My experience with mental health has shaped my goals in more ways than most. After my father's tragic death in 2017, I saw many of my family member's mental health trembling before my eyes. For some odd reason, even though I was only seventeen, I was able to hold it together more than everyone else. I found myself as a rock for people that I would have never expected. Because of this, I realized my passion in improving people's mental health for the better. I made the decision to pick up a major in psychology and go to school to become a therapist. Following graduation in May of 2021, I began schooling to achieve my graduate degree. I currently attend Ursuline College and am getting my master's in Counseling and Art Therapy. This program will take me three years to complete. As of right now, my end goal is to work as both a therapist and art therapist in a setting with children, whether that be in a hospital or private practice. I would eventually like to receive a Ph.d. in Psychology to become a doctor. My overall goal to help accomplish in the mental health field is to destroy the stigma of receiving help with one’s mental health. I would like to make mental health battles more normalized, especially among children. Just like any disease or cancer, one cannot help having poor mental health. This needs to be more well known. One should not feel as though they need to keep it a secret that they are going to therapy or taking a certain medication, as one does not keep it a secret when they seek any other type of treatment. This needs to be bestowed in a person’s head at a young age. I believe that reading is incredibly important in living a mentally healthy life. Reading gives one the opportunity to escape their own lives, and dive into a creative world. I enjoy reading a book of my choice every night before going to bed. This allows me to decompose my day and not go to bed stressed. I also read to educate myself. As a graduate student, I am reading hundreds of pages a week to learn about psychology, art, and healthcare. As I got older, I realized that reading can not only be beneficial for the mind, but also teach someone something important. This is all the truer when you enjoy the book you are reading. Time flies when you engage in a good read.

My experience with mental health has shaped my goals in more ways than most. After my father's tragic death in 2017, I saw many of my family member's mental health trembling before my eyes. For some odd reason, even though I was only seventeen, I was able to hold it together more than everyone else. I found myself as a rock for people that I would have never expected. Because of this, I realized my passion in improving people's mental health for the better. I made the decision to pick up a major in psychology and go to school to become a therapist. Following graduation in May of 2021, I began schooling to achieve my graduate degree. I currently attend Ursuline College and am getting my master's in Counseling and Art Therapy. This program will take me three years to complete. As of right now, my end goal is to work as both a therapist and art therapist in a setting with children, whether that be in a hospital or private practice. I would eventually like to receive a Ph.d. in Psychology to become a doctor. My father's tragic death also improved my empathy. Having more empathy has overall strengthened all of my relationships. It has told me to never belittle another person’s situation, just because they might not seem as bad as someone else's. This is different from many of my other friends, who may just call someone dramatic, where I can see through the way the person is acting and put myself in their shoes. Evidently, my empathy has extended more than just helping friends through petty drama, it has pushed me to do a variety of volunteer work. After my father's death, I developed many new beliefs. To begin, I came to the realization that bad things can happen to me. Before then, I only heard of stories and seen in movies of crazy unexpected deaths. Because of this, I learned to live each day to the fullest. I never go to bed thinking about the negatives. I understand that each day brings on new beginnings and new opportunities. I honestly do not believe I would be this positive of a person if I did not experience a tragedy at such a young age. I also do not live my life by plans, I understand that plans can change, and I do not get upset when they do. I like to live my life looking for spur of the moment moments and adventures. Lastly, I find it very important to tell those close to me that I love and appreciate them. I do not go to bed unless I am on good terms with all of my people. This is probably my most important life rule, for I would do anything to go back and tell my dad that I love him one last time. My father passing at such a vulnerable age has not only caused me to be more empathetic, but it has also helped me realize what is actually important in life. I believe that one of the most important acts to do is to help those who are not currently able to help themselves. One of those ways to help them is providing therapy. I have seen therapy help so many people who are close to me. I believe that therapy can be just as important as any other doctor's appointment. I believe this because I think that in some cases it is impossible to heal someone’s physical health if their mental health is not there.

My experience with mental health has shaped my goals in more ways than most. After my father's tragic death in 2017, I saw many of my family member's mental health trembling before my eyes. For some odd reason, even though I was only seventeen, I was able to hold it together more than everyone else. I found myself as a rock for people that I would have never expected. Because of this, I realized my passion in improving people's mental health for the better. I made the decision to pick up a major in psychology and go to school to become a therapist. Following graduation in May of 2021, I began schooling to achieve my graduate degree. I currently attend Ursuline College and am getting my master's in Counseling and Art Therapy. This program will take me three years to complete. As of right now, my end goal is to work as both a therapist and art therapist in a setting with children, whether that be in a hospital or private practice. I would eventually like to receive a Ph.d. in Psychology to become a doctor. My overall goal to help accomplish in the mental health field is to destroy the stigma of receiving help with one’s mental health. I would like to make mental health battles more normalized, especially among children. Just like any disease or cancer, one cannot help having poor mental health. This needs to be more well known. One should not feel as though they need to keep it a secret that they are going to therapy or taking a certain medication, as one does not keep it a secret when they seek any other type of treatment. This needs to be bestowed in a person’s head at a young age. I believe I should be awarded this scholarship due to my intense desire to help those who may have trouble helping themselves in order to make a change in the world. I think that mental health is so important, just as important as physical health. I want to make this more known and destroy the stigma of seeking help. Stating all of this, I am a twenty-two-year-old master's student. On top of the back breaking school expenses, I am also trying to live on my own. I am doing as my program suggests and only working part time in order to maintain my schoolwork. I am currently excelling in school and would appreciate any extra financial help I can receive. This scholarship would allow me to devote even more time to my schoolwork to bring me closer to my goal in making a difference.

On June 1, 2017 my family and I encountered a tragedy that no one could have ever imagined. My father, whom I was incredibly close to, unexpectedly passed away. Unmistakably so, this was one of the worst things to ever happen to me, but I was able to pull myself out of this dark hole and become a better person. My father's passing caused me to be more empathetic. My empathy has taken me a long way throughout college. It has told me to never belittle another person’s situation, just because they might not seem as bad as someone else's. This is different from many of my other friends, who may just call someone dramatic, where I can see through the way the person is acting and put myself in their shoes. Evidently, my empathy has extended more than just helping friends through petty drama, it has pushed me to do a variety of volunteer work. My father passing at such a vulnerable age has not only caused me to be more empathetic, it has also helped me realize what is actually important in life. I believe that one of the most important acts to do is to help those who are not currently able to help themselves. One of those ways to help them is providing therapy. I have seen therapy help so many people who are close to me. I believe that therapy can be just as important as any other doctors appointment. I believe this because I think that in some cases it is impossible to heal someone’s physical health if their mental health is not there. This is why i am currently in school to receive my masters in counseling and art therapy.

I keep a growth mindset for many reasons. After my father's tragic death in 2017, I saw many of my family member's mental health trembling before my eyes. For some odd reason, even though I was only seventeen, I was able to hold it together more than everyone else. I found myself as a rock for people that I would have never expected. Because of this, I realized my passion in improving people's mental health for the better. I made the decision to pick up a major in psychology, and go to school to become a therapist. My end goal is to be an art therapist in a hospital setting. I would love to work with children, as I have been around them my whole life. I am currently going to Ursuline College to receive my masters in art therapy. Experiencing this, I have learned that one cannot plan for what the next day brings. I believe that every person should live each day to the fullest in continuing to learn and grow. I do not live my life by plans, I like to wake up each day and be open to whatever it may bring. I think that a growth mindset is very important because nobody is the same person as they were yesterday. As humans, we should never stop growing into becoming better people with each new experience.

My experience with mental health has shaped my goals in more ways than most. After my father's tragic death in 2017, I saw many of my family member's mental health trembling before my eyes. For some odd reason, even though I was only seventeen, I was able to hold it together more than everyone else. I found myself as a rock for people that I would have never expected. Because of this, I realized my passion in improving people's mental health for the better. I made the decision to pick up a major in psychology, and go to school to become a therapist. My end goal is to be an art therapist in any setting. I would love to work with children, as I have been around them my whole life. I am incredibly interested in working with individuals with developmental disabilities. I am currently going to Ursuline College to receive my masters in counseling and art therapy. Throughout my lifetime I have volunteered with a diverse amount of people who have different abilities and are from different backgrounds. To begin, I have worked for many organizations that do activities with children with disabilities. These programs, such as Youth Challenge, allow these kids to feel more included with those around them. We have done everything between playing card games and going swimming. I also got the chance to be on a cheerleading team and perform at different competitions with some of these children. These two experiences caused me to get introduced to a school that is for kids with Cerebral Palsy. At this school I got to learn the different methods used to teach these kids, as well as do a daily art project with them. I believe I should be awarded this scholarship due to my intense desire to help those who may have trouble helping themselves in order to make a change in the world. I think that mental health is so important, just as important as physical health. I want to make this more known and destroy the stigma of seeking help. Stating all of this, I am a twenty-two year old masters student. On top of the back breaking school expenses, I am also trying to live on my own. I am doing as my program suggests and only working part time in order to maintain my school work. I am currently excelling in school, and would appreciate any extra financial help I can receive. This scholarship would allow me to devote even more time to my school work to bring me closer to my goal in making a difference.

To me, the base of generosity is kindness. To be generous one is willing to go out of their way to help others. This can be something as small as holding the door open for the person behind you, to as large as lending a friend some money. A generous person knows what is truly important in life, and is willing to give up both their time and resources to help others. From a very young age, I was taught to be generous. I believe that I had the number one role model teaching me to be the kindest that I can be. This role model is my mother. My mom has always shown me what being the bigger person looks like, she is willing to drop anything for anyone. I have seen her do as little as pick up items that others have dropped, to as large as helping a CVS employee when she was having a stroke. She then continued to follow up with this CVS worker for weeks following the incident, just to make sure she was okay. My mother spends each day helping others through her job too, she is a nurse. My mother is the perfect example of a generous person, and I strive to be just like her each day.

A very meaningful, yet very simple quote that I live by is to "live each day to the fullest''. This quote is something I live by because I have first handedly seen a life be taken far too soon. In 2017, my father unexpectedly passed away. This tragic passing totally changed my view on the world. I quickly realized that each day is sacred, and I do not want to waste any of my life. Since the day that my dad died, I have not gone to bed upset over minor inconveniences. I know what is truly important to me and everyone around me, that being life. Even on my worst days I always look at the positives. I am very happy that I was able to turn this very heartbreaking situation and into a new, much better, way of thinking.

One practical solution for helping people who struggle with mental health is to make mental health battles more normalized. In today's world so many people are feuding within their own minds and do not know how to fix it. Obviously, there are therapies and medications that can help, but there is a stigma behind them. As a society we need to work to end this stigma so those struggling with their mental health will seek out the help they deserve. One way this can be done is through social media. Social media can be such a powerful tool to let people know that they are not alone. One good aspect that has come out of Covid19 is that it has got people talking. By this I mean that more people have come out admitting that they do not have perfect mental health. The simple realization that seemingly "normal" people struggle within themselves too has caused a ripple effect of a number of people getting help, who normally would not have. My brother is included in this number. It should not take a global pandemic for people to be honest with themselves, and others, and get the help they deserve. Just like any disease or cancer, one cannot help having poor mental health. This needs to be more well known. One should not feel as though they need to keep it a secret that they are going to therapy or taking a certain medication, as one does not keep it a secret when they seek any other type of treatment. I think that as a society we are making huge steps to make mental health struggles more normalized, but are not there yet. Overall, social media is a great tool to spread awareness and get us where we need to be.

My experience with mental health has shaped my goals and career aspirations in more ways than most. After my father's tragic death in 2017, I saw many of my family member's mental health trembling before my eyes. For some odd reason, even though I was only seventeen, I was able to hold it together more than everyone else. I found myself as a rock for people that I would have never expected. Because of this, I realized my passion in improving people's mental health for the better. I made the decision to pick up a major in psychology, and go to school to become a therapist. My end goal is to be an art therapist in a hospital setting. I would love to work with children, as I have been around them my whole life. I am currently going to Ursuline College to receive my masters in art therapy. My fathers tragic death also improved my empathy. Having more empathy has overall strengthened all of my relationships. It has told me to never belittle another person’s situation, just because they might not seem as bad as someone else's. This is different from many of my other friends, who may just call someone dramatic, where I can see through the way the person is acting and put myself in their shoes. Evidently, my empathy has extended more than just helping friends through petty drama, it has pushed me to do a variety of volunteer work. After my father's death, I developed many new beliefs. To begin, I came to the realization that bad things can happen to me. Before then, I only heard of stories and seen in movies of crazy unexpected deaths. Because of this, I learned to live each day to the fullest. I never go to bed thinking about the negatives. I understand that each day brings on new beginnings and new opportunities. I honestly do not believe I would be this positive of a person if I did not experience a tragedy at such a young age. I also do not live my life by plans, I understand that plans can change and I do not get upset when they do. I like to live my life looking for spur of the moment moments and adventures. Lastly, I find it very important to tell those close to me that I love and appreciate them. I do not go to bed unless I am on good terms with all of my people. This is probably my most important life rule, for I would do anything to go back and tell my dad that I love him one last time. As talked about previously, my father passing at such a vulnerable age has not only caused me to be more empathetic, it has also helped me realize what is actually important in life. I believe that one of the most important acts to do is to help those who are not currently able to help themselves. One of those ways to help them is providing therapy. I have seen therapy help so many people who are close to me. I believe that therapy can be just as important as any other doctor's appointment. I believe this because I think that in some cases it is impossible to heal someone’s physical health if their mental health is not there.

My experience with mental health has shaped my goals in more ways than most. After my father's tragic death in 2017, I saw many of my family member's mental health trembling before my eyes. For some odd reason, even though I was only seventeen, I was able to hold it together more than everyone else. I found myself as a rock for people that I would have never expected. Because of this, I realized my passion in improving people's mental health for the better. I made the decision to pick up a major in psychology, and go to school to become a therapist. My end goal is to be an art therapist in a hospital setting. I would love to work with children, as I have been around them my whole life. I am currently going to Ursuline College to receive my masters in art therapy. This past April I received a phone call that no sister wanted to hear. My brother was in the hospital saying he was going to kill himself. The night prior he was with friends discussing the loss of another one of their close buddies, who also lost his battle with mental illness. I do not know when or how he said it, but his friends were smart enough to call for help. While doing this, it was found out that my little brother, who I thought told me everything, has been harming himself for almost five years. Let me say that again, FIVE YEARS. He has been marking up his body in places that no one can see and suffering all alone. With all this coming out, my brother also shared that he has kept a suicide note in his wallet since he was a sophomore in high school. My mom, in shock, questioned her parenting and how she could possibly not know. This is like any loved one who has experienced someone close to them contemplating their own life. It has never been more clear to my family than now that mental illness comes from people who you would never expect it from. It can be an attractive person with a great personality. It can be an athlete, an artist, or a musician. It can be anyone who slaps a smile on their face every single day. Overall, more people are suffering compared to those who are not. That is my realization of the world and what we need to do to improve our relationships. We need to stand together to get over the stigma of mental illness, and get each other help. Coming off of a pandemic, now is the time where our relationships need to be stronger than ever. It is important to check in on friends, remind them you love them, and most of all just talk to each other. Nobody should be suffering alone. As a society, we can do it, everyone just needs to be on board. Once again, nobody can do it alone.

This past April I received a phone call that no sister wanted to hear. My brother was in the hospital saying he was going to kill himself. The night prior he was with friends discussing the loss of another one of their close buddies, who also lost his battle with mental illness. I do not know when or how he said it, but his friends were smart enough to call for help. While doing this, it was found out that my little brother, who I thought told me everything, has been harming himself for almost five years. Let me say that again, FIVE YEARS. He has been marking up his body in places that no one can see and suffering all alone. With all this coming out, my brother also shared that he has kept a suicide note in his wallet since he was a sophomore in high school. My mom, in shock, questioned her parenting and how she could possibly not know. This is like any loved one who has experienced someone close to them contemplating their own life. It has never been more clear to my family than now that mental illness comes from people who you would never expect it from. It can be an attractive person with a great personality. It can be an athlete, an artist, or a musician. It can be anyone who slaps a smile on their face every single day. That is the fact that I want society to become more aware of. If society’s realization could happen, then people that are quietly suffering would feel more comfortable to get help. They would realize that being depressed is just as serious as any other illness, it is in no way shameful. I am not only trying to get society to be more accepting by making social media posts, I am also in school to become a therapist to get through to people battling. Although it took five years, I am so proud of my brother for getting the help he needs to get better. We are all in this together.

My overcoming of adversity began at the end of my senior year of high school. On June 1, 2017 I woke up to the horrible news that my father passed away. Unmistakably so, this was one of the worst things to ever happen to me, but I was able to pull myself out of this dark hole and become a better person. My father's passing caused me to be more empathetic. My empathy has taken me a long way throughout college. Not only has my desire to help others become more defining when I took on the want of the career path of becoming a therapist. It has told me to never belittle another person’s situation, just because they might not seem as bad as someone else's. This is different from many of my other friends, who may just call someone dramatic, where I can see through the way the person is acting and put myself in their shoes. Evidently, my empathy has extended more than just helping friends through petty drama, it has pushed me to do a variety of volunteer work. My father passing at such a vulnerable age has not only caused me to be more empathetic, it has also helped me realize what is actually important in life. I believe that one of the most important acts to do is to help those who are not currently able to help themselves. One of those ways to help them is providing therapy. I have seen therapy help so many people who are close to me. I believe that therapy can be just as important as any other doctors appointment. I believe this because I think that in some cases it is impossible to heal someone’s physical health if their mental health is not there. Overall, I continue to learn more and more positive aspects about myself that I believe I would have never discovered this early in my life if I did not experience such a tragedy. After graduating college this past spring, May 2021, I moved on to get my Masters in Art Therapy at Ursuline College. I began the program about a week after graduating from Ohio University, and it will take me three years to finish. As of right now, I see myself giving art therapy to children in a hospital setting. I have always been drawn to working with children, and I believe it will be a highly rewarding career. After completing my course work this summer, I am incredibly excited to continue as I keep falling more and more in love with the field.

On June 1, 2017 my family and I encountered a tragedy that no one could have imagined. My father, whom I was incredibly close to, unexpectedly passed away. When that happened I could not even see myself finishing my freshman year, let alone four years at a University four hours away from my home and my family. That being said, I astonishingly shocked not only myself but also those close to me. Instead of fixating my feelings on the negatives of the situation, which unmistakably there are plenty, I pulled myself out of the dark hole and became a better person. My father passing away with me at such a vulnerable age caused me to become more empathetic, as well as realize what is actually important in this life. People around me have also described me as being wise beyond my years, which I believe relates solely to my dad dying. On top of becoming wiser outside of school, I am beyond proud that I have been able to stay steady on Ohio University's Dean's List the last two years. This is something that I would have never pictured myself doing four years ago. Overall, I believe that my skill set both in and out of school, as well as my life experience, would cause me to flourish with a life dedicated to Psychology. All of this attributes to my biggest achievement in life so far. My biggest achievement is being able to turn something so terribly sad into a positive. I am a firm believer that everything happens for a reason, and we cannot control God's fate for us. So therefore, I do not find that it helps anyone not looking into the positives in every situation. I love my dad, and I miss him every single day, but I know his passing caused me to grow up the way that I needed to. In the future, I would like to live the fulfilling career of an art therapist. This is what I am fighting to achieve right now. I know that since I was able to help myself so much through a hard time, I am fully capable of helping others. I know this specifically through the way I have helped my friends in college. My empathy has taught me to never belittle another person’s situation, just because they might not seem as bad as someone else's. This is different from many of my other friends, who may just call someone dramatic, where I can see through the way the person is acting and put myself in their shoes. Evidently, my empathy has extended more than just helping friends through petty drama, it has pushed me to do a variety of volunteer work. I am very excited to say that I will be attending Ursuline College this fall to get my masters degree in Art Therapy.

On June 1, 2017 my family and I encountered a tragedy that no one could have imagined. My father, whom I was incredibly close to, unexpectedly passed away. When that happened I could not even see myself finishing my freshman year, let alone four years at a University four hours away from my home and my family. That being said, I astonishingly shocked not only myself but also those close to me. Instead of fixating my feelings on the negatives of the situation, which unmistakably there are plenty, I pulled myself out of the dark hole and became a better person. My father passing away with me at such a vulnerable age caused me to become more empathetic, as well as realize what is actually important in this life. People around me have also described me as being wise beyond my years, which I believe relates solely to my dad dying. On top of becoming wiser outside of school, I am beyond proud that I have been able to stay steady on Ohio University's Dean's List the last two years. This is something that I would have never pictured myself doing four years ago. Overall, I believe that my skill set both in and out of school, as well as my life experience, would cause me to flourish with a life dedicated to Psychology. All of this attributes to my biggest achievement in life so far. My biggest achievement is being able to turn something so terribly sad into a positive. I am a firm believer that everything happens for a reason, and we cannot control God's fate for us. So therefore, I do not find that it helps anyone not looking into the positives in every situation. I love my dad, and I miss him every single day, but I know his passing caused me to grow up the way that I needed to. In the future, I would like to live the fulfilling career of an art therapist. I know that since I was able to help myself so much through a hard time, I am fully capable of helping others. I know this specifically through the way I have helped my friends in college. My empathy has taught me to never belittle another person’s situation, just because they might not seem as bad as someone else's. This is different from many of my other friends, who may just call someone dramatic, where I can see through the way the person is acting and put myself in their shoes. Evidently, my empathy has extended more than just helping friends through petty drama, it has pushed me to do a variety of volunteer work. I am very excited to say that I will be attending Ursuline College this fall to get my masters degree in Art Therapy.

On June 1, 2017 my family and I encountered a tragedy that no one could have imagined. My father, whom I was incredibly close to, unexpectedly passed away. Because of this, the young lives of my brother, sister and I were all put onto my mother's shoulders. Since then, my mother has showed me what it looks like to live a selfless life. These last four years I have experienced some of the toughest moments, but also some of the best. My mom was the one to help me look at the positives again. My mother taught me to instead of fixating my feelings on the negatives of the situation, which unmistakably there are plenty, to pull myself out of the dark hole and became a better person. I also attribute me lasting at a university four hours away from my house to my mom. When my father first passed, I could not even see myself finishing my freshman year, let alone spend the last four years on the dean's list with unbreakable new friendships. Overall, my mom has showed me what it is like to live a rewarding life every single day. Because of everything my mother has both given up and taught me, she is and will always be my "everything." My mom is the best role model that anyone could have, and I cannot wait to pay her back for everything she has done for me. The art that I chose to represent my everything, meaning my relationship with my mother, is the "Madonna and Child" by Giovanni Bellini.