When it comes to the question about the current state of my mental health, I can honestly tell you that right at this moment, I have not given up. Growing up with a sibling with cognitive and physical disabilities, I experienced a lot of mental stress, especially since I am the only sibling. As an only child for a few years, I was blessed with unlimited time and attention from my parents. I would however pray for a sibling because I still felt lonely. When I became eight, the unlimited time and attention from my parents quickly vanished, due to the birth of my sibling. I often felt guilty and upset with myself, that I prayed for a sibling so I would never feel lonely again. I was blessed with a sibling, but it was not the sibling I wanted. My sister has Cerebral Palsy, born with brain damage, never being able to have a proper chance at life. My parents, amazing as they are, their time and attention needed to be given to my sibling. Her needs are high, and it is not easy raising a child with physical and cognitive disabilities. It puts a great mental, physical, and emotional strain on my parents. As a result, I began to struggle with constantly feeling lonely and neglected throughout the rest of my childhood. My parents did everything they could for me with what they had left over. I thank them for even attempting to still show me love and attention. It wasn't enough. I've constantly strived to be an overachiever, succeeding in everything I take on. I didn't want to add to my parents' stress by having another child they needed to worry about and take care of. I raised myself to be independent, not wanting to rely on anyone for assistance. I strived for the lone wolf life. I never want to ever feel like a burden to anyone. I have cried many nights feeling lonely and unloved. Feeling I can't go to anyone for help, because I need to be able to handle my own emotions, my struggles, and my stress by myself. As an adult, I sometimes still cry at night because of my mental health issues. I wonder why I am so sad, why I am so exhausted, why am I so stressed out. My aspirations are to one day have a successful career and business where I can give back to my parents, and help them with their mental and financial health. I would also want to have a safe space for my sister when she becomes older, and my parents are unable to take care of her. Taking care of her will pass on to me then. I aspire to have my own business, to help other families who have children with disabilities. I would open a Physical, Occupational and Speech therapy facility with a daycare combined. This will help the parents or guardians of disabled children to go about their daily life for a few hours a day. I am not sure if I will ever fully overcome my mental health battle with loneliness, but I have not, and will not give up. I thank you again for your time and consideration.

The dream version of my future self is a strong female entrepreneur whose business will aid those with physcial disabilities and their parents, due to life being exceptionally more difficult for the affected families. Thank you.