“The past is where you learned the lesson, the future is where you apply it" - Anonymous. I have encountered many obstacles in my life, but the most challenging obstacle that I have to deal with every day is a condition called Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. I try my best every day to keep PTSD from getting the best of me, although there are some small triggers here and there. I just push through life one day at a time, and I decided on being the supporter that everyone deserves to have no matter what they're going through. Helping people, and knowing that I just made someone's day, helps me get through my hard times. I tried starting a small mentoring organization for young girls called "Sisterhood by J&D". I wanted to help young girls who were or are in similar positions as I once was. My partner and I, helped the girls with their feminine wellness, provided them with free feminine products, and taught one another how to cope with our emotions. We had game nights, movie nights, and slight events to keep our sisters busy and distracted from the negative things going on around them. We tried our hardest to make time for our sisters, but we are just kids as well. My partner and I decided to slow down a little since I was going out of state for college and she was just a grade behind me. We made a GroupMe so that we were all able to keep in contact with each other. The closer it got to my senior year the more I started thinking of my career goals. I aspire to be a child psychologist to help children better cope with life, mental health conditions, and any other life issues they may be experiencing. I want to try my best to bring down the child suicide rate and help children find the help they deserve. I decided to join a lot of school clubs in Highschool to allow my voice and the voices of my peers to be heard. I am a great leader, listener, and communicator, and I love being involved in the community. I am in the National Honors Society and the Student Government Association serving as SGA Treasurer, and I am in the Marching Band holding the title of Miss Band and Percussion Section leader. I am also a mentor in a Senior-freshman mentoring program at my school so that I, as a senior, can give the freshmen advice on high school life.

“ The past is where you learned the lesson, the future is where you apply it " - Anonymous. I have encountered many obstacles in my life, but the most challenging obstacle that I have to deal with every day is a condition called Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. Before all else, the root of my PTSD started when I was 13. My mom had a boyfriend; I called him my stepfather. Everything was great with him until he became violent towards my siblings and me. After that situation, we lived from hotel to hotel from my 8th-grade year until my 10th-grade year. During those times, I had to take my high school courses online, due to the pandemic and none of my teachers knew what I had going on in my life. With the constant buying of hotel rooms, our money started to fall short, so we had to manage food wisely. After getting used to my living situation, I soon began having nightmares about him. I was traumatized; sometimes I felt so alone and I would have these flashbacks out of nowhere. I didn't have anyone that could help me because I was scared of opening up to the wrong people. I soon applied for a job to help my mother relieve some of the pressure off of her shoulders, all while still maintaining my grades in school, and dealing with the pandemic. We eventually moved into a big house, after years of struggle. I promised my family that one day we would be in a better position and that I would be the one to make a name for this family; if not, then it would have to be them. This allowed me to see life differently and open my eyes to all possibilities. I realized that I love helping and talking to children because I never had anyone to talk to when I was younger, so I try my best to allow them to feel comfortable opening up to me. I chose to form a path and seek knowledge in the psychology field. This scholarship would allow me to continue my journey of becoming a child psychologist to help children better cope with life, mental health conditions, and any other life issues they may be experiencing. I want to try my best to bring down the child suicide rate and help children find the help they deserve. I decided to join a lot of school clubs in Highschool to allow my voice and the voices of my peers to be heard. I am a great leader, listener, and communicator, and I love being involved in the community. I am in the National Honors Society and the Student Government Association serving as SGA Treasurer, and I am in the Marching Band holding the title of Miss Band and Percussion Section leader. I am also a mentor in a Senior-freshman mentoring program at my school so that I, as a senior, can give the freshmen advice on high school life.

“The past is where you learned the lesson, the future is where you apply it" - Anonymous. Most people allow their past to break them or they choose to leave it behind. I, on the other hand, decided to let my past form me into the person I am today. My past was very challenging, and I didn't have anyone that I could trust enough to talk to. Certain things allowed my mindset to mature too early but this allowed me to see life differently and really open my eyes to all possibilities. I wanted to be the shoulder that other kids my age felt comfortable enough to lean on. I realized that I love helping and talking to children, and later found interest in the way they think and act. During junior year, I took a class called Business and Entrepreneurship. The teacher of the class took some of the students on a business pitch field trip. My partner and I began to focus on young girls our age because we are really in need of the most guidance at the moment, and we agreed on starting a mentoring program for young girls ages 5-18 called Sisterhood by J&D. The program helped them with their feminine wellness, provided them with free feminine products, and we taught one another how to cope with our emotions while letting each other know that we will always have someone to talk to when we feel like no one is listening. I chose to change my path and seek knowledge in the psychology field. This scholarship would allow me to continue my journey of becoming a child psychologist to help children better cope with life, mental health conditions, and any other life issues they may be experiencing. I want to try my best to bring down the child suicide rate and help children find the help they deserve. I decided to join a lot of school clubs in Highschool to allow my voice and the voices of my peers to be heard. I am a great leader, listener, and communicator, and I love being involved in the community. I am in the National Honors Society and the Student Government Association serving as SGA Treasurer, and I am in the Marching Band holding the title of Miss Band and Percussion Section leader. I am also a mentor in a Senior-freshman mentoring program at my school so that I, as a senior, can give the freshmen advice on high school life.

“The past is where you learned the lesson, the future is where you apply it" - Anonymous. Most people allow their past to break them or they choose to leave it behind. I, on the other hand, decided to let my past form me into the person I am today. My past was very challenging, and I didn't have anyone that I could trust enough to talk to. Certain things allowed my mindset to mature too early but this allowed me to see life differently and really open my eyes to all possibilities. I wanted to be the shoulder that other kids my age felt comfortable enough to lean on. I realized that I love helping and talking to children, and later found interest in the way they think and act. During junior year, I took a class called Business and Entrepreneurship. The teacher of the class took some of the students on a business pitch field trip. My partner and I began to focus on young girls our age because we are really in need of the most guidance at the moment, and we agreed on starting a mentoring program for young girls ages 5-18 called Sisterhood by J&D. The program helped them with their feminine wellness, provided them with free feminine products, and we taught one another how to cope with our emotions while letting each other know that we will always have someone to talk to when we feel like no one is listening. I chose to change my path and seek knowledge in the psychology field. This scholarship would allow me to continue my journey of becoming a child psychologist to help children better cope with life, mental health conditions, and any other life issues they may be experiencing. I want to try my best to bring down the child suicide rate and help children find the help they deserve. I decided to join a lot of school clubs in Highschool to allow my voice and the voices of my peers to be heard. I am a great leader, listener, and communicator, and I love being involved in the community. I am in the National Honors Society and the Student Government Association serving as SGA Treasurer, and I am in the Marching Band holding the title of Miss Band and Percussion Section leader. I am also a mentor in a Senior-freshman mentoring program at my school so that I, as a senior, can give the freshmen advice on high school life.

“The past is where you learned the lesson, the future is where you apply it" - Anonymous. Most people allow their past to break them or they choose to leave it behind. I, on the other hand, decided to let my past form me into the person I am today. My past was very challenging, and I didn't have anyone that I could trust enough to talk to. Certain things allowed my mindset to mature too early but this allowed me to see life differently and really open my eyes to all possibilities. I wanted to be the shoulder that other kids my age felt comfortable enough to lean on. I realized that I love helping and talking to children, and later found interest in the way they think and act. During junior year, I took a class called Business and Entrepreneurship. The teacher of the class took some of the students on a business pitch field trip. My partner and I began to focus on young girls our age because we are really in need of the most guidance at the moment, and we agreed on starting a mentoring program for young girls ages 5-18 called Sisterhood by J&D. The program helped them with their feminine wellness, provided them with free feminine products, and we taught one another how to cope with our emotions while letting each other know that we will always have someone to talk to when we feel like no one is listening. I chose to change my path and seek knowledge in the psychology field. This scholarship would allow me to continue my journey of becoming a child psychologist to help children better cope with life, mental health conditions, and any other life issues they may be experiencing. I want to try my best to bring down the child suicide rate and help children find the help they deserve. I decided to join a lot of school clubs in Highschool to allow my voice and the voices of my peers to be heard. I am a great leader, listener, and communicator, and I love being involved in the community. I am in the National Honors Society and the Student Government Association serving as SGA Treasurer, and I am in the Marching Band holding the title of Miss Band and Percussion Section leader. I am also a mentor in a Senior-freshman mentoring program at my school so that I, as a senior, can give the freshmen advice on high school life.

“The past is where you learned the lesson, the future is where you apply it" - Anonymous. Most people allow their past to break them or they choose to leave it behind. I, on the other hand, decided to let my past form me into the person I am today. My past was very challenging, and I didn't have anyone that I could trust enough to talk to. Certain things allowed my mindset to mature too early but this allowed me to see life differently and really open my eyes to all possibilities. I wanted to be the shoulder that other kids my age felt comfortable enough to lean on. I realized that I love helping and talking to children, and later found interest in the way they think and act. During junior year, I took a class called Business and Entrepreneurship. The teacher of the class took some of the students on a business pitch field trip. My partner and I began to focus on young girls our age because we are really in need of the most guidance at the moment, and we agreed on starting a mentoring program for young girls ages 5-18 called Sisterhood by J&D. The program helped them with their feminine wellness, provided them with free feminine products, and we taught one another how to cope with our emotions while letting each other know that we will always have someone to talk to when we feel like no one is listening. I chose to change my path and seek knowledge in the psychology field. This scholarship would allow me to continue my journey of becoming a child psychologist to help children better cope with life, mental health conditions, and any other life issues they may be experiencing. I want to try my best to bring down the child suicide rate and help children find the help they deserve. I decided to join a lot of school clubs in Highschool to allow my voice and the voices of my peers to be heard. I am a great leader, listener, and communicator, and I love being involved in the community. I am in the National Honors Society and the Student Government Association serving as SGA Treasurer, and I am in the Marching Band holding the title of Miss Band and Percussion Section leader. I am also a mentor in a Senior-freshman mentoring program at my school so that I, as a senior, can give the freshmen advice on high school life.

“The past is where you learned the lesson, the future is where you apply it" - Anonymous. I have encountered many obstacles in my life, but the most challenging obstacle that I have to deal with every day is a condition called Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. Before all else, the root of my PTSD started when I was 13. My mom had a boyfriend; I called him my stepfather. Everything was great with him until he became violent towards my siblings and me. He has never hit me before because I was afraid of him, and I tried my best to stay out of his way. My life had evolved around protecting my siblings, and to think I failed them made my heart break. Months passed, and we moved into a new apartment. One night, I woke up to screaming and fighting between mom and my stepfather. He began to hit on our mother, all while standing right in front of us. After that situation, we lived from hotel to hotel from my 8th-grade year until my 10th-grade year. During those times, I had to take my high school courses online, due to the pandemic and none of my teachers knew what I had going on in my life. With the constant buying of hotel rooms, our money started to fall short, so we had to manage food wisely. After getting used to my living situation, I soon began having nightmares about him. I would wake up from my sleep with a face full of tears, dreaming that he was harming me or my family. I was traumatized; sometimes I felt so alone and I would have these flashbacks out of nowhere. I didn't have anyone that could help me because I was scared of opening up to the wrong people. I soon applied for a job to help my mother relieve some of the pressure off of her shoulders. We eventually moved into a big house, after years of struggle. I promised my family that one day we would be in a better position and that I would be the one to make a name for this family; if not, then it would have to be them. This allowed me to see life differently and really open my eyes to all possibilities. I realized that I love helping and talking to children because I never had anyone to talk to when I was younger, so I try my best to allow them to feel comfortable opening up to me. I chose to form a path and seek knowledge in the psychology field. This scholarship would allow me to continue my journey of becoming a child psychologist to help children better cope with life, mental health conditions, and any other life issues they may be experiencing. I want to try my best to bring down the child suicide rate and help children find the help they deserve. I decided to join a lot of school clubs in Highschool to allow my voice and the voices of my peers to be heard. I am a great leader, listener, and communicator, and I love being involved in the community. I am in the National Honors Society and the Student Government Association serving as SGA Treasurer, and I am in the Marching Band holding the title of Miss Band and Percussion Section leader. I am also a mentor in a Senior-freshman mentoring program at my school so that I, as a senior, can give the freshmen advice on high school life.

“The past is where you learned the lesson, the future is where you apply it" - Anonymous. I have encountered many obstacles in my life, but the most challenging obstacle that I have to deal with every day is a condition called Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. Before all else, the root of my PTSD started when I was 13. My mom had a boyfriend; I called him my stepfather. Everything was great with him until he became violent toward my siblings and me. He has never hit me before because I was afraid of him, and I tried my best to stay out of his way. My life had evolved around protecting my siblings, and to think I failed them made my heart break. Months passed, and we moved into a new apartment. One night, I woke up to screaming and fighting between mom and my stepfather. I walked into my sisters’ room to check on them and saw both of them crying. My mom and stepdad soon burst into our room fussing and he began to hit on our mother, all while standing right in front of us. I grew up around violence, so fighting was not new to me. No one ever wants to see their mother, the woman that birthed them, get mistreated right in front of their faces knowing they can not do anything about it. After that situation, we lived from hotel to hotel from my 8th-grade year until my 10th-grade year. During those times, I had to take my high school courses online, due to the pandemic and none of my teachers knew what I had going on in my life. With the constant buying of hotel rooms, our money started to fall short, so we had to manage food wisely. After getting used to my living situation, I soon began having nightmares about him. I would wake up from my sleep with a face full of tears, dreaming that he was harming me or my family. I soon applied for a job to help my mother relieve some of the pressure off of her shoulders. I promised my family that one day we would be in a better position and that I would be the one to make a name for this family; if not, then it would have to be them. During my senior year, I decided to join a lot of school clubs in Highschool to allow my voice and the voices of my peers to be heard. I am a great leader, listener, and communicator, and I love being involved in the community. I am in the National Honors Society and the Student Government Association serving as SGA Treasurer, and I am in the Marching Band holding the title of Miss Band and Percussion Section leader. I am also a mentor in a Senior-freshman mentoring program at my school so that I, as a senior, can give the freshmen advice on high school life. I soon started a mentoring program of my own for young girls ages 5-18 called Sisterhood by J&D. I started the program to help with their feminine wellness, provide them with free feminine products, and teach young ladies how to cope with their emotions while letting them know that they always have someone to talk to when they feel like no one is listening.

"The past is where you learned the lesson, the future is where you apply it" - Anonymous. Most people allow their past to break them or they choose to leave it behind. Me, on the other hand, I decided to let my past form me into the person I am today. From the trauma and bullying that I've experienced to the pain and struggle that I’ve been through; I allowed all of it to form me into a new person. Ever since I was a child, attending college has always been my top priority, especially since I would be considered the first in my family to go to college. Growing up, I've always told people that I wanted to be a doctor, but as I got older my mindset changed. I've been through a lot of trauma, mentally and physically, and I didn't have anyone that I could go to and find help within them. Certain things allowed my mindset to mature too early and I didn't have much of a childhood. This allowed me to see life differently and really open my eyes to all possibilities. I realized that I love helping and talking to children, and later found interest in the way they think and act. I chose to change my path and seek knowledge in the psychology field to become a child psychologist. This scholarship would allow me to continue my journey of becoming a child psychologist to help children better cope with life, mental health conditions, and any other life issues they may be experiencing. I want to try my best to bring down the child suicide rate and help children find the help they deserve. I decided to join a lot of school clubs in Highschool to allow my voice and the voices of my peers to be heard. I am a great leader, listener, and communicator, and I love being involved in the community. I am in the National Honors Society and the Student Government Association serving as SGA Treasurer, and I am in the Marching Band holding the title of Miss Band and Percussion Section leader. I am also a mentor in a Senior-freshman mentoring program at my school so that I, as a senior, can give the freshmen advice on high school life. I soon started a mentoring program of my own for young girls ages 5-18 called Sisterhood by J&D. I started the program to help with their feminine wellness, provide them with free feminine products, and teach young ladies how to cope with their emotions while letting them know that they always have someone to talk to when they feel like no one is listening.

"The past is where you learned the lesson, the future is where you apply it" - Anonymous. Most people allow their past to break them or they choose to leave it behind. Me, on the other hand, I decided to let my past form me into the person I am today. From the trauma and bullying that I've experienced to the pain and struggle that I’ve been through; I allowed all of it to form me into a new person. Ever since I was a child, attending college has always been my top priority, especially since I would be considered the first in my family to go to college. Growing up, I've always told people that I wanted to be a doctor, but as I got older my mindset changed. I've been through a lot of trauma, mentally and physically, and I didn't have anyone that I could go to and find help within them. Certain things allowed my mindset to mature too early and I didn't have much of a childhood. This allowed me to see life differently and really open my eyes to all possibilities. I realized that I love helping and talking to children, and later found interest in the way they think and act. I chose to change my path and seek knowledge in the psychology field to become a child psychologist. To start my journey of becoming a child psychologist I decided to join a lot of school clubs in Highschool to allow my voice and the voices of my peers to be heard. I am a great leader, listener, and communicator, and I love being involved in the community. I am in the National Honors Society and the Student Government Association serving as SGA Treasurer, and I am in the Marching Band holding the title of Miss Band and Percussion Section leader. I am also a mentor in a Senior-freshman mentoring program at my school so that I, as a senior, can give the freshmen advice on high school life. I soon started a mentoring program of my own for young girls ages 5-18 called Sisterhood by J&D. I started the program to help with their feminine wellness, provide them with free feminine products, and teach young ladies how to cope with their emotions while letting them know that they always have someone to talk to when they feel like no one is listening. Becoming a child psychologist would allow me to help children better cope with life, mental health conditions, and any other life issues they may be experiencing. I want to try my best to bring down the child suicide rate and help children find the help they deserve.

I have encountered many obstacles in my life. I could start with being hit in my eye with a firework at age 5 to nearly being kidnapped at age 16, but those don’t affect me as much as most people might think. The most challenging obstacle that I have to deal with every day is a condition called Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. Before all else, the root of my PTSD started when I was 13. My mom had a boyfriend; I called him my stepfather. He was very violent towards my mother and siblings. My life had evolved around protecting my siblings, and to think I failed them made my heart break. One day, we moved into a new apartment, and later that night I woke up to screaming and fighting between mom and my stepfather. The fight eventually caused us to get kicked out of our home and made us homeless. After that situation, we lived from hotel to hotel from my 8th-grade year until my 10th-grade year. During those times, I had to take my high school courses online, due to the pandemic and none of my teachers knew what I had going on in my life. Taking online courses was a struggle for me and with everything that was going on, it made learning very hard for me. It soon became hard for me to go to sleep at night because I would awaken from a nightmare up with a face full of tears, thinking that he was harming me or my family. After a while, I soon applied for a job to help my mother relieve some of the pressure off of her shoulders. Having a job while managing school, extracurricular activities, and my home life, began to take a toll on me. After a couple months of working I eventually got terminated due to my home issues and not being able to show up on time because I had no liable transportation. I promised my family that one day we would be in a better position and that I would be the one to make a name for this family; if not, then it would have to be them. I knew for a fact that I wanted to help children who were in positions similar to mine or be able to help them with any mental issues they may be experiencing. I studied a lot and talked to many adults and they all believed that psychology was the right field for me. Furthermore, I am now 17 years old and living up to my promise to my family. As a child, attending college has always been my top priority. I want to move on, live a better life than I did before, and be able to make my mother proud. College is definitely my first step to moving on and starting a better life, and then eventually being able to find a school family, which is why I am so big on “school spirit”. I plan on going to college to pursue a psychology major and become a child psychologist. Becoming a child psychologist would allow me to help children better cope with life, mental health conditions, and any other life issues they may be experiencing. I want to try my best to bring down the child suicide rate and help children find the help they deserve.

When is the last time you told someone you love them, and that you are proud of them? We should tell each other this everyday because we never know what our last words are, and how they might stick to someone else. I had an aunt who liked to drink a lot; she was kind of the annoying aunt. One day she came to my house drunk and she sat on my lap to talk to me. I was listening to everything she said but I thought of all of it as a joke. She began to ask me about my goals in life, and what I wanted to be when I graduated high school. I told her I wanted to help people, I just didn’t know how. She continued to tell me how much she loves me, how proud she is, and how successful I’m going to be in the future. I laughed about the whole thing because she was drunk and my family didn’t use those words a lot, but I still listened to every word. She ended up leaving my house, and a couple minutes later we got call stating that she was in a very bad accident and passed away on the scene. That phone call broke my heart into thousands of pieces. All I could think about was what she said to me a couple minutes ago and how I took it all as a joke. I took that day as an angel speaking to me, through my aunt. She was telling me words I’ve rarely heard from my family, and she left me the next second. Her voice of encouragement sticks with me everyday. I want to make her prouder than she was before she left. I want to be able to look up in the sky and tell her that I did this for her and I didn’t let her down.