I am going to major in psychology, with the hopes of helping children and young adults with the hard faces of life. When I was just a young child, my cousin struggled internally with depression and self-doubt. Even though he was active in sports, with his friends, and seemed like a “normal” teen, the small signs were missed by my family and his close friends, and this result is what led to my cousin not receiving the help he needed and eventually resulting in him committing suicide at just 17 years old. My family was devastated, like so many families are today, with the loss of so many people struggling with these issues. Even after my family was told the signs could have been missed by anyone not trained in the field of psychology, it still leaves a gaping hole of “what ifs” in my family. Being so young at the time I did not realize what was happening inside my family. I did not understand the words “suicide” “depression”. But as I matured and learned what these words meant, how hard someone can struggle with them, what the result can become and how devastating it is to everyone, I began to understand what I wanted to do with my life. I wanted to help people. To be someone who can be approached and in confidence be told struggling emotions and a safe person someone can express themselves to. I joined my local counseling group in high school, and I have always been someone my friends have felt comfortable talking to. Seeing and knowing I am helping others in this way has been healing for me on my cousin’s passing. I have chosen to pursue this degree and major so that the signs are not missed. That families do not have to live with the “what ifs.” After obtaining my degree, it leads me into the practicing medical field and helping hands on with patients and families, or if it leads me into the research and study field; I believe the study of why so many struggle with depression and self-harm is important to today’s society. I feel like it is a healthcare profession which needs to be further broadened, and more women should be encouraged to get into this field of study. Also, with my background of art and theater, I feel I will be able to help not only through words, but also through expression of oneself through art and self-expression. Psychology is, I believe, one of the looked over medical professions. Many want to work in surgery or family medicine, which are great fields, but sometimes all someone needs is a person who will listen, a nonjudgmental environment, and whom an individual feels safe expressing who they really are. I believe with further education and research in this field, it will help many struggling families who did not catch the sign in time, and help those struggling be able to express themselves and to get the help that they need.

My name is Kamryn and I am a graduating senior from Fort Worth, Texas. I am the second oldest of four sisters. My mother is a fifth-grade teacher, and who is raising my sisters and I as a single parent. I have a great love for helping people, rather through emotional support, advocating for a cause I believe in or simply helping others express themselves through teaching art and theater. I have been accepted to Louisiana State University and am looking to pursue a major in Psychology with a minor in art therapy. My mother is my inspiration. Through showing her determination by not only going back to school and getting her GED but also continuing her education and gaining a higher education and a degree in child education. As a single parent working many odd jobs, sometimes two at a time, she never once wanted to show us anything other than determination and the grit and grind it takes to make your life better. Now she is in a career that she loves, because she can help so many young people through her career. I believe this is where I not only get my drive but also want to help others. When I was a young child, my family was faced with a tragedy; one that unfortunately is overlooked by so many others who do not know the signs. My seventeen-year-old cousin felt lost, depressed, had many insecurities and internal struggles which were not noticed and caught by my family, this ultimately led to suicide. The devastation this caused to my family still has a hold on everyone. The constant “what ifs” and “how did we not know” are still questions spoken around the table. This is the reason I know psychology has pressed on my heart to pursue. Psychology is, I believe, one of the looked over medical professions. Many want to work in surgery or family medicine, which are great fields, but I feel like my true calling is in the psychology field. I feel as though sometimes all someone truly needs is a person who will listen, a nonjudgmental environment, and whom an individual feels safe expressing who they really are. I believe with further education and research in this field, it will help many struggling families who did not catch the sign in time and help those struggling be able to express themselves and to get the help that they need. I have chosen to pursue this degree and major so that the signs are not missed. That families do not have to live with the “what ifs.” After obtaining my degree, it leads me into the practicing medical field and helping hands on with patients and families, or if it leads me into the research and study field; I believe the study of why so many struggle with depression and self-harm is important to today’s society. I feel like it is a healthcare profession which needs to be further broadened, and more people should be encouraged to get into this field of study. Also, with my great love of art and theater, I will pursue an art minor with a focus on art therapy. With this approach, I feel I will be able to help not only through words, but also through expression of oneself through art and self-expression.

I am going to major in psychology, with the hopes of helping children and young adults with the hard faces of life. When I was just a young child, my cousin struggled internally with depression and self-doubt. Even though he was active in sports, with his friends, and seemed like a “normal” teen, the small signs were missed by my family and his close friends, and this result is what led to my cousin not receiving the help he needed and eventually resulting in him committing suicide at just 17 years old. My family was devastated, like so many families are today, with the loss of so many people struggling with these issues. Even after my family was told the signs could have been missed by anyone not trained in the field of psychology, it still leaves a gaping hole of “what ifs” in my family. Being so young at the time I did not realize what was happening inside my family. I did not understand the words “suicide” “depression”. But as I matured and learned what these words meant, how hard someone can struggle with them, what the result can become and how devastating it is to everyone, I began to understand what I wanted to do with my life. I wanted to help people. To be someone who can be approached and in confidence be told struggling emotions and a safe person someone can express themselves to. I joined my local counseling group in high school, and I have always been someone my friends have felt comfortable talking to. Seeing and knowing I am helping others in this way has been healing for me on my cousin’s passing. I have chosen to pursue this degree and major so that the signs are not missed. That families do not have to live with the “what ifs.” After obtaining my degree, it leads me into the practicing medical field and helping hands on with patients and families, or if it leads me into the research and study field; I believe the study of why so many struggle with depression and self-harm is important to today’s society. I feel like it is a healthcare profession which needs to be further broadened, and more women should be encouraged to get into this field of study. Also, with my great love of art and theater, I will pursue an art minor with a focus on art therapy. With this approach, I feel I will be able to help not only through words, but also through expression of oneself through art and self-expression. Psychology is, I believe, one of the looked over medical professions. Many want to work in surgery or family medicine, which are great fields, but I feel like my true calling is in the psychology field. I feel as though sometimes all someone truly needs is a person who will listen, a nonjudgmental environment, and whom an individual feels safe expressing who they really are. I believe with further education and research in this field, it will help many struggling families who did not catch the sign in time and help those struggling be able to express themselves and to get the help that they need.

I am going to major in psychology, with the hopes of helping children and young adults with the hard faces of life. When I was just a young child, my cousin struggled internally with depression and self-doubt. Even though he was active in sports, with his friends, and seemed like a “normal” teen, the small signs were missed by my family and his close friends, and this result is what led to my cousin not receiving the help he needed and eventually resulting in him committing suicide at just 17 years old. My family was devastated, like so many families are today, with the loss of so many people struggling with these issues. Even after my family was told the signs could have been missed by anyone not trained in the field of psychology, it still leaves a gaping hole of “what ifs” in my family. Being so young at the time I did not realize what was happening inside my family. I did not understand the words “suicide” “depression”. But as I matured and learned what these words meant, how hard someone can struggle with them, what the result can become and how devastating it is to everyone, I began to understand what I wanted to do with my life. I wanted to help people. To be someone who can be approached and in confidence be told struggling emotions and a safe person someone can express themselves to. I joined my local counseling group in high school, and I have always been someone my friends have felt comfortable talking to. Seeing and knowing I am helping others in this way has been healing for me on my cousin’s passing. I have chosen to pursue this degree and major so that the signs are not missed. That families do not have to live with the “what ifs.” After obtaining my degree, it leads me into the practicing medical field and helping hands on with patients and families, or if it leads me into the research and study field; I believe the study of why so many struggle with depression and self-harm is important to today’s society. I feel like it is a healthcare profession which needs to be further broadened, and more women should be encouraged to get into this field of study. Also, with my deep love of art and theater, I have decided to minor in art with a focus on art therapy. I believe with this approach to psychology, I will be able to help not only through words, but also through expression of oneself through art and self-expression. Psychology is, I believe, one of the looked over medical professions. Many want to work in surgery or family medicine, which are great fields, but I feel like my calling is in the psychological part of healthcare; I feel sometimes all someone needs is someone who will listen, a nonjudgmental environment, and whom an individual feels safe expressing who they really are. I believe with further education and research in this field, it will help many struggling families who did not catch the signs in time and help those struggling be able to express themselves and to get the help that they need.

Coming from a single parent household, I have seen my mother struggle for much of my childhood. My mom went from one job to another once she became “overqualified” for the position but under qualified to move up the “ladder”. When I was nine years old, I remember my mom working two jobs and still struggling to make ends meet. When she realized that this world really requires people to have a higher education she began to really think about her future and the future of her children. That is when she made a life-changing choice to return to school. Even with three small children to support, she knew that it would be in the best interest for her children and their future. Not only did my mom set out to get her GED, but she also wanted to pursue a college education. With my mother’s hard work and determination, she is now not only a high school graduate, but she graduated from college, with honors, and a bachelor’s degree in child education and she now teaches full time. My mother has instilled in my siblings and I the importance of an education and that hard work and determination, with a lot of grit and grind can make anything possible. Seeing my mother struggle for many years, passed over for jobs she earned and the financial drain and depression she faced trying to make ends meet, has given me the drive to choose a path that will enable me to have a career which leads to a successful outcome for my future. This mentality and outlook not only have pushed me to want more out of my education but to become successful in anything I do. This mindset has made me work hard in anything I do, rather it be in sports, art, drama, my high school education or my future college education. Pursuing and having a higher education, to me, ensures that I can depend on myself. That no matter what life throws at me, that I know I have the resources and the background education to take care of myself. An education not only makes someone self-sufficient, but it will also give a “leg up” in the work force. Completing a higher degree will open more doors for me to become successful in the future, not only for myself, but for any future family that I may one day have.

I am going to major in psychology, with the hopes of helping children and young adults with the hard faces of life. When I was just a young child, my cousin struggled internally with depression and self-doubt. Even though he was active in sports, with his friends, and seemed like a “normal” teen, the small signs were missed by my family and his close friends, and this result is what led to my cousin not receiving the help he needed and eventually resulting in him committing suicide at just 17 years old. My family was devastated, like so many families are today, with the loss of so many people struggling with these issues. Even after my family was told the signs could have been missed by anyone not trained in the field of psychology, it still leaves a gaping hole of “what ifs” in my family. Being so young at the time I did not realize what was happening inside my family. I did not understand the words “suicide” “depression”. But as I matured and learned what these words meant, how hard someone can struggle with them, what the result can become and how devastating it is to everyone, I began to understand what I wanted to do with my life. I wanted to help people. To be someone who can be approached and in confidence be told struggling emotions and a safe person someone can express themselves to. I joined my local counseling group in high school, and I have always been someone my friends have felt comfortable talking to. Seeing and knowing I am helping others in this way has been healing for me on my cousin’s passing. I have chosen to pursue this degree and major so that the signs are not missed. That families do not have to live with the “what ifs.” After obtaining my degree, it leads me into the practicing medical field and helping hands on with patients and families, or if it leads me into the research and study field; I believe the study of why so many struggle with depression and self-harm is important to today’s society. I feel like it is a healthcare profession which needs to be further broadened, and more women should be encouraged to get into this field of study. Also, with my background of art and theater, I feel I will be able to help not only through words, but also through expression of oneself through art and self-expression. Psychology is, I believe, one of the looked over medical professions. Many want to work in surgery or family medicine, which are great fields, but sometimes all someone needs is a person who will listen, a nonjudgmental environment, and whom an individual feels safe expressing who they really are. I believe with further education and research in this field, it will help many struggling families who did not catch the sign in time, and help those struggling be able to express themselves and to get the help that they need.

I am going to major in psychology, with the hopes of helping children and young adults with the hard faces of life. When I was just a young child, my cousin struggled internally with depression and self-doubt. Even though he was active in sports, with his friends, and seemed like a “normal” teen, the small signs were missed by my family and his close friends, and this result is what led to my cousin not receiving the help he needed and eventually resulting in him committing suicide at just 17 years old. My family was devastated, like so many families are today, with the loss of so many people struggling with these issues. Even after my family was told the signs could have been missed by anyone not trained in the field of psychology, it still leaves a gaping hole of “what ifs” in my family. Being so young at the time I did not realize what was happening inside my family. I did not understand the words “suicide” “depression”. But as I matured and learned what these words meant, how hard someone can struggle with them, what the result can become and how devastating it is to everyone, I began to understand what I wanted to do with my life. I wanted to help people. To be someone who can be approached and in confidence be told struggling emotions and a safe person someone can express themselves to. I joined my local counseling group in high school, and I have always been someone my friends have felt comfortable talking to. Seeing and knowing I am helping others in this way has been healing for me on my cousin’s passing. I have chosen to pursue this degree and major so that the signs are not missed. That families do not have to live with the “what ifs.” After obtaining my degree, it leads me into the practicing medical field and helping hands on with patients and families, or if it leads me into the research and study field; I believe the study of why so many struggle with depression and self-harm is important to today’s society. I feel like it is a healthcare profession which needs to be further broadened, and more women should be encouraged to get into this field of study. Also, with my background of art and theater, I feel I will be able to help not only through words, but also through expression of oneself through art and self-expression. Psychology is, I believe, one of the looked over medical professions. Many want to work in surgery or family medicine, which are great fields, but sometimes all someone needs is a person who will listen, a nonjudgmental environment, and whom an individual feels safe expressing who they really are. I believe with further education and research in this field, it will help many struggling families who did not catch the sign in time, and help those struggling be able to express themselves and to get the help that they need.