“Can you just get it done already?” I snapped, running my hands through my hair anxiously in class. “It’s due next week.” My friend, Kate, looked up at me with saddened, yet angry eyes. “I’m working on it, but I’m busy. Can you please just wait?” “Fine,” I groaned, turning away from her. It was my sophomore year of high school, and I was working on an assignment with my friend, Kate, for my AP World History class. I thought she was taking forever to get the work done, and I pushed her relentlessly to finish it. Although she completed it when I wanted her to, she deflected my attempts at starting conversations for weeks afterward. I could no longer treat her this way. My impatience makes me unreasonable, making me rude and hurt people that I deeply care about. Once I began to notice that my relationships were deteriorating due to my constant impatience with my life, I knew something had to change. I had to stop pushing for things to happen and focus on the beauty of the world around me. Moreover, learning patience helped me to adopt a more empathetic approach towards people. When I understood that other people had challenging circumstances and their own problems to deal with, my friendships became healthier. Not only is patience a driving factor behind maintaining strong, healthy relationships, but it is essential to being successful in life. I’ve come a long way since I snapped at my friend my sophomore year. I plan to become a psychologist, and I know how important it is to treat people with unconditional positive regard, genuine empathy and patience. Patience will guide me to compassion.

During my junior year, I was shocked to learn that many of my classmates had engaged in some type of self-harm, even attempting suicide. Many of them lived with undiagnosed depression which was made even worse when they tried to bring up the topic. Due to this, they avoided talking with a counselor or social worker who may have provided them with opportunities to treat their mental illness. Living in a suburban town in Missouri, mental health was a taboo topic. Those who openly discussed mental illness were mocked or disregarded in the community. In high school, many of my peers sought treatment in secret, or chose to forgo it, fearing the shame and ridicule associated with it. It was during this time in my life that my interest in mental health treatment began to form, motivating me to want to become a therapist or a psychologist. After witnessing this persist throughout my adolescence, I knew that I wanted to help people like my peers. I believe that the key to successfully living with mental illness involves open communication and unconditional positive regard found in therapists and counselors. With this scholarship, I could major in Psychology or Social Work to become a therapist. I will provide accessible mental health services to vulnerable populations, who will not have to be afraid of facing stigmatization. I am thankful to be considered for this scholarship opportunity, and if I am selected, I will use it to advance my education.

One of the most stigmatized topics in America is mental health and how to approach it. I believe that the key to successfully living with mental illness involves clients receive an unconditional positive regard from therapists and counselors. With the scholarship, I could major in Psychology or Social Work to become a therapist and provide accessible mental health services to vulnerable populations. Living in a suburban town in Missouri, mental health was a taboo topic. Those who openly discussed mental illness were mocked in the community. In high school, many of my peers sought treatment in secret, or chose to forgo it, feeling the shame and ridicule associated with it. It was during this time in my life that my interest in mental health treatment begin to form. Throughout my junior year, I was shocked to learn that many of my classmates had engaged in some type of self-harm. Many of them lived with undiagnosed depression, made worse when they tried to bring the topic up. Due to this, they avoided talking to a counselor or social worker, who may have provided them with opportunities to treat their mental illness. After witnessing this persist throughout my adolescence, I knew that I wanted to help people like my peers. I am planning to become a therapist because I can provide genuine, unbiased mental health treatment to my clients. I am thankful to be considered for the scholarship opportunity, and if I am selected, I will use it to advance my education.