Growing up I had no clue what I wanted to do. I went from wanting to be a teacher to wanting to be a nurse and finally, as I got older I discovered the world of mental health and mental health professionals. Ever since then, I’ve been dedicated to becoming a Counseling Psychologist. I knew this meant I had a road of hard work and potential struggles ahead of me but anything worth having a passion for is worth putting time, effort, and energy into. I took advantage of an opportunity granted to students at my high school to participate in a dual credit program allowing students to earn an associate degree and high school diploma by the end of senior year. I knew this was a push in the right direction regarding my career goals. I enjoyed pushing myself with how rigorous these courses were but it wasn’t without its challenges. My senior year two classes were biology dual credit and statistics dual credit, both of which were interesting subjects. However, math and science naturally are not my strong suits. I found myself feeling unmotivated to do the coursework while simultaneously having a job and finding time for myself. It wasn't long before I noticed my grades started to slip on tests, and I knew I could do better. I couldn’t afford to fail these classes if I wanted to achieve my goals. I started asking more questions during class and when tutoring sessions were held I went. The schedule I created would help me balance school, work, and life by ensuring I had enough time for each part of my life, especially carving out me time. I’ve always believed in the importance of downtime and how it helps rather than hinders productivity. After bringing my test grades up and completing assignments on time, I graduated Magna Cum Laude with both an associate's degree and high school diploma. It was one of my proudest moments where I felt like all my hard work paid off. I made my family proud, which was important to me, and now I’m on my way to achieving my bachelor's in Psychology. I may not have been where I am today if I hadn’t been proactive and eager to improve. Powering through and making it to the other side leaves you with some of the best memories and feelings. Just the ability to say “I did it” when I could have given up demonstrates to me that no matter how difficult it is, I can overcome anything.

Sometimes we need a special pick-me-up. Maybe things aren’t going right today or we don’t feel like our best selves. It doesn’t take money to create happiness it can be something as simple as smiling at a stranger, creating a comfortable environment, cracking a joke that turns someone's frown upside down, spending time with our friends, family, and significant others, or even listening to someone, making them feel seen and heard. I know firsthand how important it is, especially during times of stress, to feel like you can depend on someone to listen and see that they have your back. There was a time when I was doing both work and dual credit courses which meant I had activities during the week and on the weekends. I often felt burnt out and unmotivated. My only regrets were not prioritizing myself more, not speaking to those around me willing to listen, and instead letting it fester inside. I’ve made it my duty to always check on those I care about because I know how it feels to harbor negative emotions, and how it can take a toll on you. Besides listening whenever I can, I love talking to others and spreading awareness of how important it is to take care of yourself and put yourself first sometimes to prevent things like burnout, anxiety, and depression. I’m still working on this myself. I love getting things done, and weeks prior, I have to remind myself that it’s okay to take breaks and have time for myself because if you don’t, how do you expect to care for others? You can't unless you learn to prioritize yourself; such as sleeping in, having a makeover, hanging out with friends, family, or your partner, reading a good book, catching up on a good show, traveling, or getting out in nature. These are only a few of the endless activities and hobbies that can be done. Your mind, body, and soul will thank you; you’ll feel refreshed and ready to finish the work that you started. To create a major impact you have to start small within yourself, your family, friends, and your community making sure you’re not only caring for yourself but checking up on others; keeping a healthy balance between work and self, putting attention into listening as much as commenting and being present. With this as a foundation, major change can occur, leading to more mentally and emotionally well-adjusted individuals who can healthily regulate their emotions and thoughts throughout life and when dealing with others.

The older I’ve gotten the more I’m aware of the world around me whether it be with people or situations that occur mental and emotional health is no exception. The older you get the more important both are whenever it comes to how you live or interact with others this is usually whenever we’re able to understand the importance in general of mental and emotional health and what could happen to us or those around us if we don’t take care of them. What I know about mental health has inspired me to be a therapist or psychologist I can’t say how many stories I’ve heard particularly in the news about someone doing something heinous to another causing damage to the victim's psyche usually because the perpetrator never got the help they needed that could’ve changed their world view and changed the path they took in life. I see going down the path of being a psychologist as a way to help those that need it and are trying to better themselves which would be fulfilling to me in the sense that I’m helping one more person not be the next person on the local news. When it comes to my relationships I always make sure to check up on the ones I care about. I know how crucial it is to be present you could potentially save them just by being there showing you care and are willing to listen no matter what it helps them not feel so alone when people feel alone or misunderstood is when they might make rash decisions that negatively impact them and others because they feel like there’s nothing to lose or no one willing to be there for them. I still have maturing and growing to do but that comes with experience and living more. From what I’ve learned life can be great or bad depending on how you see it and what you make of it. I know some of us can’t help the situations we’ve lived through that have negatively impacted us mentally and emotionally. Still, every single one of us has the power to change the narrative flip the script and make it what we want, and heal from trauma so we can be better for ourselves, others, and future generations coming from us.

Ever since I was a little girl my family made sure I knew how important having strong faith in something was during times of happiness or distress I was told that prayer works wonders and I agree wholeheartedly. Whenever I pray I feel and know that I’m putting positive energy into the atmosphere and I feel just by praying every day that I’m constantly growing closer to Jesus and God whether it’s a good day or a bad one I know both Jesus and God are watching out for me and I’m blessed for each day I’m alive, my family, and friends are alive. Due to my continuous growth in faith over time, I’ve learned to practice gratitude for everything that I have like my family, the fact I woke up today, and my ability to achieve my goals and dreams without proper gratitude and appreciation for what you have how will you attract even more blessings into your life so I make sure to do this every time I pray. Doing this also teaches that you should always be grateful for what you have because it could be taken away tomorrow. Having a belief in God and Jesus has filled me with more love and compassion I’ve always been a sweet kid growing up but it’s grown with age and given me the ability to understand everyone has different circumstances and reasons for being the way they are and how and why they think and do the things they do which has, in turn, helped me to practice forgiveness. Holding in negative energy or emotions is only going to do more harm to me in the end than the other person this takes a lot of maturity and growth because I’ve struggled with this and sometimes still do but I just have to realize that it’s better to be the bigger person than to hold petty grudges. Throughout my journey of life, I’m constantly seeking guidance and wisdom from above through prayer I’m always talking to God and Jesus asking questions just having conversations about day-to-day things because it can never hurt only help especially since I’m always seeking higher knowledge about things going on in my life in the world in general. Meditation also helps with this it centers yourself to have the best focus and concentration on inner thoughts. As I live and continue to grow, especially during my upcoming college years I know how crucial it’s going to be that I have a good sense of faith there are going to be times I’m going to feel like giving up but I have to stay strong and keep a good head on my shoulders and my main source of strength besides my family would be my belief and having something to believe in which makes living easier knowing there’s something out there watching over you and listening. I’ve developed a deeper spiritual connection with those above and it’s only going to grow the more I live and learn which there’s going to be a lot of living and learning when I take those steps out into the real world.

As a student, I feel like mental and emotional health is significant in future endeavors and future success and that without it it’s harder to focus on goals and dreams that you’ve always wanted to achieve because you have something that’s nagging at you, draining you, and dragging you down it just feels like constant negative energy which gets in the way of ones potential to do great and to be great but not just as a student as a person in general living in society. Mental health plays a drastic role in day-to-day performance, whether at school, at work, or with a personal activity you love you either don’t do it to the best of your abilities or no longer have the drive to do it which comes in the form of unfinished work, bad grades, or unfinished personal projects you were dying to finish. This goes hand in hand with your economic success if you’re not performing to the best of your abilities which is reflected through your income you could lose your job or be put on academic probation due to lack of productivity which puts your life on pause something you can’t afford because maybe you have a family to support or you’re finally stepping foot into the real world and need to help yourself. When it comes to physical health and the connection you have to yourself to others, it’s greatly impacted. Imagine waking up and either feeling stressed or anxious about something you need to get done I know the feeling especially with starting college soon it’s not a good feeling and is anything but helpful and can cause you to overstress and overthink things that if approached with a calmer mind could’ve been taken care of without all that mental stress. Overly stressing could also lead to unhealthy eating habits like stress eating or lack of eating which leads to excessive weight gain or loss if not regulated and worsens not only the relationship you have with your body but your mental wellbeing. When it comes to the connection we have with ourselves or others we can either feel like we’re losing ourselves or the people closest to us and might feel more alone like no one’s in our corner which in most cases isn’t the truth it’s just whether or not we want to let those that care in and tell them how we’re doing which is easier said than done. There are fears of how people will perceive us and certain stigmas around mental health that could force us into silence this ultimately only makes things worse emotionally and mentally pushing us into further isolation even if we’re not alone and most likely those around us would be more understanding than we thought. As a psych major whose passion is anything Psychology or Therapy-related I try my best to be there as mental and emotional support for anyone who needs it we all have good days and bad days some of us have better days than others and that’s okay as long as you come out stronger and overcoming hurdles is always hard but it’ll make you resilient, especially with the right support system which I aim to be. When we get rid of the stigmas surrounding mental health only then can we fully heal and support others to the fullest which leads to better overall well-being, quality of life, and self-satisfaction but it starts with us.

I would recommend a book from R.L Stine’s “Fear Street” series with my favorite so far being “Rich Girl” which will keep you on the edge of your seat and hate some of the characters by the end. It’s a psychological thriller which I love I never knew what was going to happen next and when it did it shocked me in a good way it kept me engaged to see how it would end with the ending being quite the shocker after I read it I had mixed feelings of both anger and satisfaction because while one of the characters didn’t deserve what happened to her the other characters did simply because the level of betrayal and backstabbing ended up being all for nothing they started off where they were at the beginning, unfortunately, the main character who trusted them ultimately lost her sanity and was institutionalized because of the greediness of people she thought cared about her but really all they cared about was the thought of being richer. I feel like if you are bored or just need something new to engage with give “Rich Girl” a read it won’t disappoint it’s got an amazing plot and storyline overall like a lot of R.L. Stine’s “Fear Street” books and will make you have an arrange of emotions like I had if you’re into mystery or horror. I love how when you think about it the story brings into question social class and what people will do for money even if it’s at the expense of those around them and Stine gives great detail of the characters as the story continues reflecting the real world and how some will do anything for personal gain even if that means sabotaging close relationships.

One of the quickest ways to my heart is by giving me a bunch of enticing books that will keep me on the edge of my seat wanting to read more until I eventually finish reading every page. I’m a firm believer in reading never going out of style the endless amount of knowledge and creativity reading gives its readers how it will continue to shape and form generations to come with stories from the past that’ll inspire and motivate them to create maybe some of their own lighting their inner spark for creative thinking throughout their lives allowing them to cross-cultural boundaries becoming more aware and open to differences within everyone. Booktok gives people a fantastic opportunity to learn about new books that made it into the spotlight for a reason. The first I’m going to talk about is Colleen Hover's books at one point in time I couldn’t get online without seeing her books being recommended everywhere with the center of most of her books being about romance and overcoming heartache and struggle which I feel most of us can relate to whether it be getting out of toxic situations or grieving the loss of someone that was near and dear to us. The main books that always pooped up in my feed were “It Ends with Us” and “It Starts with Us” I haven’t read them yet but they’re definitely at the top of my to-read list. Another book on that list would be “The Song Of Achilles” by Madeline Miller I’m a lover of mythology and think this would be a good read as well, especially for those who like me love mythology or stories centered around the past. In terms of books I’d have on my shelf, I’d stock up on definitely colleen hoover books I’m a sucker for romance but also what I feel to be an underrated gem such as R.L Stine's “Fear Street” series. I’ve read enough of them to have a mini library of my own I can’t get enough of them I’m naturally a sucker for anything Murder mystery or horror so just that alone besides the attention-grabbing plots and storylines is what keeps me hooked to the series and I would recommend it to everyone and anyone looking for a great book or series to dive into it doesn’t disappoint and will leave you on the edge of your seat wanting more.

I’m fresh out of high school taking those next steps when it comes to college and navigating the real world I’m ready for all the big adventures good and bad that come my way because I’m sure I’ll learn something from it. By being a counseling psychologist or therapist I can make a difference in how people feel about their mental and emotional health status which in turn helps the world to have more stable and adjusted individuals to help make a healthier way for future generations that’ll be affected by the actions and words of us. From a young age, I was taught the importance of education and how much of a difference having one will have in my life. My mom always has sit-down chats with me and my siblings where she tells us how she and my dad lived before she got her degree and after and it always sticks with me I know it was anything but easy trying to take care of two young children just with a high school diploma. While my dad worked, my mom decided to go back and get her nursing degree; from there, everything got better financially. She stresses the importance of it because it’s not only going to support me but also my family I might have someday as well as make personal goals and dreams a reality because as she likes to say “the only person standing in the way of your dreams and goals is you” which pushes me to achieve and dream big. I’ve always known the importance of mental health even more so now than when I was younger because I’m old enough to understand different circumstances that leave people in certain states of mind that may be too deep for them to get out of alone and I know as a psychologist or therapist I’d be the one helping them heal into a better space. Knowing that I could potentially help someone who may have been struggling feel like they’re less alone is enough of a reason for me to wholeheartedly put my everything into this career path. Due to my constantly growing knowledge of mental health and emotions that come with our thoughts, I always make sure to check up on those I love and see how they're feeling and if they want or need to talk about anything. Thank you for taking the time to read my essay it’s greatly appreciated and make sure to take care of yourself.

Growing up I thought of all the career paths I could go down at first it was a teacher and then a nurse but eventually entering middle school I decided the mental health field was the field for me so I looked into counseling psychology and what came with the profession. During this time I really got into psychology and learned about the mind and it stuck with me the thought of being there for someone in a time of need also played a part in my decision especially since mental health is so important because without a mind there can’t be a proper functioning self which leads to dysregulation within society. My main goal with being a counseling psychologist would be just listening and paying attention that’s what it boils down to people just need someone to be there for them when they feel like they don’t have anyone in their corner I’ve always been the type to be there for others whenever they needed me as a trustee, a shoulder to cry on, or just someone to get advice from and I love it I always feel happy knowing that I helped someone have a happier day. This scholarship would put me closer to being able to achieve my life goals not only with being a psychologist but also goals I have planned outside of the office like giving to the community through charities and organizations that I align with and have a special place in my heart as well as learn new customs and traditions from around the world through travel since I love a good new experience or adventure I can take with me in the future and hopefully pass on to others. Throughout my academic career so far I’ve shown hard work, dedication, and a flexible nature when it comes to juggling advanced-level courses and having a job at the same time which gives me a good work-school balance and this experience is setting me up to continue succeeding in college when it comes to me being used to handling demanding school work and outside activities like having a job and carving respective time for the two things. It also taught me a lot about focus and responsibility not only with money management but with not tossing my academic opportunities down the drain and giving it my all one hundred percent due to this mindset I’ve been able to grow and maintain over my school experience I’ve been accepted into the college of my dreams and I’m just ready for what my future holds for me, either way, I’m going to make it a good one and take advantage of this opportunity to turn my goals my dreams into my reality.

There have been tons of movies that have made me think, but if I had to choose one that recently stuck with me it would be "Encanto". I'm going to college soon majoring in Psychology and I think "Encanto" shows examples of generational trauma and the effects it has as well as the effect unrealistic standards can have on a person or a family really well and truthfully watching it almost made me cry I can relate to feeling like everything has to be perfect putting that pressure on myself and feeling like a square in a room full of triangles. When it comes to the generational trauma aspect a lot of us either can relate to or are the black sheep of the family. Throughout the movie, the main character Mirabel, especially towards the center of the movie where tension was the highest, was treated as someone who was going to bring ruin to the family or someone that should just stay off to the side out the way quite like Bruno the black sheep of the family who was seen to bring bad luck and misfortune with him resulting in him going into hiding because he felt he disappointed his mom or the abuela quite like Mirabel felt like she wouldn’t ever be enough for abuela resulting in a face to face confrontation between her and her Abuela. I can relate to being ostracized because maybe I’m not into a lot of things the majority of my peers are into so I can in a sense relate to the loneliness it brings feeling like you don’t fit in where you feel like you should be able to fit in, but one thing I’ve learned is that there’s a someone for everyone there’s a crowd for you somewhere. Two characters that put the most pressure and stress on themselves would be Luisa and Isabella. Luisa’s song “Surface Pressure” brought tears to my eyes she just put a lot of pressure and stress on herself because she felt she had to for the sake of the family and the town when she started losing her ability she felt useless and worthless because she put ALL her self worth in her ability and without it, she no longer knew what she represented or stood for the same thing goes for Isabella she also put and had a lot of pressure and stress on her shoulders for the sake of the family in terms of being her abuela’s “Golden Child” since she was the oldest She was to marry the guy she didn’t want to she was to have this “perfect” perfectionist aura about her all day every day to please people’s image of her to please her abuela’s expectations for her leaving her feeling like she had to please these expectations that others have placed upon her. The perfectionist within me whether it be at school with grades or at work can relate to Isabella and Luisa when it comes to having certain academic expectations that I’m constantly trying to keep up with and just putting extra unnecessary pressure on myself that isn’t too good for my health sometimes, but I’m working on having a better balance between work and study and carving time out for myself so this movie opened my eyes to a lot of things about myself.

My Future self is someone that I'm still learning about and growing with every single day. She's someone that is pretty confident in herself and lives life to the fullest taking it day by day and seeing what life truly has to offer without feeling pressured to be a certain way or to do certain things to fit in. Future Me gives back to charities and organizations that she believes in making the world a better place even if it's just a little bit and she pursues her dreams of being a counseling psychologist and traveling the world having fun.

One finance lesson I find extremely important is knowing how debit and credit cards work. These cards have a significant impact on not only your credit score but also on how much money you'll have later in your pocket. Credit cards if misused can lead you to not having the best credit score which in turn makes it more difficult for you to purchase things like cars and houses job employers, depending on the job, may even check credit which will affect which position you acquire if any position at your job. Credit cards also can accumulate debt these cards are unique in a way you can get money you don't have from the bank, but there's a catch you have to pay that exact amount back plus interest so depending on how much you pull out you may put yourself in a hole of debt too deep to pull yourself out of and it'll continue to grow if not properly taken care of. Debit cards unlike credit cards can only be used with the money you have in the bank which means unless it's in your bank account you can't use it there's no extra money given to you by the bank just the money you make from your job with this card you can make purchases online or in-person without having to return any money with fees or possibly even going into debt. Knowing this lesson on how credit and debit cards work and what may possibly arise or happen by using them will help you to know what to expect with these cards and will help you to feel more confident when it comes to the use of these cards.

Everyone always talks about physical health and how important it is to take care of your body inside out, but how come no one likes to focus on the most underrated and most important type of health mental? As someone who for a while there struggled with mental health as well as emotional health, it wasn't easy and it was like a never-ending rain cloud over your head I eventually started to get my mental health back to where it needed to be, but the experience definitely had an effect on how I lived and saw life. During this time in my life, my relationships with my friends and family were still good, but my anxiety around others got really bad it was hard for me to connect with others at this time I felt everyone was either watching me or talking about me so I felt very excluded so I put a wall up. I would mainly sleep and stay to myself in order to get some peace to distract myself from what was going on. To me, my room was my safe space to finally feel like I could relax. I've been doing better since then I'm out of my room more and I'm trying to let down my wall in order to connect with others. I've always believed in God I pray to God about almost everything, but during that time I feel like I prayed to God but maybe not as much or I didn't put a lot of emphasis on God's importance simply because my mind was too focused on what I was going through at the time and how I was feeling it was only when I started to feel better that I truly realized God's importance in my life and I started to see all the blessings God granted me that I wasn't able to see before. I truly believe God kept me a float I had someone to tell all my worries too especially since I'm the type of person who would rather keep it all inside instead of worrying someone else with my problems and without having an anchor like God in my life someone to believe and put my faith in my situations might have been worse. Career wise I want to be a Counseling Psychologist I naturally love helping others and after what I've been through I put more emphasis on mental health especially after seeing how truly important it is but seemingly underappreciated.I know I might sound a bit like a hypocrite with wanting to help others talk through their issues, but seemingly not being able to do the same it's just that I realize truly how important it is to have a shoulder to lean on especially when it comes to needing someone to listen because I know not everyone has that luxury of having someone to depend on and maybe it's easier talking to someone you don't know. In conclusion, mental health is very underrated and should have more importance in our society I know how it affected me and I hope by becoming a Counselling Psychologist I can help as many people as possible to get through whatever it is that is weighing heavy on their minds and chest. I will foreverly be thankful to have God in my life because during the dark times as well as the good times believing in God has helped me to continue moving forward in order to be the person that I am today I will continue to heal and grow as a person in order to heal others and I've learned a lot of things a long the way that I will use to help me to help others. I'm continuing to let down my wall in order to meet others and to start great connections because I now know there's some really great people out there and I don't want to get in my own way my past experience shouldn't affect my future ones. I hope that more people realize the importance of mental health and seek out help if needed it'll do the world and the people in it some good in the end.

Something I learned that changed my perspective on something significant would be your mindset is everything as well as there is no such thing as black and white thinking. it's because of these two things that I'm able to realize and learn new things about myself and the world surrounding me. The way you think in general is very important and it contributes a lot to your mental health and overall way of life. I went through a period of just not being or feeling my best which resulted in me not having the best mental health or emotional health at the time. I started to realize that all of what I was feeling was stimulated by what my mind was feeding me, so I decided to start thinking from a place of love and positivity, and slowly but surely my overall mood and the way I saw and lived life changed and I started doing and feeling way better. Another thing that changed my perspective would be when I finally realized thinking isn't just black and white it has multiple paths and solutions. I used to think that there were always just two sides to thinking one side was correct so the other side had to be wrong, but I started to realize there's more than just one way to look at things with each perspective holding to be correct in its own way. When I started to think with this in mind I started seeing different solutions to problems and it was easier for me to see things from people's respective points of view. I also started to develop my own identity based on individualistic thinking knowing it was okay to have my own opinion differ from another.

Through tough times I've stayed optimistic by seeing all the blessings around me even though it was hard at times because it seems like all your focus goes to that one misfortune that is going on in your life. Another way I stayed optimistic is by realizing life is too short to be lived sad and worrying over things, especially things that you can't control. Even though you may not focus on it blessings surround all of us through both the good and bad days it's easy to fall into the pattern of having a bad day or going through tough periods of life completely forgetting the blessings that surround us. Whenever I'm feeling down I like to remember that I have a family that loves me, I actually woke up today that not everyone had that chance or opportunity, and that I'm healthy my family is healthy we aren't spending our days in the hospital wondering when it will be our last day. Life is very precious you only get one so wouldn't you want it to be the most fulfilled life you've had while you're still here to experience it? it's easy for us to fall prey to "woe is me my life is terrible and it's never getting better" and I understand during tough times it's normal to feel these feelings, but you don't want to be in this type of mental state every time something unfortunate happens, so I like to turn those negative thoughts into positive ones and transfer those negative feelings into something positive that I enjoy like reading, drawing, or listening to music. These tough times have taught me that I'm stronger than I think and can overcome any obstacles that may come my way with the right attitude and mindset toward life.

This is a hard one for me, as I have a lot of books and genres I love to read. Still, my favorite book would have to be "The Betrayal" it's the first book in the Fear Street trilogy that tells the tale of the Fear family and the Good family and how their families came to not like one another. If you love stories with a great storyline and plot I recommend this book and the trilogy in general for you to read. One reason I love this book, in particular, is because it's the opening book in the trilogy here you are introduced to both the Fear and Good family and how they interact with one another; it's also in this book that the conflict between the two families start to rise and eventually escalates from this book into the two other books apart of the trilogy you also get to see the effects that the families have on each other in regards to their past especially when it comes to lies, romance, and revenge. Another reason I love this book is that it left me wanting to read more; it left me on the edge of my seat wondering what would happen next regarding both the families and oddly enough each generation continued to, out of revenge, find where the other was in hopes of gaining some sort of justice for their family because they saw the mental strain or pain their family members went through due to the actions of the other family. In conclusion, those were the reasons why I love "the Betrayal" and would recommend it as the go-to book to read if you're feeling bored or just want to read a really good mystery novel full of twists and turns.

I live my life with gratitude by doing two things praying to God everyday and by seeing the blessings through the good days and bad ones. I pray to God everyday thanking him for my health and safety; I pray to him to protect those around me closest to my heart; I also pray for others around the globe that may be dealing with things such as Ukraine and it's crisis the people have to go through right now. Another thing I try to do ,although it may be hard at times, is continuing to see the blessings I receive through both good and bad days on good days I'm happier and it's easier for me to see all the blessings I've been dealt, however on the bad days it's easier for me to forget all the blessings around me when I'm just thinking about that one bad thing, so I have to remind myself from time to time all the blessings I have such as a nice home and family life, great friends or acquaintances, and essentials needed for day to day life plus more made possible by my parents working as hard as they did. These are the two main things I do everyday in order to show gratitude for big and small blessings I've received throughout my life.