I was born into a family that was addicted to drugs and were alcoholics. From an early age, I was forgotten about and sustained a lot of traumas. I was involved in many accidents involving a drunk driver, I have seen people at their worst moments and no child should have to see that. Social workers became involved at the birth of my older brother, multiple substances highly influenced him in utero, He is still affected by this today. Luckily, for me, I was not as affected in utero. For the next 5 years, social workers and child protective services tried to help my family rehab. At the age of 5, I was adopted by my parents along with my brother. I grew up in a vastly different environment compared to my early life. My parents were very caring and supportive and did whatever they could to help me grow up in a loving home. Being adopted by them allowed us to be kids again. I wished I was asked more: "What do you need?" My birth mother was not very present in my life during those first few years. Those were years when a child desperately needed their mother. Instead of caring for me, she would leave for days or weeks on end and abuse drugs. Even when she did come back she wasn't really there. Her mind was often in another place, and she was not focused on how she could help her children. All we needed was love and attention, but sadly the cycle of addiction and trauma had gotten through to her, and she could not break it. My birth mother ultimately lost her life to drugs in 2015. This question has made me much more conscious of how my actions affect others. It has also allowed me to become more focused on myself, rather than what other people want from me. Ultimately, my goal is to help people like me. That is the reason why I want to work in psychology. My goal is to help others understand their trauma, and that they can overcome it. I want to work as hard as I can to break the cycle that has been in place for generations. I plan on making a difference because I know I am capable of extraordinary things. I want to show this to the people I am around and hopefully make a difference in their lives as well.

I was born into a family that was addicted to drugs and were alcoholics. From an early age, I was forgotten about and sustained a lot of traumas. I was involved in many accidents involving a drunk driver, I have seen people at their worst moments and no child should have to see that. At the age of 5, I was adopted by my parents along with my brother. I grew up in a vastly different environment compared to my early life. My parents were very caring and supportive and did whatever they could to help me grow up in a loving home. Being adopted by them allowed us to be kids again. As I matured, my trauma started to resurface around sixth grade. I began to feel anxious and depressed all the time. My parents noticed and wanted to help me be myself again. They sent me to therapy and tried to surround me with good people. For a while that worked but my depression always resurfaced. Around March of 2023, I felt like I was all alone and had no desire to be alive. I had thoughts that I was unwanted or that I would not amount to anything. I spoke up during therapy that I feared my thoughts and I wanted to get help. My therapist recommended I go to the hospital for my safety, and I agreed. After spending two days in the hospital, I was released because they found a place for me in inpatient treatment. I spent two weeks there and I received effective treatment and learned many coping skills. These coping skills allowed me to face my anxiety head-on and rewire my thoughts. I could not have gotten through any of this without the help of my mom. She supported me every step and was always there to talk. I am so grateful that I have a good relationship with my mom. I think part of the reason I got better was because I had a good support system and people to reach out to. I want to help people who have gone through similar things as me. That is the reason why I want to work in psychology. My goal is to help others understand their mental health and that taking care of it is really important. Mental health is something I still struggle with on a daily basis. I try to remember that I am not alone, because depression is very isolating.

I was born into a family that was addicted to drugs and were alcoholics. From an early age, I was forgotten about and sustained a lot of traumas. I was involved in many accidents involving a drunk driver, I have seen people at their worst moments and no child should have to see that. At the age of 5, I was adopted by my parents along with my brother. I grew up in a vastly different environment compared to my early life. My parents were very caring and supportive and did whatever they could to help me grow up in a loving home. Being adopted by them allowed us to be kids again. As I matured, my trauma started to resurface around sixth grade. I began to feel anxious and depressed all the time. My parents noticed and wanted to help me be myself again. They sent me to therapy and tried to surround me with good people. For a while that worked but my depression always resurfaced. Around March of 2023, I felt like I was all alone and had no desire to be alive. I had thoughts that I was unwanted or that I would not amount to anything. I spoke up during therapy that I feared my thoughts and I wanted to get help. My therapist recommended I go to the hospital for my safety, and I agreed. After spending two days in the hospital, I was released because they found a place for me in inpatient treatment. I spent two weeks there and I received effective treatment and learned many coping skills. These coping skills allowed me to face my anxiety head-on and rewire my thoughts. I could not have gotten through any of this without the help of my mom. She supported me every step and was always there to talk. I am so grateful that I have a good relationship with my mom. I think part of the reason I got better was because I had a good support system and people to reach out to. I want to help people who have gone through similar things as me. That is the reason why I want to work in psychology. My goal is to help others understand their mental health and that taking care of it is really important. Mental health is something I still struggle with on a daily basis. I try to remember that I am not alone, because depression is very isolating.