My name is Libbi Morgan. I am a current sophomore at Shorter University pursuing a Bachelor's of Science Degree in Criminal Justice and minoring in Psychology. For my graduate degree, I would like to attain my Master's Degree in Criminal Psychology to be able to help inmates within the correctional system. Growing up, I was unsure of what exactly I wanted to do. Being from a small town in rural Alabama, it seemed as if there were really only two options: graduate high school and get married, or attempt to pursue a collegiate level degree. I was told numerous times while in secondary school that I needed to go on to college because "it would be a waste" if I didn't. Unsure of my career path, but leaning on God's word, I decided to tour Shorter University. I knew from then on this is where I was destined to be. The problem with me going to college is that we did not have the funds to get me there unless I received scholarships. My senior year of high school I was awarded with an academic scholarship from Shorter University and recieved over half of my tuition costs in scholarships, but there was still much that needed to be covered. I worked two part time jobs in the past year averaging about 30 hours a week. Most of the jobs that college age students can get do not pay very much, so I had to work many doubles to get the funds I needed for the year. From a young age, I knew that I wanted to help others better their lives. I became extremely interested in criminal justice because of a teacher I had in high school. Police officer, veteran, teacher, dad- he had done it all. With his guidance, I decided that the criminal justice path was for me. While in my freshman year at Shorter University, I had a professor by the name of Gary Killam. He was also a police officer before he was a teacher, and worked street gangs and the drug unit for 30 years in Miami. I took a correctional systems class under his teaching and this is when my eyes were opened to exactly what I wanted to do in life. In the correctional system here in the United States, over half of the prison population struggles with some sort of mental illness and almost 25% have a severe mental illness. In local jails, a third of all deaths are attributed to suicide. Being personally affected by a loved one who commited sucicide, this is a heart wrenching statistic. Having a mental illness and being in prison means that you are more than likely to be isolated from the rest of the general population in jail. This creates added paranoia and is shown to worsen mental health. The correctional officers are not trained to handle mental health prisoners, nor is there adequate treatment within correctional facilities. By pushing legistlatures to insinuate adequate mental health counselors and professionals in prison, the stigma could change. Having one on one counseling with those who are affected by mental health, and changing how correctional officers are trained to handle them, could create a positive change in the correctional systems. I would like to be able to help those that suffer with mental illness because I have seen first hand how it can destroy someone from the inside out. The mental health stigma in the United States needs to change, and I believe that change can be created from within the prison systems.

2020: a year of uncertainty, fear, and well- grief. The year began like normal, so I thought. My phone rang at 7 pm with the worst and most gut-wrenching news I have ever received in my life. My friend, Blaine, had attempted to take his own life and was being flown to Erlanger hospital. My world ended. I sat frozen on my bedroom floor, scared, shaking, and crying uncontrollably. I peeled myself off of the floor only to land on my bed. For hours, the fear paralyzed me. My heart hammered the walls of my chest, my palms were sweating profusely, and my mind was racing with a million questions. God, why? Why do bad things happen to such good people? Why didn’t he tell me about the demons he was battling? Around midnight, my mother had received the news. She charged into my room only to find her daughter shattered, her heart spirit destroyed. I have never experienced grief such as this. I have had pets pass away in my lifetime but not a person. I was treading new waters. “No one ever told me that grief felt so like fear.” Indeed, C.S. Lewis was correct. Grief not only feels like fear but the worst fear you have ever experienced. The kind of fear I imagine people receive when they are diagnosed with cancer or after a horrific car accident. Grief changes everything. The constant state of fear that you endure can eat you from the inside out. Your physical health declines, stress levels are at an all-time high, and you transform into a new person. This quote by C.S. Lewis should never have to be felt in the way that I did, but he is not a liar. Grief feels like fear.