Beauty saved me. Growing up, I wasn't in a particularly "beautiful" environment; I was surrounded by addiction, an absent father figure, and poverty. Yet this is precisely what led me to develop a passion for neuroaesthetics, the study of the brain's reactions to beauty and art, and to my goal of researching art therapy for those coming from difficult circumstances or addiction. Going back to my roots, I watched my dad suffer from drug addiction until I was 10. During this time, he emotionally and physically abused my mother and remained distant from my younger brother and me. My older brothers also faced a not-so-beautiful side of life, continuing the curse of addiction that seemed to plague my family. As I grew older, my childhood slowly became a burden to my present self and took a toll on my mental health. As I worked to overcome the weight of that trauma, I fell in love with art. Creating and viewing beautiful pieces lifted my mental health and helped me work through challenges I had long carried. I remember traveling to France on a school trip; walking into Versailles, I was completely surrounded by art and beauty, and I felt something shift. The following year, I took AP Studio Art, exploring my own creative passions rooted in the awe I had experienced there. The pieces I created allowed me to discover myself and lift the curse of trauma my father had left behind. Art and beauty allowed me to save myself, and that transformation is what inspired me to study neuroaesthetics. I especially want to understand the "why" and "how" behind that experience; why creativity is so impactful, and what is actually happening in the brain. I want to explore this through a STEM-based lens, examining brain activity through action potentials, chemical reactions, and neural pathways. I'm particularly inspired by Anjan Chatterjee's pioneering work in neuroaesthetics, specifically how reward pathways are activated through the experience of art. I'm curious whether those same pathways connect to addiction and mental health, and whether that connection could become the scientific foundation for beneficial therapy-based interventions. Following my undergraduate degree, I plan to pursue graduate school or a PhD program. I want to conduct my own research, using it to develop art therapy with real scientific backing; backing that could justify funding for nonprofits, support the opening of therapy centers, and help reduce the stigma that keeps people from seeking help. My goal is to help others save themselves, the way I was able to save myself. The challenges I've faced have kept me driven and deeply curious, and I intend to carry that into every stage of my education and career.