Hello, my name is Mackenzie Poliszuk, and I am 24 years old. First I would like start by thanking you for this opportunity and your consideration for this scholarship. I recently graduated from Florida Gulf Coast University with my Bachelor’s in Social Work and I am now enrolled in the Master’s of Social Work program, at FGCU, working towards my goal of becoming a Licensed Clinical Social Worker. My area of interest is working with children and early intervention. I chose to continue my education at FGCU as I believe this program would best support my professional aspirations to work with this population in Southwest Florida after graduating, where I have seen the need for mental health services. I began working as a nanny for a child with Autism Spectrum Disorder and Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder when I was 16. Once I turned 18, I obtained my Personal Care Assistant certification and became his PCA until I relocated to Florida in December of 2022. During that time I also worked as a Paraprofessional at a middle school with students who have emotional and behavioral disorders and learning disabilities. I worked closely with the school social worker who, at that time, was completing her Master’s of Social Work program. Based on conversations we had surrounding my future goals and passion for the importance of early intervention, she recommended I switch my major from counseling to social work. This path became more clear as I continued discussing my aspirations with my sister, who is a Pediatric Psych Nurse Practitioner, and pointed me towards a hospital setting. This past year I was given the opportunity to complete my internship at Charlotte Behavioral Health Care with their Family Support Team program and in the Inpatient Crisis Unit. Here I practiced patience, empathy and compassion and entered each day with the goal to support and empower individuals through life’s greatest challenges, to the best of my ability. While providing services to the children on the unit, I was also able to work with the Family Support Team to limit readmissions through continuity of care with the interdisciplinary team. That experience exposed me to the barriers and challenges families face when trying to access mental health services for their children here in Southwest Florida. Each step of my journey as only reinforced my believe that this is the path I am meant to take. Continuing my education will provide me the ability to further support this population and increase access to care. My hope is to contribute to pediatric mental health by supporting children and families and working through barriers to ensure they are receiving access to quality and effective care at a time in life that is crucial for intervention. I believe in Lee Health’s values of respect, excellence, compassion, and education with the mission to empower individuals through care and compassion. These values are ones I hold close, and if given the opportunity to learn and work with Lee Health, I believe I will gain valuable experience that will further support my professional mission and career aspirations. Thank you again for your time and consideration.