As a neurodivergent Black woman currently pursuing a master's degree in social work, I am incredibly passionate about helping others, particularly those around me in my community and I strongly believe that education is a crucial factor in personal growth and empowerment. Because of my experience with ADHD and anxiety disorder, I believe that becoming a social worker would impact my career positively since I am able to empathize with patients due to my own personal mental health issues. Since living with these neurodivergent traits and knowing firsthand how those traits affect people like myself, I believe that I would better understand and relate to my patients. Once you can relate to a patient, I believe that it would be easier for them and you to come to an arrangement as far as treatment. Because society is often cruel to those who are neurodivergent and/or face other types of disabilities, I believe that being a neurodivergent social worker would aid patients who are afraid to "unmask" their true emotions and open up a nonjudgmental space for them to be themselves. Growing up, I have witnessed many situations where people would continue to walk by a person having a mental health crisis due to anxiety, depression, or other mental health condition on the street. While a mental health crisis may seem scary and unfamiliar to the naked eye, the lack of empathy towards individuals experiencing these crises was always something that did not sit right in my spirit. Easy access to uncontrolled drugs and substances, lack of resources in the lower income areas, and lack of financial opportunities were common where I grew up, as a result, I became interested in battling these issues. As I matriculated through undergraduate school and pursued my degree in Psychology, I decided that I did not want to stop there and wanted to further my education. I then decided to go back to school and pursue a social work degree. After applying to multiple schools, I was then admitted into Clark Atlanta University's Whitney M. Young Jr.'s School of Social Work program for Fall 2025. While I ended up accomplishing my goal of going to graduate school, I feel extremely satisfied knowing that my degree would be used to make a difference in the lives of others. Not only would winning this scholarship allow me to accomplish my goals without the burden of financial stress, but it would also help me move towards my bigger goal of establishing my own mental health practice that would provide free and/or low-cost mental health services to underrepresented communities.