Saying that research fuels my life may be the "cheesiest" response that I give to a prompt. However, I didn't always feel this way. Until I took my first major course, writing papers and doing background research on topics was the last thing that I wanted to spend the rest of my life doing. That is, until I found a research topic that I became passionate about: foster care. Researching what children go through, what they can go through, what's being done, and how we can help is something that has motivated me to finish my degree. This research has also fueled me to continue my education and further research this topic with researchers around the world. My research has inspired me to help those that need it. While it may take years for it to happen, knowing that one of my papers can help fix our broken system is enough to keep me going. Fixing our foster care system is my goal in life, but I may not see that change in my lifetime. Still, knowing the power that research has fuels me to continue my work towards a better future.

Up until a few years ago, I questioned every good thing that happened in my life. It wasn't because I felt like I didn't deserve good things, but more so that good things never found their way into my life. My family's socioeconomic status matched that of those in my town, yet the word "poverty" wasn't enough to describe our situation. It was bad enough that my family was below the poverty level, but I constantly placed an invisible weight on my shoulder to succeed. My goal in life wasn't to be the first in my family to graduate, nor was it to be successful in terms of happiness in my career. My only goal in life was to make sure that I could take care of the family that struggled to take care of me. For so long, I believed that this goal was selfish and, because of that, I deserved only what I worked for. Luckily, I met amazing friends and mentors that showed me that my goal wasn't selfish. Instead, they forced me to make my goal more "selfish" to include my happiness. They taught me that I should define my success by how happy I am, not how happy I can make others. My hope for the future is that I can stop the mindset that I had in other children living below the poverty level. Mentorship has become a big part of who I am because of those who helped change my mindset, and I look forward to helping those who are just like me. They deserve to have goals and define success in their own way. Like I did, they may need a little push from a mentor figure. I am more than happy to be that person for them.

Though it is never too late to educate older generations about mental health, we should focus on educating the generations that are currently in school. As we can see on social media, today’s generation of young adults are outspoken about mental health. For them, this topic should not be taboo, but something that we openly talk about. This generation can be educated to focus on the positive aspects of mental health, understand their own mental health, learn how to help others, and help end mental health stigmas. One way that education needs to happen is via the school system. Mental health is just as important as physical health, so help should be accessible to everyone. There are counselors in every school, but not every counselor is a licensed therapist. Putting licensed therapists in schools can allow students to get help for their mental health, become educated about what mental health is, and become aware of how mental health may impact their peers. Another reason that this is important at this age is because of adverse childhood experiences (ACEs). An ACE is any experience that may be deemed traumatic, such as abuse. They can impact an individual beyond childhood and can be passed on to the next generation. Many people who have ACEs do not realize their impact until adulthood. By putting licensed therapists in schools, the ACEs can be detected early, and the therapist can act on ways to help the child. Though this does not mean that the child won’t be impacted by the ACEs that they experience, the therapist can work to teach the child coping skills for the future and help prevent more ACEs from occurring.

"Even the strongest of forests can’t grow without a few tears being shed." These are the words that my best friend told me this past semester. I confessed to her that my childhood was filled with sorrow and abuse, and she confessed to me a similar story. This is not something that is normally done within our community. I was always taught that mental health and abuse were topics that were taboo to bring up. I lived with the fear that if I were to say that I was hurting, it would hurt those around me. For this reason, I stayed silent, I never cried, and I kept the appearance of a girl who was more than okay. My best friend saw through the facade. She knew the pain that I was experiencing because she had experienced it herself. This didn’t solve all my problems. The struggles that I faced still impact me at the worst moments. Still, I am grateful for these wise words. Because of her, I was able to realize that the trauma we experienced might have broken the roads we were on, but it never broke the people walking on them. Through the valuable lessons that she has taught me, our friendship healed the cracks in the road to our futures. For her, I am grateful and look forward to the many lessons to come.