A lot of people know what they want to do since childhood. Granted, their goals and dreams may change over time, but they still have sort of an idea of where they want to go in life. This may be becoming an athlete, a parent, or to pursue a higher level of education after high school. When my friends talked about going to college, I envied them; and when they talked about college being overrated, it actually made me a little mad. I am passionate about receiving my education because up until I was 15, I had no idea college would even be an option for me. I grew up in a very traditional, strict Catholic family. We didn't have much money, so just public school was a challenge due to not having a lot of necessary supplies. But I loved going to school; I liked to learn, I liked to meet new people, and it was very rewarding for me to pass a test. However, I was always told that school wasn't going to be an 'always' for me. Due to my religion and culture, it actually wasn't expected of me to go past the middle school education level. If anything, the most I could do was high school and by the end of it, my family wanted me to be married. I got extremely lucky. Financially, things got better for my family, high school was now an option for me if I wanted it, so I started the ninth grade. At this point, I still knew college wasn't going to be an option for me, so I took as many honors classes, electives, and got involved in as many activities as I could. However, when the question came up about what I would do after high school, my parents told me that they would support me in whatever I wanted to do; whether that was getting married, finding a job, or going to college. Little 15 year old me couldn't believe that I actually had the choice to go to college and I immediately jumped at the opportunity. I never thought that I would actually get the opportunity to finish high school let alone start college; but here I am: studying psychology at Central Michigan University. I understand that college isn't for everyone, but for those that have the option, I strongly encourage them to give it a try towards something they love and are passionate about. Getting a higher level education is so important to me and something I'm passionate about because it will not only help in my career, but it's a door I never knew I could open until recently and one that many take for granted. Going to college has been the best experience of my life and one that I will forever be grateful I get to have.

A practical solution for helping more people who struggle with mental health is to stop judging. This may seem obvious or too simple, but it's actually more common than people may think and very easy to do. I struggled a lot when I was a young teen and even though I wanted to reach out to my parents, I always feared that they wouldn't understand me. Turns out I was partially right. While my parents were willing to talk and help me, they still told me I had "nothing to be depressed about". This made me feel incredibly guilty and the words rang in my head for weeks. When talking to other peers, I found that many of them experienced the same thing; a lot of them said that they felt judged and guilt over their mental health struggles because they "had no reason for their struggles", "didn't look like they were struggling" and people treated them differently after finding out. Judging someone who is struggling with mental health only hurts them more. It takes a lot of courage to reach out to someone knowing there will probably be some negatives and people judging them is one of them. I'm not saying that this won't happen, I sometimes find myself making judgments of my own when I find out about someone's mental health. But the best thing to do is to keep them inside, push them aside, and listen to the person and their struggles. With this small decision and action of being judgment free with someone who is struggling with mental health already makes them feel the slightest bit better because they feel understood or at the very least listened to and it is a huge step forward towards getting better.

"The Circle of (College) Life" - by Celeste "A Whole New World" (Brad Kane and Lea Salonga) - College is definitely an experience; it's something completely new and different from anything I've ever gone through before. It's meeting people from many different parts of the world, the opportunity to live in a new city, and I'm on my own for the first time. Even though it was scary to settle in at first, it was surprising how quickly I could adjust. In a way, it felt just like high school, but so much better. College is a culture in itself. Students tend to be much more friendly and open and the campus has many traditions and events. I'm in a whole different world than the one I was in at home, and it's been great to experience and learn from it. "Out Tonight" (Rosario Dawson) - A surprising thing about college life for me is how much free time I actually have. For the first couple of weeks, I couldn't believe how bored I was was because after classes in the morning, I was pretty much free the rest of the day and had nothing to do since I got my homework done pretty quickly. I needed to get out of the dorm. Luckily for me, the school and its town have so many ways to keep me busy. There are so many ways to get involved in clubs, sports, and sororities; and the restaurants in town are great places to hang out with friends. School is great, but with all the free time, it's fun to go out for the evening and enjoy myself (responsibly of course). "I'll Be There" (Walk Off The Earth) - It's actually very easy to meet new people in college; any communities you're part of will have you meeting people left and right, not to mention many classes will have assignments that will require you to work with someone else. This makes it easy to make quick and close friendships and you'd be surprised at how many people are struggling, whether it's academically or mentally. I've had friends that I never would have guessed were having a hard time and because we share classes, live close to each other, and bond outside the classroom; I'm willing to help them in any way they need. Sometimes that means willing to tutor, sometimes that means being a shoulder to cry on. Whatever the case, my friends and I are in this together and we'll be there for each other when we need help. "Without You" (Rosario Dawson and Adam Pascal) - I don't think homesickness really hit me until a couple months into college. I honestly thought I wouldn't get homesick, but then a phone call with my family made me realize how much I desperately wanted them face to face with me. Suddenly I realized that even though I knew I still had my parents' support, college was something that I was truly doing on my own for the first time and not just the academic perspective. No one was going to make sure I ate; no one was going to set a bedtime for me; and I wasn't even in my state, it's not like I could just go home and talk to my parents every time I had some sort of problem. A lot of things were truly up to me and I began to realize how much I actually missed living under my parents' roof and following their schedule and rules. There are a lot of things I now have to do without my parents; it's helped me grow and become more responsible, but I have to admit that I do miss having some things done for me by them. "Breathe" (Leslie Grace) - It's really towards the middle of the second semester when the stress started to pile up for me; there were less breaks, money was becoming tight, exams were nearing, and I was losing so much sleep. I was stressed all the time, I was crying a lot, and I felt like I could never find a moment to relax. This was really where I have to remind myself to calm down and just breathe. I had to take things one step at a time and not let myself get overwhelmed. If I needed a break, then I needed a break; I still had plenty of time to finish my work. No need to overthink, just breathe. "Rollercoaster" (Jonas Brothers) - Before you know it, the school year is actually over and you can breathe a sigh of relief. It's really here that I'm able to look back on the year and realize what a rollercoaster it's been. There are ups and downs, highs and lows, and good times and bad times. But when all is said and done, I did it. I finished the year. I managed to get off the rollercaoster, look back, and say with an honest smile that I enjoyed every minute of that ride. "Unstoppable" (Sia) - I still have a long way to go before I earn my degree and get a job, but I am now one step closer to achieving my goals and every single one of them matters. Every accomplishment, no matter if it's big or small, guides me towards graduation; and it makes me feel incredibly proud of myself. It makes me feel unstoppable. Look out world, there is a future psychologist coming your way.