Growing up I faced obstacles throughout school. And no, it's not because I didn't keep up with my grades or because I was a distraction to class. It was because early on in my life, I realized that I learned and operated differently than those around me. I later learned that I am a Highly Sensitive Person, but there wasn't much information back then about that. So the adults around me and in school and at home concluded that I might have been on the autism spectrum. I had an IEP, which helped a lot to break down some of those barriers I was facing in school. But I was still struggling from time to time. Once I got into middle and high school and became more independent, I faced new obstacles. School overstimulated me a lot, and daily. My mom had to connect with teachers and together work out what was best for me. I appreciated, and still appreciate, the teachers that have made accommodations for me so that I can learn to the best of my ability. For example, I have really bad test anxiety. When I am taking a test and everyone begins to get up, turn their test in, and whisper to one another, it throw my thinking off balance. I can't get back on track no matter how hard I try. So, I appreciate the teachers that allowed me to go into a separate room alone to take my tests so that I could concentrate to the best of my ability. For the past five years, I have been in therapy. I have learned so much and have grown so much from my time in therapy. It has taught me how to deal with internal struggles but also how to operate in the world and maintain the relationships around me. It has given me coping strategies and strength that I couldn't have come up with by myself. All this to say, I value deeply the trusted adults around me that allowed for me to grow and prosper in my environment. I valued that they understood and learned how I worked so that they could cater to me the best they could. This got me interested in the field of Psychology and just helping people in general. If I were to make one change to the world, it would be to help people. Although that might seem like a cliché and simple answer, to me it isn't. To understand people at a deeper level and to help them work through things that they can't by themselves so that they can eventually help themselves brings me so much joy. I especially understand how important it was in my younger years. With that, I want to become a children's psychologist so that I can inspire that change in the world.

I remember the days in middle school and in the beginning years of high school in which I would dread going to school. Or simply just going anywhere in public. I was very shy and reserved, as most people referred to me as. I have been asked the dreaded question throughout my life more times than I can remember: "Why are you so quiet?". I remember being so frustrated and embarrassed because how do you even respond to that? I can't just go in depth about my crippling social anxiety and how it took all my strength to even come to school today. I have had struggles with anxiety, but mainly social anxiety, practically all my life. I would stray away from other kids in elementary school, try to fit it but be rejected in middle school, and simply gave up trying to make any connections in high school. With my own insecurities and depression, it only made my anxiety worse. I moved to a new school, a new town, and a new house five to six years ago. I was jumping right into 8th grade knowing absolutely no one. I was walking into a place where everyone knew everyone, and I knew no one. I quickly became insecure, and my anxiety developed into depression. I tried missing school as many times as I could, tried avoiding the cafeteria, and even tried avoiding going out in public. Because my town is so small, you are bound to see people from your school anywhere which was practically my worst nightmare at the time. This also affected my relationships with those around me. I didn't have any friends or anyone to really connect with my age, and I soon started to remove myself from family time. I genuinely believed that I had little to no impact in the world, and all my hopes and dreams were basically non-existent. My room was my safe place and my bed was my oasis. And I enjoyed being alone. I got into therapy around the same time that I moved to my new town, and it was helpful. Sure it took many years for me to eventually understand how I work and how to cope in many situations, but it was all worthwhile. Therapy made it easier for me to navigate life. It also made it easier for me to navigate relationships with those around me and create new relationships. I reached out to new people, started making new friends, and even got in a relationship. But this took time, and me being social has only been for the past 3 years of my life. I have always been interested in the education field, mainly because my mom was a teacher. Growing up, I watched her take pride in her job and I wanted to be like her someday. Later in life when I had the opportunity to take Working with Children's classes, where I could work one-on-one with young children teaching them new concepts, I realized that I enjoyed it very much. But what really stood out to me was the science behind it. Those days in class with no young children where we would learn how children mentally develop and what is best for them and their bodies was fascinating. Being able to educate ourselves on it and take it into the real world to help them was awesome. I then decided that with my value of therapy and my love of teaching, that I wanted to combine the two and become a children's psychologist. Which is why I want to pursue a career in Psychology/Counseling. I understand and value the importance of education and know how far it will take me in my career. Plus I love learning! I am hoping that furthering my education through college and many more years of learning can help me to ultimately achieve my dream goal!

I remember the days in middle school and in the beginning years of high school in which I would dread going to school. Or simply just going anywhere in public. I was very shy and reserved, as most people referred to me as. I have been asked the dreaded question throughout my life more times than I can remember: "Why are you so quiet?". I remember being so frustrated and embarrassed because how do you even respond to that? I can't just go in depth about my crippling social anxiety and how it took all my strength to even come to school today. I have struggles with anxiety, but mainly social anxiety, practically all my life. I would stray away from other kids in elementary school, try to fit it but be rejected in middle school, and simply gave up trying to make any connections in high school. With my own insecurities and depression, it only made my anxiety worse. I moved to a new school, a new town, and a new house five to six years ago. I was jumping right into 8th grade knowing absolutely no one. I was walking into a place where everyone knew everyone, and I knew no one. I quickly became insecure, and my anxiety developed into depression. I tried missing school as many times as I could, tried avoiding the cafeteria, and even tried avoiding going out in public. Because my town is so small, you are bound to see people from your school anywhere which was practically my worst nightmare at the time. This also affected my relationships with those around me. I didn't have any friends or anyone to really connect with my age, and I soon started to remove myself from family time. My room was my safe place and my bed was my oasis. I got into therapy around the same time that I moved to my new town, and it was helpful. Sure it took many years for me to eventually understand how I work and how to cope in many situations, but it was all worthwhile. Therapy made it easier for me to navigate life. It also made it easier for me to navigate relationships with those around me and create new relationships. I have always been interested in the education field, mainly because my mom was a teacher. Growing up, I watched her take pride in her job and I wanted to be like her someday. Later in life when I had the opportunity to take Working with Children's classes, where I could work one-on-one with young children teaching them new concepts, I realized that I enjoyed it very much. But what really stood out to me was the science behind it. Those days in class with no young children where we would learn how children mentally develop and what is best for them and their bodies was fascinating. Being able to educate ourselves on it and take it into the real world to help them was awesome. I then decided that with my value of therapy and my love of teaching, that I wanted to combine the two and become a children's psychologist. Which is why I want to pursue a college degree for this reason. I understand and value the importance of education and know how far it will take me in my career. Plus I love learning! I am hoping that furthering my education through college and many more years of learning can help me to ultimately achieve my dream goal!

If you love mystery, thriller, murder, and plot twists that will make you pause and convene with your friends for the next 5 hours, then I have got the show for you! And even if those don't jump out at you, something in this show definitely will. The show "YOU", starring Penn Badgley as the main character Joe Goldberg, follows Joe throughout his time in New York City. He runs a book store with his coworker Ethan. Without giving too much away, let's just say Joe hasn't had the best childhood. Far from it in fact. But we don't know about this until Season 2. Because of this, he seems to have very peculiar ways of taking interest in someone. He creeps, he stalks, and does WAY more than that too. A young pretty woman walks into his bookstore and she immediately catches his eye. He begins to lust over this woman and becomes infatuated with her, to the point of stalking her. Guinevere Beck, or just Beck, is now being stalked by Joe. He wants to not just be a maybe, he wants to be the one for her. Throughout Season 1, we follow Joe on his journey of "love". We come to find out many secrets about Beck, which leads Joe to do some... let's just say questionable things in the name of "love". What makes this show even more interesting is that we hear personal dialogue from Joe the entire show. We are in his head, hearing his thoughts, standing by him while he makes decisions, and are there with him when he comes too close to danger. This part of the show is the main reason why I believe the show is as popular as it is. It strays from your typical mystery, because you are in the head of the main character. Let alone the fact that he is a stalker! There is plot twist after plot twist, unexpected bombshells, and secrets galore! But trust me, the seasons after get soooo much better (but worse for some of the characters that have to live through them). But you'll have to watch the rest of the show in order to understand what I am talking about. I have gotten people who have no interest in these types of shows to watch it, and seeing their reactions and their thoughts are crazy every time. I definitely recommend this show if you are looking for something to truly flip your world upside-down and make you stare at the ceiling and think for a long time.

I sat down on my bed after an outing with a group of friends. I feel exhausted, tired, and overwhelmed. But I'm not crying. I'm not having a panic attack. I'm oddly smiling for some reason. A few months ago, I would have come home sobbing, too overwhelmed by the social interaction to even speak to my family. But I'm not. I used coping strategies, deep breathing, and more when I was out. I usually forget those in the moment when I feel myself getting overwhelmed. I did it! I successfully had an outing with some friends without having a panic attack. That is a success to me. I have struggled with social anxiety, mental health, and depression practically my whole teenage life. It was hard for me for a while to do basic activities in public. In fact, I was scared to leave my house, my room even at times! I was so insecure and sad and felt like everyone was staring at me. I have general anxiety disorder, major depressive disorder, and I am also a Highly Sensitive Person. All of these help to explain why I react the way I do in most public situations and why I get so overwhelmed quickly. I worked hard in therapy for five years as well as did so much work on myself in order to build the confidence and do normal things. Still being in therapy today, I continue to learn so much. Every day that I learn and grow is a success to me. Progress is a success to me. I really value the concept of therapy and how it helps people on a deeper level to not only understand how they work, but to learn how to manage and help themselves in everyday life catered to them! Because of this, the field of Psychology has interested me for a long time. In my Working with Children's classes in high school, it wasn't the direct teaching of the children that interested me the most. It was the science and learning behind it. Being able to understand how young children develop mentally and operate and using that knowledge to best cater to their learning intrigued me the most! It made me happy when I could apply that in the classroom and see that the science is true, because it worked. I decided that I wanted to pursue the field of Psychology, where I would receive my bachelor's degree (and even more possibly) in order to work towards being a children's psychologist. With my own personal struggles of mental health but also seeing the benefits of therapy, I want to be able to do that with others. And with my interest of early childhood development, combining the two just seemed like the perfect idea! With pursuing a higher education comes with a lot of sacrifices and a lot of money. With an older brother already in college and two younger siblings at home, I see the struggle that my parents and brother have to go through with paying for college tuition. Which is why I am filling out scholarships, like this one! I am taking the initiative to fill out as many scholarships as I can with my best work in order to help aide me and my parents with furthering my education. With this field especially, it can be very costly. So, I am hoping that with my hard work and dedication to relieving the financial burden paying with college comes with will result in great rewards and a boost to becoming a children's psychologist.

I spend hours making and practicing the flashcards for the upcoming Spanish test, I block out ample time to work on the lesson plan to teach to the group of toddlers in my Working with Children's class, and I make sure I fully understand the concepts in math class so that I'm prepared for the test next Tuesday. All my life, I have taken education seriously, and I understand and value the importance of the knowledge that comes with it. I have always strived to get the best grade possible. This might be partially due to the fact that growing up, I watched my mother go to her teaching job everyday for eleven years. She had grit, determination, and most of all pride in what she did. This intrigued me, and it began to shape what I wanted to do later in life in the right direction. I decided early on that teaching or simply helping someone in anyway was something I was interested in. This motivated me to continue to do well in school, as it would help down the road to get a good degree and eventually a good job. I honestly was set on the idea of being a teacher for a while. I even took Working with Children's classes in high school, working one-on-one with children every three weeks to help them learn new concepts, enjoy play-time, and much more. What interested me more however, was learning how to teach them. Before directly working with children in my high school, you had to take two prior classes which helped you to learn early childhood development and what works best for children at this age in practically in all areas of life. The science behind how children operate and develop and how we can use that to cater to their learning, health, and development intrigued me! This recognition of interest made me decide that maybe teaching wasn't quite the route I wanted to go with, and I wanted to help on a deeper level. In the beginning of my high school career, I had volunteered quite a few times with the Maryland Food Bank. Seeing those in need and being able to put together food packages for them but also just communicate and have a conversation was worthwhile, not only for me but surely for them too. I can see how much they appreciated the food but the connection even more. These contributions made me value the help that I could do to my community. With my own personal struggles with mental health, I really appreciated how much small gestures made me feel, especially during the tough times. I have been in therapy for five years now and the advice and help I have received over the years has been monumental. It has allowed me to grow as a person and also grow the relationships around me. It has given me insight on things I would have never known about. Because of this, I started to think about the possibility of going into the field of Psychology at one point and it has just stuck ever since. With the interest of Psychology and with helping the younger generation, I decided that I want pursue a career in which I can become a children's psychologist. I understand how much support young children need and especially through rough times. This scholarship will help to aide me in furthering my education so that I can achieve this dream without the financial burden that comes with it!

Being a Highly Sensitive Person, diagnosed with general anxiety disorder and major depressive disorder, and being in therapy for 5+ years has meant a lot of self-discovery and growth. I am very well-connected with myself and others, but this took time and work. I have faced a lot of adversities throughout my life. When I was 12, I had to move from my childhood neighborhood because it got unsafe fast. Shootings, crimes, and more were happening more often and closer and closer to where I lived. I was scared of this big change, and I had every reason to be anxious. I moved to a small town, a new school, and a new everything. I quickly became depressed because I didn't feel like fit in, I was resorting to food for comfort, and I was not connecting at all with my new environment. This led me to self-harm and many more unhealthy coping strategies. This strained my relationships with my family and I hated the world. I didn't want anything to do with my life, I just wanted to move far away and disappear forever. Like everyone says, healing takes time. And it did. A lot for me, actually. It took me a while, with therapy and a good support system, to understand how I felt and how to cope with the world and challenges around me. I had to build confidence within myself that I did belong in the world. I started to pick up hobbies, connect more with my family, and even go out of my way to make more connections with other peers. The things I do now I could have never imagined old me would have done. I have friends, I am more social, I go out more, I can work, and I even have a boyfriend. I understand that the world doesn't end with one big change, and it is not the end of the world if something goes wrong! I know this because I've been through tough times, and have gotten out of them. So now anytime I am going through a rough patch, I know that it too shall pass.

Leading a friend through a challenging time or accomplishing a task for yourself that required so much work and came with so much reward. What do those both have in common? Both result in a strong sense of empowerment. I have been in both situations and many more that leave me feeling empowered. To me, empowerment means to take charge in a situation and feel good about the effort that comes from it, no matter the result. It can also mean to stick up for yourself in the workplace, advocate for equality, and way more. Being a leader comes with so much empowerment. You can be a leader in any setting big or small. But, it especially means a lot when you are a leader and a woman. For most in society, they do not believe that women can lead like men can. "You aren't competent enough" or "You just don't have leadership skills" are two of many things women hear in group settings. But we are more than that. And being a leader and woman is such an amazing compliment to not only yourself but to society. Feeling empowered effects all areas of my life. It boosts my confidence and moral. When I lead the group in a class project where everyone is quite shy to talk and yet I can get people on board and talking makes you feel worthwhile. It also helps those around you to feel more comfortable with sharing their ideas. Empowerment not only effects you, but effects those around you in a positive way. Empowerment can also make you more motivated to share your ideas, regardless of the reaction of those around you. Of course one might feel empowered when their ideas or thoughts are shared and they get generally accepted by their peers, but I would argue to say its empowering when the complete opposite happens. If I were to share an idea and it didn't go anywhere, those ideas always lead to something more. It offers more thoughts to bloom from not only you but from other people. Having the confidence in an answer and your beliefs is empowering within itself, and will carry on through many parts of your life. I view empowerment as motivation and determination to keep sharing my ideas, thoughts, and actions to help any area of my life. It helps with my collaboration with others, which will be so helpful for college and future jobs.

Being a Highly Sensitive Person, diagnosed with general anxiety disorder and major depressive disorder, and being in therapy for 5+ years has meant a lot of self-discovery and growth. I am very well-connected with myself and others, and I have always been that way. I can pick up on body language or tone of voice and immediately understand how someone is feeling about a certain topic or person, I can read off energy and understand when someone is uncomfortable, or recognize when someone just simply needs someone to talk to. I have been in therapy since I was 12, and since then I have come to learn so much about how we are emotionally and psychologically. I've been referred to as the "therapist friend" by most that know me due to my nature of being able to connect with others on an emotional level. I comfort where appropriate and give advice when needed. I usually help all of my friends with challenging times and they seem to appreciate it. Therapy has helped with that a lot to, as I know the right wording and right things to say in order to comfort someone and give them proper advice. I advocate for others' mental health by acknowledging what they are struggling with, and providing help where needed. I also refer them to others sources of help is possible. I make sure that those around me understand the importance of mental health and what it means to take care of it. I share struggles that I deal with in hopes that it can be an opportunity for advice and growth for others. Growing up, my mother was a teacher. I loved the idea of helping to educate the younger education and spreading new knowledge. I took this passion into my own terms, as I strived to do well in school so that I could be a teacher one day. During high school, I took Working with Children's classes so that I could have one-on-one interactions as to what teaching is like. And I loved it! I loved planning lessons, interacting with the children, but I really loved learning how they learn! I loved the science behind it and that I could use that to help them. I also understood that mental health plays a huge part in how students retain information in the classrooms. If they are struggling mentally, we can't expect them to excel in school. We need to have resources, strategies and support systems for those who are struggling so that we can help them to be the best they can be in the classroom and in their own mind. With this deeper realization and my own personal struggles of mental health, I decided that that is something I want to pursue in the future. I decided that I want to go to college and major in Psychology, where I would work for my Bachelor's degree (and possibly more) in order to become a children's psychologist. I knew how helpful it was for me when I was 12 and now to have a therapist and someone who was educated in how to emotionally help and support me in ways that a parent or guardian might not understand.

Being a Highly Sensitive Person, diagnosed with general anxiety disorder and major depressive disorder, and being in therapy for 5+ years has meant a lot of self-discovery and growth. I am very well-connected with myself and others, and I have always been that way. I can pick up on body language or tone of voice and immediately understand how someone is feeling about a certain topic or person, I can read off energy and understand when someone is uncomfortable, or recognize when someone just simply needs someone to talk to. I have been in therapy since I was 12, and since then I have come to learn so much about how we are emotionally and psychologically. I've been referred to as the "therapist friend" by most that know me due to my nature of being able to connect with others on an emotional level. I comfort where appropriate and give advice when needed. I usually help all of my friends with challenging times and they seem to appreciate it. Therapy has helped with that a lot to, as I know the right wording and right things to say in order to comfort someone and give them proper advice. I advocate for others' mental health by acknowledging what they are struggling with, and providing help where needed. I also refer them to others sources of help is possible. I make sure that those around me understand the importance of mental health and what it means to take care of it. I share struggles that I deal with in hopes that it can be an opportunity for advice and growth for others. Growing up, my mother was a teacher. I loved the idea of helping to educate the younger education and spreading new knowledge. I took this passion into my own terms, as I strived to do well in school so that I could be a teacher one day. During high school, I took Working with Children's classes so that I could have one-on-one interactions as to what teaching is like. And I loved it! I loved planning lessons, interacting with the children, but I really loved learning how they learn! I loved the science behind it and that I could use that to help them. I also understood that mental health plays a huge part in how students retain information in the classrooms. If they are struggling mentally, we can't expect them to excel in school. We need to have resources, strategies and support systems for those who are struggling so that we can help them to be the best they can be in the classroom and in their own mind. With this deeper realization and my own personal struggles of mental health, I decided that that is something I want to pursue in the future. I decided that I want to go to college and major in Psychology, where I would work for my Bachelor's degree (and possibly more) in order to become a children's psychologist. I knew how helpful it was for me when I was 12 and now to have a therapist and someone who was educated in how to emotionally help and support me in ways that a parent or guardian might not understand.

Being a Highly Sensitive Person, diagnosed with general anxiety disorder and major depressive disorder, and being in therapy for 5+ years has meant a lot of self-discovery and growth. I am very well-connected with myself and others, and I have always been that way. I can pick up on body language or tone of voice and immediately understand how someone is feeling about a certain topic or person, I can read off energy and understand when someone is uncomfortable, or recognize when someone just simply needs someone to talk to. I have been in therapy since I was 12, and since then I have come to learn so much about how we are emotionally and psychologically. I've been referred to as the "therapist friend" by most that know me due to my nature of being able to connect with others on an emotional level. I comfort where appropriate and give advice when needed. I usually help all of my friends with challenging times and they seem to appreciate it. Therapy has helped with that a lot to, as I know the right wording and right things to say in order to comfort someone and give them proper advice. Growing up, my mother was a teacher. I loved the idea of helping to educate the younger generation and sharing new knowledge. I took this passion into my own terms, as I strived to do well in school so that I could be a teacher one day. During high school, I took Working with Children's classes so that I could have one-on-one interactions as to what teaching is like. And I loved it! I loved planning lessons, interacting with the children, but I really loved learning how they learn! I loved the science behind it and that I could use that to help them. With this deeper realization and my own personal struggles of mental health, I decided that this is something I want to pursue for my future career. I decided that I want to go to college and major in Psychology, where I would work for my Bachelor's degree (and possibly more) in order to become a children's psychologist. I knew how helpful it was for me when I was 12 and now to have a therapist and someone who was educated in how to emotionally help and support me in ways that a parent or guardian might not understand.

Being a Highly Sensitive Person, diagnosed with general anxiety disorder and major depressive disorder, and being in therapy for 5+ years has meant a lot of self-discovery and growth. I am very well-connected with myself and others, and I have always been that way. I can pick up on body language or tone of voice and immediately understand how someone is feeling about a certain topic or person, I can read off energy and understand when someone is uncomfortable, or recognize when someone just simply needs someone to talk to. I have been in therapy since I was 12, and since then I have come to learn so much about how we are emotionally and psychologically. I've been referred to as the "therapist friend" by most that know me due to my nature of being able to connect with others on an emotional level. I comfort where appropriate and give advice when needed. I usually help all of my friends with challenging times and they seem to appreciate it. Therapy has helped with that a lot to, as I know the right wording and right things to say in order to comfort someone and give them proper advice. Growing up, my mother was a teacher. I loved the idea of helping to educate the younger education and spreading new knowledge. I took this passion into my own terms, as I strived to do well in school so that I could be a teacher one day. During high school, I took Working with Children's classes so that I could have one-on-one interactions as to what teaching is like. And I loved it! I loved planning lessons, interacting with the children, but I really loved learning how they learn! I loved the science behind it and that I could use that to help them. With this deeper realization and my own personal struggles of mental health, I decided that that is something I want to pursue in the future. I decided that I want to go to college and major in Psychology, where I would work for my Bachelor's degree (and possibly more) in order to become a children's psychologist. I knew how helpful it was for me when I was 12 and now to have a therapist and someone who was educated in how to emotionally help and support me in ways that a parent or guardian might not understand.

I wouldn't necessarily say it was a moment in my life, but more of a time period that made me realize that there is so much more to life. I moved to the current town I live in, Havre de Grace, from my childhood home in Baltimore in 2019. Moving was a big change, and it was scary for me. I was 12 at the time, and the concept of having to move because the neighborhood I had lived in for so long was becoming unsafe for my family was something I couldn't grasp. I was anxious, nervous, worried, basically all the emotions. Those only grew worse once we moved. When we moved to the small town of Havre de Grace, I quickly realized that I didn't quite fit in at first. Everyone already knew each other and had made friends since childhood, meanwhile I was just coming in to this new place. I felt so on-the-outs, which only made my insecurities worse. I began to develop depression which eventually led to me self-harming. My parents got me a therapist, and I agreed that it would help me to work out a lot of things. It didn't help that the pandemic happened soon after, only making it worse. Because of this, I began eating a lot too. Food was my only comfort and it made me gain a bunch of weight. I look back on this period of my life a lot and recognize all the growth and change that has come from it. This was the lowest point in my life and it felt horrible. I had no reason to keep living. But with that, came motivation. Motivation to never go back down to that period of time. I started to exercise, doing K-pop dances with my younger sister to have fun but also get in movement. I worked hard on myself and in therapy to recognize things about me and learn how to cope with them. I have since gotten diagnosed with general anxiety disorder and major depressive disorder, and take medicine for them. I also have multiple strategies and a healthy support system by me to help me if I ever begin to feel that way. Although recently I have been struggling more than usual due to the big changes that being a senior brings along, I have been trying to push along the best that I can. I will continue to motivate myself and push myself to be a healthier and better version of myself always and forever.

What impact does mental health have on you? Such a simple question, yet is embedded with so much more that presents to the surface. I've been struggling with my mental health since I was 12. I am now 17, so I have learned a thing or two about mental health, how it impacts me, and what I can do to cope with stressful mental times. My mental health started to suffer when my childhood neighborhood began to become unsafe. Shootings, crimes, robberies, and more all happen within a quick time frame of my area in Baltimore. It was fast and sudden and my parents soon realized that this wasn't a safe environment for me and my siblings anymore. Not only was the lack of safety putting fear and stress onto 12-year-old me, but the idea of change was even more scary. I always hate change. A change in a small little plan for the day or a change weeks in advance. It throws me off and gives me anxiety, which back then I didn't have the tools with to cope with properly. This bled into my new neighborhood, my new town, my new school, my new everything. I couldn't cope with the anxiety and fear in a healthy way. Sure, I kept my grades up. But at the time I really didn't believe life was worth living. I started to self-harm, feeling even worse afterwards. Because of this guilt, it made it hard for me to connect with family, other students, or anyone. I had gotten a therapist around the time my parents decided to move, but I started seeing her more frequently since. Over the 5 years that I have had therapy, I have dealt and learned with so much. I used to not be able to cope with my anxiety and worries in a healthy way which is impacting my communication skills, basic daily life skills, and so much more. Therapy helped me to understand how my body works so that I could easily help myself. My therapist and I came to the conclusion that I was a Highly Sensitive Person, which helped to understand a lot of my behaviors that might seem abnormal to others. More recently, I have struggled with depression and frequent panic attacks. I was skipping school more often due to the waves of anxiety and easy onset of panic attacks I was having. I skipped weekly meetings with my friends because I just couldn't bring myself to get out of bed. I couldn't even bring myself to hang out with my boyfriend, who is my main source of comfort. All my coping skills and therapy appointments didn't seem to helping, so I took the next step to see a psychiatrist. I was diagnosed with general anxiety disorder and major depressive disorder. This diagnosis helped me a lot, as well as the advice I was given during the appointment. I was prescribed with medicine to help me, and I have been taking it for about a month or so. Since then, my productivity has gone up and my anxiety attacks have gone down. As a senior, college is coming right around the corner. I know how big of a change college is, so I am taking the steps to make sure that I will be okay when that time comes. I have coping strategies and my support system to help me throughout this time. I'm avoiding caffeine, taking medicine, going to therapy, and reminding myself that everything will be okay (because it will be)!

What impact does mental health have on you? Such a simple question, yet is embedded with so much more that presents to the surface. I've been struggling with my mental health since I was 12. I am now 17, so I have learned a thing or two about mental health, how it impacts me, and what I can do to cope with stressful mental times. My mental health started to suffer when my childhood neighborhood began to become unsafe. Shootings, crimes, robberies, and more all happen within a quick time frame of my area in Baltimore. It was fast and sudden and my parents soon realized that this wasn't a safe environment for me and my siblings anymore. Not only was the lack of safety putting fear and stress onto 12-year-old me, but the idea of change was even more scary. I always hate change. A change in a small little plan for the day or a change weeks in advance. It throws me off and gives me anxiety, which back then I didn't have the tools with to cope with properly. This bled into my new neighborhood, my new town, my new school, my new everything. I couldn't cope with the anxiety and fear in a healthy way. Sure, I kept my grades up. But at the time I really didn't believe life was worth living. I started to self-harm, feeling even worse afterwards. Because of this guilt, it made it hard for me to connect with family, other students, or anyone. I had gotten a therapist around the time my parents decided to move, but I started seeing her more frequently since. Over the 5 years that I have had therapy, I have dealt and learned with so much. I used to not be able to cope with my anxiety and worries in a healthy way which is impacting my communication skills, basic daily life skills, and so much more. Therapy helped me to understand how my body works so that I could easily help myself. My therapist and I came to the conclusion that I was a Highly Sensitive Person, which helped to understand a lot of my behaviors that might seem abnormal to others. More recently, I have struggled with depression and frequent panic attacks. I was skipping school more often due to the waves of anxiety and easy onset of panic attacks I was having. I skipped weekly meetings with my friends because I just couldn't bring myself to get out of bed. I couldn't even bring myself to hang out with my boyfriend, who is my main source of comfort. All my coping skills and therapy appointments didn't seem to helping, so I took the next step to see a psychiatrist. I was diagnosed with general anxiety disorder and major depressive disorder. This diagnosis helped me a lot, as well as the advice I was given during the appointment. I was prescribed with medicine to help me, and I have been taking it for about a month or so. Since then, my productivity has gone up and my anxiety attacks have gone down. As a senior, college is coming right around the corner. I know how big of a change college is, so I am taking the steps to make sure that I will be okay when that time comes. I want to be a children's psychologist in the future. I understand that children, like I did, needed someone who understood that they processed things and worked differently than others. I want to best support and help the future generation emotionally to be great!

I urgently scribble down the equations on the whiteboard into my notebook, desperate to catch up to my geometry teacher who is moving at a pace too fast for me. This is the second week of eighth grade at a new school, in a new town, and a new house and I am already falling behind. This is such a small school, and I don’t feel like I fit in, and I hate this unfamiliar feeling. It makes me feel like I don’t belong and it’s starting to make me doubt myself. I have always done well in school up until now, where I am struggling to retain information taught to me in classes due to my conflicting feelings and problems with moving here. But I was able to get myself on track. Sure, it took a minute, but I was eventually able to do it. Even with Covid happening, the countless therapy appointments, the nightly sob sessions, I was able to do it. I have always been academically smart, which is something I am very proud of yet is a trait about myself I seem to forget sometimes. Memorizing the flashcards in Spanish class or the different events of World War II are easy for me, and I am able to execute my knowledge of what I learn in class well into the tests, quizzes, and homework assignments. I have received an A in every single class during my high school career, maintaining a 4.0 GPA. Because of this, I have received multiple honor awards from the school as well as individual recognition from countless teachers. I have also been accepted into Towson University, UMBC, Loyola University, and Goucher. For both Loyola and Goucher I received annual scholarships due to my grades and what I worked hard for academically throughout high school. The opportunities presented at my high school allowed me to take Working with Children classes which is something I was, and still am, very passionate about. I was able to get ADA trained as well as work one on one with young students for 2 years in order to understand how they learn and in turn help me learn how to teach them. And I have always wanted to be a teacher or work with children my whole life. I think I got that gene from my mom, who has been in the education field for nearly 20 years ranging from a teacher to an assistant principal to a principal. I have also made an impact in my community. I have helped volunteer with the Maryland Food Bank, helping to carry stock and keep track of it as well as put together boxes for those in need. I have also aided in helping the school community by managing the boys’ volleyball team. This involved consistent work and making sure I got to every game in order to help keep track of things like substitutions, players, statistics, etc.... Earlier in my high school career, I participated in a book club. We would gather monthly to share ideas and help to spread information on good and also important books for the school to read. I did all of this while maintaining my job at Dunkin’, working 10-15 hours a week. I currently work at Weis Markets, where I am working an average of 25 hours a week now that my schedule has cleared up. I am always constantly striving to work where I can, help where I can, and grow where I need to. Feeling confident in my abilities, however, took time. With my older brother already in college, and my parents providing for 4 children, it’s tough to cover expenses to continue furthering my educational career in college. Which is why I am taking the initiative to fill out scholarships, like this one. This money would be put towards my future and will help to lessen the load of financial expense that college comes with, something my parents are very familiar with. And with this money, I promise to maintain my work ethic and continue to strive for greatness in all areas of life and not be left to scribble and rush the plans of life I have waiting for me.

“I want to be like you, Mom!” little me says as a glare up in admiration at my mother typing away at her keyboard. She glances at me to smile, continuing to entertain me in conversation while also working on her second job. At one point, it was three. Tackling the workload of two jobs, and at the time two young toddlers, was admirable. I wanted to have the determination, grit, and work ethic my mom had every day while barely taking a day off. Growing up I was able to watch her ability to carry so much on her plate yet always have time for us, my dad, and life in general. I believe these qualities carried over into me and integrated within my own means of what a work ethic really is. Sure, I had problems here and there with social anxiety or teachers who couldn’t quite grasp how I needed to be taught. But nonetheless, I excelled in school and got good grades. I also discovered hobbies that I liked such as crocheting, knitting, and reading. Middle school is where things got really rough. The neighborhood where I grew up slowly started to become unsafe with shootings and crime, so my parents made the decision to move. I’ve always hated change, when plans would go slightly off track or when we go to a different restaurant for dinner even though we had all agreed-on Olive Garden. Eighth grade year was rough, and I became depressed. And then Covid hit. But I had my support system and continued my studies during the shutdown, going as far as to study new things outside the curriculum to keep me busy. After eighth grade year and with the return of school, it was still a rocky beginning. However, I didn’t let that stop me. I began branching out and connecting with others. I sold my own crocheted products at our local Arts Festival, which was a huge hit. I continue to do it today, grateful for the connections that have come out of it. I volunteered for the Maryland Food Bank, helping to organize stock as well as create packages for those in need. I worked two jobs, managed the boys’ volleyball team, and attended school all at once. Managing a lot is something I was used to seeing my mom do, so I instinctively knew how to tackle many things! Because of my hard work, I’ve received multiple honor awards throughout my high school career, earning an A for every single class all 4 years. I began getting college acceptance letters and recognized all the hard work that I had done during school as paid off. I would love to work with young children to help them grow in all areas of development. I’ve taken Working with Children’s classes during high school, have directly worked with multiple children, have been ADA trained and more. I know how I felt when I had someone who understood my hardships and was there to cater to my learning and encourage growth, so if I can do that for another kid it would be a dream. But, with an older brother already in college and two other siblings besides me, it’s a struggle for my parents to be able to fully fund my education too. Which is why I am taking the initiative to fill out scholarships, like this one. This scholarship would help to fund my education and allow me to go further into my dream of helping young children learn and grow, especially through adversities like the ones I faced.

What impact does mental health have on you? Such a simple question, yet is embedded with so much more that presents to the surface. I've been struggling with my mental health since I was 12. I am now 17, so I have learned a thing or two about mental health, how it impacts me, and what I can do to cope with stressful mental times. My mental health started to suffer when my childhood neighborhood began to become unsafe. Shootings, crimes, robberies, and more all happen within a quick time frame of my area in Baltimore. It was fast and sudden and my parents soon realized that this wasn't a safe environment for me and my siblings anymore. Not only was the lack of safety putting fear and stress onto 12-year-old me, but the idea of change was even more scary. I always hate change. A change in a small little plan for the day or a change weeks in advance. It throws me off and gives me anxiety, which back then I didn't have the tools with to cope with properly. This bled into my new neighborhood, my new town, my new school, my new everything. I couldn't cope with the anxiety and fear in a healthy way. Sure, I kept my grades up. But at the time I really didn't believe life was worth living. I started to self-harm, feeling even worse afterwards. Because of this guilt, it made it hard for me to connect with family, other students, or anyone. I had gotten a therapist around the time my parents decided to move, but I started seeing her more frequently since. Over the 5 years that I have had therapy, I have dealt and learned with so much. I used to not be able to cope with my anxiety and worries in a healthy way which is impacting my communication skills, basic daily life skills, and so much more. Therapy helped me to understand how my body works so that I could easily help myself. My therapist and I came to the conclusion that I was a Highly Sensitive Person, which helped to understand a lot of my behaviors that might seem abnormal to others. More recently, I have struggled with depression and frequent panic attacks. I was skipping school more often due to the waves of anxiety and easy onset of panic attacks I was having. I skipped weekly meetings with my friends because I just couldn't bring myself to get out of bed. I couldn't even bring myself to hang out with my boyfriend, who is my main source of comfort. All my coping skills and therapy appointments didn't seem to helping, so I took the next step to see a psychiatrist. I was diagnosed with general anxiety disorder and major depressive disorder. This diagnosis helped me a lot, as well as the advice I was given during the appointment. I was prescribed with medicine to help me, and I have been taking it for about a month or so. Since then, my productivity has gone up and my anxiety attacks have gone down. As a senior, college is coming right around the corner. I know how big of a change college is, so I am taking the steps to make sure that I will be okay when that time comes. I have coping strategies and my support system to help me throughout this time. I'm avoiding caffeine, taking medicine, going to therapy, and reminding myself that everything will be okay (because it will be)!

“I want to be like you, Mom!” little me says as a glare up in admiration at my mother typing away at her keyboard. She glances at me to smile, continuing to entertain me in conversation while also working on her second job. At one point, it was three. Tackling the workload of two jobs, and at the time two young toddlers, was admirable. I wanted to have the determination, grit, and work ethic my mom had every day while barely taking a day off. Growing up I was able to watch her ability to carry so much on her plate yet always have time for us, my dad, and life in general. I believe these qualities carried over into me and integrated within my own means of what a work ethic really is. Sure, I had problems here and there with social anxiety or teachers who couldn’t quite grasp how I needed to be taught. But nonetheless, I excelled in school and got good grades. I also discovered hobbies that I liked such as crocheting, knitting, and reading. Middle school is where things got really rough. The neighborhood where I grew up slowly started to become unsafe with shootings and crime, so my parents made the decision to move. I’ve always hated change, when plans would go slightly off track or when we go to a different restaurant for dinner even though we had all agreed-on Olive Garden. Eighth grade year was rough, and I became depressed. And then Covid hit. But I had my support system and continued my studies during the shutdown, going as far as to study new things outside the curriculum to keep me busy. After eighth grade year and with the return of school, it was still a rocky beginning. However, I didn’t let that stop me. I began branching out and connecting with others. I sold my own crocheted products at our local Arts Festival, which was a huge hit. I continue to do it today, grateful for the connections that have come out of it. I volunteered for the Maryland Food Bank, helping to organize stock as well as create packages for those in need. I worked two jobs, managed the boys’ volleyball team, and attended school all at once. Managing a lot is something I was used to seeing my mom do, so I instinctively knew how to tackle many things! Because of my hard work, I’ve received multiple honor awards throughout my high school career, earning an A for every single class all 4 years. I began getting college acceptance letters and recognized all the hard work that I had done during school as paid off. I would love to work with young children to help them grow in all areas of development. I’ve taken Working with Children’s classes during high school, have directly worked with multiple children, have been ADA trained and more. I know how I felt when I had someone who understood my hardships and was there to cater to my learning and encourage growth, so if I can do that for another kid it would be a dream. But, with an older brother already in college and two other siblings besides me, it’s a struggle for my parents to be able to fully fund my education too. Which is why I am taking the initiative to fill out scholarships, like this one. This scholarship would help to fund my education and allow me to go further into my dream of helping young children learn and grow, especially through adversities like the ones I faced.

“I want to be like you, Mom!” little me says as a glare up in admiration at my mother typing away at her keyboard. She glances at me to smile, continuing to entertain me in conversation while also working on her second job. At one point, it was three. Tackling the workload of two jobs, and at the time two young toddlers, was admirable. I wanted to have the determination, grit, and work ethic my mom had every day while barely taking a day off. Growing up I was able to watch her ability to carry so much on her plate yet always have time for us, my dad, and life in general. I believe these qualities carried over into me and integrated within my own means of what a work ethic really is. Sure, I had problems here and there with social anxiety or teachers who couldn’t quite grasp how I needed to be taught. But nonetheless, I excelled in school and got good grades. I also discovered hobbies that I liked such as crocheting, knitting, and reading. Middle school is where things got really rough. The neighborhood where I grew up slowly started to become unsafe with shootings and crime, so my parents made the decision to move. I’ve always hated change, when plans would go slightly off track or when we go to a different restaurant for dinner even though we had all agreed-on Olive Garden. Eighth grade year was rough, and I became depressed. And then Covid hit. But I had my support system and continued my studies during the shutdown, going as far as to study new things outside the curriculum to keep me busy. After eighth grade year and with the return of school, it was still a rocky beginning. However, I didn’t let that stop me. I began branching out and connecting with others. I sold my own crocheted products at our local Arts Festival, which was a huge hit. I continue to do it today, grateful for the connections that have come out of it. I volunteered for the Maryland Food Bank, helping to organize stock as well as create packages for those in need. I worked two jobs, managed the boys’ volleyball team, and attended school all at once. Managing a lot is something I was used to seeing my mom do, so I instinctively knew how to tackle many things! Because of my hard work, I’ve received multiple honor awards throughout my high school career, earning an A for every single class all 4 years. I began getting college acceptance letters and recognized all the hard work that I had done during school as paid off. I would love to work with young children to help them grow in all areas of development. I’ve taken Working with Children’s classes during high school, have directly worked with multiple children, have been ADA trained and more. I know how I felt when I had someone who understood my hardships and was there to cater to my learning and encourage growth, so if I can do that for another kid it would be a dream. But, with an older brother already in college and two other siblings besides me, it’s a struggle for my parents to be able to fully fund my education too. Which is why I am taking the initiative to fill out scholarships, like this one. This scholarship would help to fund my education and allow me to go further into my dream of helping young children learn and grow, especially through adversities like the ones I faced.

“I want to be like you, Mom!” little me says as a glare up in admiration at my mother typing away at her keyboard. She glances at me to smile, continuing to entertain me in conversation while also working on her second job. At one point, it was three. Tackling the workload of two jobs, and at the time two young toddlers, was admirable. I wanted to have the determination, grit, and work ethic my mom had every day while barely taking a day off. Growing up I was able to watch her ability to carry so much on her plate yet always have time for us, my dad, and life in general. I believe these qualities carried over into me and integrated within my own means of what a work ethic really is. Sure, I had problems here and there with social anxiety or teachers who couldn’t quite grasp how I needed to be taught. But nonetheless, I excelled in school and got good grades. I also discovered hobbies that I liked such as crocheting, knitting, and reading. Middle school is where things got really rough. The neighborhood where I grew up slowly started to become unsafe with shootings and crime, so my parents made the decision to move. I’ve always hated change, when plans would go slightly off track or when we go to a different restaurant for dinner even though we had all agreed-on Olive Garden. Eighth grade year was rough, and I became depressed. And then Covid hit. But I had my support system and continued my studies during the shutdown, going as far as to study new things outside the curriculum to keep me busy. After eighth grade year and with the return of school, it was still a rocky beginning. However, I didn’t let that stop me. I began branching out and connecting with others. I sold my own crocheted products at our local Arts Festival, which was a huge hit. I continue to do it today, grateful for the connections that have come out of it. I volunteered for the Maryland Food Bank, helping to organize stock as well as create packages for those in need. I worked two jobs, managed the boys’ volleyball team, and attended school all at once. Managing a lot is something I was used to seeing my mom do, so I instinctively knew how to tackle many things! Because of my hard work, I’ve received multiple honor awards throughout my high school career, earning an A for every single class all 4 years. I began getting college acceptance letters and recognized all the hard work that I had done during school as paid off. I would love to work with young children to help them grow in all areas of development. I’ve taken Working with Children’s classes during high school, have directly worked with multiple children, have been ADA trained and more. I know how I felt when I had someone who understood my hardships and was there to cater to my learning and encourage growth, so if I can do that for another kid it would be a dream. But, with an older brother already in college and two other siblings besides me, it’s a struggle for my parents to be able to fully fund my education too. Which is why I am taking the initiative to fill out scholarships, like this one. This scholarship would help to fund my education and allow me to go further into my dream of helping young children learn and grow, especially through adversities like the ones I faced.

“I want to be like you, Mom!” little me says as a glare up in admiration at my mother typing away at her keyboard. She glances at me to smile, continuing to entertain me in conversation while also working on her second job. At one point, it was three. Tackling the workload of two jobs, and at the time two young toddlers, was admirable. I wanted to have the determination, grit, and work ethic my mom had every day while barely taking a day off. Growing up I was able to watch her ability to carry so much on her plate yet always have time for us, my dad, and life in general. I believe these qualities carried over into me and integrated within my own means of what a work ethic really is. Sure, I had problems here and there with social anxiety or teachers who couldn’t quite grasp how I needed to be taught. But nonetheless, I excelled in school and got good grades. I also discovered hobbies that I liked such as crocheting, knitting, and reading. Middle school is where things got really rough. The neighborhood where I grew up slowly started to become unsafe with shootings and crime, so my parents made the decision to move. I’ve always hated change, when plans would go slightly off track or when we go to a different restaurant for dinner even though we had all agreed-on Olive Garden. Eighth grade year was rough, and I became depressed. And then Covid hit. But I had my support system and continued my studies during the shutdown, going as far as to study new things outside the curriculum to keep me busy. After eighth grade year and with the return of school, it was still a rocky beginning. However, I didn’t let that stop me. I began branching out and connecting with others. I sold my own crocheted products at our local Arts Festival, which was a huge hit. I continue to do it today, grateful for the connections that have come out of it. I volunteered for the Maryland Food Bank, helping to organize stock as well as create packages for those in need. I worked two jobs, managed the boys’ volleyball team, and attended school all at once. Managing a lot is something I was used to seeing my mom do, so I instinctively knew how to tackle many things! Because of my hard work, I’ve received multiple honor awards throughout my high school career, earning an A for every single class all 4 years. I began getting college acceptance letters and recognized all the hard work that I had done during school as paid off. I would love to work with young children to help them grow in all areas of development. I’ve taken Working with Children’s classes during high school, have directly worked with multiple children, have been ADA trained and more. I know how I felt when I had someone who understood my hardships and was there to cater to my learning and encourage growth, so if I can do that for another kid it would be a dream. But, with an older brother already in college and two other siblings besides me, it’s a struggle for my parents to be able to fully fund my education too. Which is why I am taking the initiative to fill out scholarships, like this one. This scholarship would help to fund my education and allow me to go further into my dream of helping young children learn and grow, especially through adversities like the ones I faced.

“I want to be like you, Mom!” little me says as a glare up in admiration at my mother typing away at her keyboard. She glances at me to smile, continuing to entertain me in conversation while also working on her second job. At one point, it was three. Tackling the workload of two jobs, and at the time two young toddlers, was admirable. I wanted to have the determination, grit, and work ethic my mom had every day while barely taking a day off. Growing up I was able to watch her ability to carry so much on her plate yet always have time for us, my dad, and life in general. I believe these qualities carried over into me and integrated within my own means of what a work ethic really is. Sure, I had problems here and there with social anxiety or teachers who couldn’t quite grasp how I needed to be taught. But nonetheless, I excelled in school and got good grades. I also discovered hobbies that I liked such as crocheting, knitting, and reading. Middle school is where things got really rough. The neighborhood where I grew up slowly started to become unsafe with shootings and crime, so my parents made the decision to move. I’ve always hated change, when plans would go slightly off track or when we go to a different restaurant for dinner even though we had all agreed-on Olive Garden. Eighth grade year was rough, and I became depressed. And then Covid hit. But I had my support system and continued my studies during the shutdown, going as far as to study new things outside the curriculum to keep me busy. After eighth grade year and with the return of school, it was still a rocky beginning. However, I didn’t let that stop me. I began branching out and connecting with others. I sold my own crocheted products at our local Arts Festival, which was a huge hit. I continue to do it today, grateful for the connections that have come out of it. I volunteered for the Maryland Food Bank, helping to organize stock as well as create packages for those in need. I worked two jobs, managed the boys’ volleyball team, and attended school all at once. Managing a lot is something I was used to seeing my mom do, so I instinctively knew how to tackle many things! Because of my hard work, I’ve received multiple honor awards throughout my high school career, earning an A for every single class all 4 years. I began getting college acceptance letters and recognized all the hard work that I had done during school as paid off. I would love to work with young children to help them grow in all areas of development. I’ve taken Working with Children’s classes during high school, have directly worked with multiple children, have been ADA trained and more. I know how I felt when I had someone who understood my hardships and was there to cater to my learning and encourage growth, so if I can do that for another kid it would be a dream. But, with an older brother already in college and two other siblings besides me, it’s a struggle for my parents to be able to fully fund my education too. Which is why I am taking the initiative to fill out scholarships, like this one. This scholarship would help to fund my education and allow me to go further into my dream of helping young children learn and grow, especially through adversities like the ones I faced.

I have always been passionate about early childhood development. When I was younger, my mother was an English teacher for elementary school. I would watch her work away, creating lesson plans and fun activities for the students to do so that they were actively engaged and having while learning something new. This inspired me to work in this field, and even consider becoming a children's therapist. I have actually had some experience with creatively teaching and engaging students already. I am lucky enough that my high school offers Working with Children classes, where groups of students rotate with teaching a group of toddlers ranging of the ages 3-5. We would have to create lesson plans based on the theme for that week, and each time we would do a new activity. I have done countless circle times, games, lessons, and more with these toddlers and I have learned what works best. Children love hands on activities! Things they can interact with, play with, manipulate with. This allows them to be actively engaged in the lesson. For example, last year one of the themes for the week was the beach. So, I utilized the sandbox we had in the classroom and added a bunch of beach-related toys into it. The goal was to dig them up, find them, and to identify them. They had so much fun with this activity and they were able to easily identify the objects. I had cards with the names of the objects so they knew what they were looking for. This is very helpful for young children, because they don't know everything. It also gives children a sense of independence. So, having those identifiers worked well! In the future, I plan to make most, if not all, of my activities that I teach hands-on. Ask them questions! Children love to talk, especially about things they are interested about. Especially with story time or circle time, asking questions before or afterwards really helps to engage the children. In the future, I will be asking them what they already know, what they have learned, or any stories they might have. This is so they take interest in the topic and allow for creative thinking. Movement is such an important part of childhood, and I plan to incorporate that into my teaching. Dancing, playing outside, and more all actively engage students in the best way possible. For example, one of the themes last year was winter. I thought it would be a fun idea to have a snowball fight indoors! I bought fake snowballs and had us all, including the student teachers, have a snowball fight! This was really engaging and fun for the students, and it was a reoccurring activity in the classroom since! Activities like these are ones I will continue to do in the future. Part of being a teacher is creativity, and we must portray that to our students. I hope to make fun activities for the children in my career so that they can have good educational memories moving forward!

“I want to be like you, Mom!” little me says as a glare up in admiration at my mother typing away at her keyboard. She glances at me to smile, continuing to entertain me in conversation while also working on her second job. At one point, it was three. Tackling the workload of two jobs, and at the time two young toddlers, was admirable. I wanted to have the determination, grit, and work ethic my mom had every day while barely taking a day off. Growing up I was able to watch her ability to carry so much on her plate yet always have time for us, my dad, and life in general. I believe these qualities carried over into me and integrated within my own means of what a work ethic really is. Sure, I had problems here and there with social anxiety or teachers who couldn’t quite grasp how I needed to be taught. But nonetheless, I excelled in school and got good grades. I also discovered hobbies that I liked such as crocheting, knitting, and reading. Middle school is where things got really rough. The neighborhood where I grew up slowly started to become unsafe with shootings and crime, so my parents made the decision to move. I’ve always hated change, when plans would go slightly off track or when we go to a different restaurant for dinner even though we had all agreed-on Olive Garden. Eighth grade year was rough, and I became depressed. And then Covid hit. But I had my support system and continued my studies during the shutdown, going as far as to study new things outside the curriculum to keep me busy. After eighth grade year and with the return of school, it was still a rocky beginning. However, I didn’t let that stop me. I began branching out and connecting with others. I sold my own crocheted products at our local Arts Festival, which was a huge hit. I continue to do it today, grateful for the connections that have come out of it. I volunteered for the Maryland Food Bank, helping to organize stock as well as create packages for those in need. I worked two jobs, managed the boys’ volleyball team, and attended school all at once. Managing a lot is something I was used to seeing my mom do, so I instinctively knew how to tackle many things! Because of my hard work, I’ve received multiple honor awards throughout my high school career, earning an A for every single class all 4 years. I began getting college acceptance letters and recognized all the hard work that I had done during school as paid off. I would love to work with young children to help them grow in all areas of development. I’ve taken Working with Children’s classes during high school, have directly worked with multiple children, have been ADA trained and more. I know how I felt when I had someone who understood my hardships and was there to cater to my learning and encourage growth, so if I can do that for another kid it would be a dream. But, with an older brother already in college and two other siblings besides me, it’s a struggle for my parents to be able to fully fund my education too. Which is why I am taking the initiative to fill out scholarships, like this one. This scholarship would help to fund my education and allow me to go further into my dream of helping young children learn and grow, especially through adversities like the ones I faced.

“I want to be like you, Mom!” little me says as a glare up in admiration at my mother typing away at her keyboard. She glances at me to smile, continuing to entertain me in conversation while also working on her second job. At one point, it was three. Tackling the workload of two jobs, and at the time two young toddlers, was admirable. I wanted to have the determination, grit, and work ethic my mom had every day while barely taking a day off. Growing up I was able to watch her ability to carry so much on her plate yet always have time for us, my dad, and life in general. I believe these qualities carried over into me and integrated within my own means of what a work ethic really is. Sure, I had problems here and there with social anxiety or teachers who couldn’t quite grasp how I needed to be taught. But nonetheless, I excelled in school and got good grades. I also discovered hobbies that I liked such as crocheting, knitting, and reading. Middle school is where things got really rough. The neighborhood where I grew up slowly started to become unsafe with shootings and crime, so my parents made the decision to move. I’ve always hated change, when plans would go slightly off track or when we go to a different restaurant for dinner even though we had all agreed-on Olive Garden. Eighth grade year was rough, and I became depressed. And then Covid hit. But I had my support system and continued my studies during the shutdown, going as far as to study new things outside the curriculum to keep me busy. After eighth grade year and with the return of school, it was still a rocky beginning. However, I didn’t let that stop me. I began branching out and connecting with others. I sold my own crocheted products at our local Arts Festival, which was a huge hit. I continue to do it today, grateful for the connections that have come out of it. I volunteered for the Maryland Food Bank, helping to organize stock as well as create packages for those in need. I worked two jobs, managed the boys’ volleyball team, and attended school all at once. Managing a lot is something I was used to seeing my mom do, so I instinctively knew how to tackle many things! Because of my hard work, I’ve received multiple honor awards throughout my high school career, earning an A for every single class all 4 years. I began getting college acceptance letters and recognized all the hard work that I had done during school as paid off. I would love to work with young children to help them grow in all areas of development. I’ve taken Working with Children’s classes during high school, have directly worked with multiple children, have been ADA trained and more. I know how I felt when I had someone who understood my hardships and was there to cater to my learning and encourage growth, so if I can do that for another kid it would be a dream. But, with an older brother already in college and two other siblings besides me, it’s a struggle for my parents to be able to fully fund my education too. Which is why I am taking the initiative to fill out scholarships, like this one. This scholarship would help to fund my education and allow me to go further into my dream of helping young children learn and grow, especially through adversities like the ones I faced.

The high school I currently attend was not supposed to be the one I went to, in fact, the one I would have gone to is an hour away back in my hometown in Baltimore. I was your typical new kid: shy, quiet, and didn't quite know the town or the people well enough to connect. Although I moved here in 8th grade, it was cut short by Covid. Strings of relationships I tried to work hard to build had been severed by online learning. I was back to square one all over again. My freshman year of High School was rough. It was also online, and I had little to no connection with the people in my school. This caused me to feel very isolated, more than how I felt when I had first moved to Havre de Grace. I became depressed, not feeling like I fit in. I started to grow resentment towards this town. It was a big mental struggle. Although I did well in school, it was the only thing I could focus on. I had no friends to talk to, no in-person school to connect with others, and no job. Quarantine fed into this isolation. Returning to school Sophomore year of High School just made me feel like I moved to a new school all over again. I still didn't know anybody. Those I attempted to make a relationship with during 8th grade either had found new friends or had completely forgotten about me. And that's how I felt the first two years of High School; invisible, forgotten, and not recognized. I did not have any friends, and it made me feel unwanted. I started to get even more depressed and thought that I wasn't worthy enough of making relationships. I didn't believe people wanted to connect with me. I was stuck in the box of being a new kid. Still. After almost three years. Eventually with time and the restrictions of Covid being lifted, I slowly but surely began to integrate into this new society. I began to connect with people both in and outside of school, began to gain more confidence, and had the drive to try new and challenging things. I still sometimes feel the emotions of how I felt being the new kid when I don't feel like I fit into a certain space or feel lonely, but I have grown tremendously from that experience and it has given me tools to help me navigate similar situations in a better mental state in the future.

I woke up from the dream, or in better words a nightmare, in a panicked sweat. My eyes dart around the room, trying to focus on a singular thing but struggling to in the darkness that surrounded my room. Another nightmare, the third one this week. The past weeks have been stressful. I've been juggling the obstacles of senior year with college applications, college coursework, a huge Spanish project due that week, my shifts at my job, and all while trying to find free time for myself. I recognize this pattern when my life is too overwhelming to the point where it transfers over into my dreams. I've been turning to music more than ever, using it as a coping strategy. I turn on 'GUTS' by Olivia Rodrigo and turn up my Airpods full blast. I've listened to it so much, that I've risen to the top 10% of her listeners. I shuffle the playlist, hoping that it's a song that relates to my situation. "making the bed" begins to play, pretty fitting considering I'm snuggled up under my bed. The song was one of my first favorites the moment I listened to the album the day it was released, and I played it every day that followed. I instantly connected with the song. I've felt throughout most of my life, but moslty during these teenage years, that I self-sabotage myself as a way of coping. I find comfort in feeling sad, and yet I get upset because of how I am feeling. But I am the one making that bed for myself. The second verse of the song begins, and I already begin to feel tears well up in my eyes. She sings: "And every night, I wake up from this one recurrin' dream. Where I'm drivin' through the city and the brakes go out on me. I can't stop at the red light, I can't swerve off the road. I read somewhere that it's 'cause my life feels so out of control." This particular lyric or section of the song seems to take control of my emotions because I can't control the streams of tears going down my cheeks. With the way I have been feeling the past month, it's been hard to balance everything in my life. Especially with applying to colleges and recognizing that as being such a huge part of my future, has given me great anxiety to the point where it's hard to put energy into the other things of my life. But I know I am not alone in this feeling. Teenagers all across the world, across my state, and even across from me in the classroom are applying to colleges and juggling a job and school work and so much more that we don't recognize. This can lead us to be hard on ourselves, and sometimes even punish ourselves. Even if the idea of college is something we wanted for ourselves, this process is just not what I imagined. I've connected so well with music my whole life, but has been crucial to my teenage years. 'GUTS' has been able to perfectly encapsulate how I have been feeling, and I can interpret and connect with it in any way I choose. As I make my own bed, both metaphorically and physically, I think about what I can do in my life to take back the control that chaos has taken from me.