My passion for photography has helped me tremendously in coping with borderline personality disorder. To give insight on why I was diagnosed with borderline personality disorder, will also help understand why I am pursuing a career as a Forensic Science Technician. In my childhood I experienced a lot of abuse; physically, mentally, and sexually. The mental and physical came from my dad and the sexual from a family member that lived in a different state that we would visit every so often. Going through these experiences setup a life of failed relationships, more abuse; including drug, and being homeless off and on for ten plus years. Being in this situation, put me in a mindset that I will never be able to accomplish my dreams and that I would never have a stable living situation. Through the years my dreams and goals would change; this is a part of borderline personality disorder; but there is one that stayed consistent, photography. Even though I had this passion in the midst of being homeless. I did not have a way to pursue it at that time. The support I needed was not given. The constant couch hopping, and sometimes having to sleep wherever I could, is just a couple of hurldes I had to jump to get where I am today. The support I receive today for my mental health, has helped me keep the mindset that I can accomplish anything I pursue. With that, I am currently pursuing a BS in Criminal Justice. This is the first step for my goal I wanted to take, in pursuing my career, because I want to be able to have knowledge of our criminal justice system. With this knowledge, and earning my degree in this field, I can be able to assist in my community with youth counseling, community outreach programs, or any other resources, as I begin to pursue my MS in Forensic Science. Although I am working on my goal of earning my criminal justice degree, I have a present goal of starting my freelance photography business. To gain better knowledge of the camera and taking better pictures, I am working on taking self-paced classes. I have completed one class recently and earned my certification. My goal is to take the self-paced photoshop and learning your dlsr classes, to receive not only better understanding of my equipment, but also to receive my certificates for accreditation. As of now I am planning out the pricing, services, and advertising to get started. Enough about my present goals though. I would like to now explain why my heart is in pursuit to be a Forensic Science Technician. Over the years I have been intrigued with the process of photographing, documenting, and gathering evidence for a crime scene. I have watched numerous documentaries and shows on crime from youth to present. It started with my parents watching shows like Unsolved Mysteries, Rescue 911, America's Most Wanted, etc. I may not have realized it then, but these shows had an influence on my career choice. My choice of becoming a Forensic Science Technician, comes from me not having a voice to stand up against those who abused me, and not getting the help I needed. By being a Forensic Technician, it gives me a way to be a voice for those that are abused, and silenced. To be a voice for their loved ones and get the justice that is deserved. I look forward to my journey and the many things that I will experience in accomplishing my present and future goals.

Dealing with Borderline Personality disorder is a struggle I go through daily. With Borderline, individuals, like me, have episodes called “splitting.” The best way for me to describe it is, an individual can be happy, laughing and in an instant, a trigger can happen and it causes a spiral of emotions and instability. When this happens, it can last anywhere from ten minutes to a few days. So, with this glimpse of one of the many mental health issues that affect individuals, it leads to the discussion of solutions that can help. There is a number of solutions in assisting individuals with mental health issues. To name a few. There is help groups, therapy, medicine, and crisis stabilization. These aides can be found within the community, sometimes through centers, or mental facilities. With these in place, individuals are able to come in and be placed in the correct program to help them monitor their mental health. Being aided by the community is great support, in it gives mental health individuals a stable resource. There is another solution that can be discussed and that is family and friend support The support received from family and friends is crucial for a person that is struggling with mental health issues. In my personal experience, this has made that a strong belief for me. I struggled for years, battling through relationships, be it love, or friendship. The reason it is hard for people with mental health issues to maintain these relationships, is the disorder causes a rollercoaster of emotions and outbursts. Ways that family and friends can help in a mental crisis, is find out what helps the individual find their center; be it music, talking, drawing, etc. With these solutions in place, a person with mental health issues, can live a vibrant life.