I am Madison Mizell, and I am currently a Campus Manager for a custom apparel company called Fresh Prints. I am responsible for creating interpersonal connections with clients on and off Central Michigan’s campus to provide my help and order the designs that they really want. I am a double major in Business Psychology and Public and Applied Liberal Arts. I also like to get involved on campus in a few clubs, such as Chaplin of the Christ Central Choir and as an Engagement Director for CMU Program Board, which puts on events catered to a variety of students on campus. I aim to use my schooling to reach out to communities that need guidance in the workplace. My ultimate goal is to become an Organizational Psychologist. There have been many things in my life that could have brought me down, from my parents being divorced and everything that comes with that, to people looking at me as if I am not one of them. I was bullied for a little bit in elementary school, but the reason I remember so little of it was because I simply did not care for what others had to say about me. I kept on in my journey and striving to achieve my personal goals. I should be considered for this scholarship because, even when some think I should be knocked down or focus on the negatives, I choose not to. I choose to take it all in and move forward. I can't waste my time on things I can't control. I do know that I can get my degree, get a stable career, and have a loving family of my own; that is what I want to focus on. This may be odd, but a challenge that I faced during school and, quite frankly, am still facing is being a Virgo, a “perfectionist.” I see a variety of outcomes to a situation, and I become indecisive, overwhelmed, and challenged. You may think that this isn’t really a terrible struggle to face, knowing that some people have the struggle of only seeing one outcome, which can create biases. Though, as a student who has never gotten a C grade in a class before, the pressure is on 24/7 to make the right decisions. Sometimes, because of the multitude of directions I can choose from, I feel that there is always a way to complete a task or solve a problem by myself. This independence blinds my ability to ask for help from others, even when I know that they can help. This struggle comes in many forms, from writing school papers to setting goals; it is most prominent in the former. I used to be great in school, but proficient mainly in science and math classes. I really liked these classes because there is always one clear answer. Writing has no clear formula nor pathway. I have always struggled to write about one topic and not just summarize it all because there are so many factors that contribute to the topic. This made my life a little trickier when it came to having to apply for colleges, scholarships, and jobs where I had to face this challenge. I have little to no experience writing meaningful essays about myself, so I had to get used to that aspect as well as making sure the reader can follow the story. Repetitiveness is one thing I quickly learned about my writing. With a limited vocabulary, one thing that I found to support me was finding different ways to say the same thing. I then discovered the benefit of peer review: when someone else reads and critiques my writing, they always bring up something I overlooked or fix something I missed. This is good practice, but sometimes I don’t like to ask for help. I am still working on ways to overcome this challenge; one thing that is helping the most is practice. Although practice does not make perfection, it makes progress. Progress is better than what 4th-grade Madison Mizell had when she was struggling to read and comprehend. Practicing writing and receiving constructive criticism have been the best help to me. This struggle has taught me that no matter how hard I try to do things on my own, most things require another set of eyes. As a person, I feel I am more willing to ask for help, knowing that it does make a difference. I can learn from others and have learned to be more trusting. Being a “perfectionist” has given me the ability to not completely forget about every possible outcome of a problem, but to push to be better at finding a solution and making it real. This used to seem impossible for me, but at the end of the day, the day will end. In the future, I will continue to take things one step at a time, for I am not done with this challenge. As I continue to get stronger at writing and making small decisions on how to better my papers, I think I will end up with my own formula. When I accomplish this, I will share my story because I know that I am not the only one in my position, and hopefully this will give others the courage to keep on with their journey of overcoming the effects of being indecisive. Although I have not overcome this challenge yet, that's okay. Most things in life are on a long continuous line, and you just have to learn how to navigate it through the knots and tangles. One thing I do know is that I won't quit. I will keep on going until I get exactly what I want and never settle for fine!

You may not think this is weird, but for a black girl growing up in the south, it is. When kids feel the need to be more independent, they begin to explore what they like and don't like. Personalities and hormones are changing, so naturally, the way we express ourselves will change with them. I have a thing where I make it a point not to do something that everyone else is doing, no matter how small the thing is, just because everyone is doing it. I truly wanted to be my own person. I had to make people stop comparing my twin and me. So, in middle school, when everyone started changing, everyone also started to live a double life. At home, they would talk to their siblings, parents, and other family members normally, but at school, they would curse like sailors! As a kid, I was trying to balance being likable and being that easy kid for my dad. I never want to lie or to have to change who I am based on who I am around. It's just too much work, in my opinion, trying to be two or more people at once. Though I didn't curse, my friends would, and sometimes conversations would get tough to relate to because of the disconnect in the vocabulary. This made it hard for me to fully be friends with someone because there was always that one conversation where I felt the pressure to curse, and I said butt, poop, or freak instead. This would make everyone question why I don't just say it, I never felt the need to is always my answer. Every conversation like that just made me more awkward around my peers day by day. I didn't take this as a bad thing, though 9 times out of 10, kids who curse at school but not at home are going to trip up one day in front of their parents, and chaos arises. I never wanted to have to deal with that kind of trouble with my dad. School is one of the first places where you start building your reputation, and I just knew that being a good student would get me more opportunities. All of that led me to be different and not to curse, as well as going to school to learn, and to be a leader and never a follower. Although the same people who did these things had the same opportunities as I did, I truly believed they would come to me first. I think the best way to explain this awkwardness in my childhood, and still to this day, is to say I didn't want to be two-faced or live a double life in anxiety that I might slip up and lose my next opportunity. It may not make any sense to anyone else, but in my mind, everything worked out. I am now able to make as many friends and have as many opportunities as I strive for, all while being the only person I know how to be, myself.

One of my favorite hobbies is watching TV series, and my favorite of all time is Criminal Minds. My granny introduced me to this show and many other detective series, but this one answered many of the questions I had and even gave me safety tips along the way. I had always wondered why, in my opinion, people would do such extreme things. This show made me realize that the human mind is more complex than I ever imagined. Pursuing this interest led me to take psychology classes early in high school. Learning about the different aspects of the “why” in social, evolutionary, and cognitive psychology taught me that there is so much more to discover. I love a good mystery, and that curiosity is what inspired my interest in studying psychology and using it to help people feel safer and more understood. Getting an education is essential to my goal of using the knowledge I gain, as well as my passion for finding the “why” behind people’s actions, to help others. I won’t sit on this information. Working in human resources is a goal of mine because it will allow me to directly advocate for workers and create safer, more supportive environments. I will be there to guide them through their careers and help them continue on their journeys in life. Psychology can be a powerful tool when trying to help others, but the main thing I lead with is my ability to listen and understand what is going on before making any big changes. To create real change, you can’t just dive in headfirst. One thing social psychology and all of those crime shows have taught me is that you have to be thorough. Rushing is never the way to get the best results. I want change that lasts, not the kind that fails and causes history to repeat itself. Growing up Black and a woman, it was hard to see how much the world perceives us as unworthy of certain things in life. I had to intentionally look for Black women I could look up to while growing up with my single dad and two brothers. With such a close-knit community, we have to keep uplifting each other—both the younger and older generations. With my education, I will do my part to make sure the right side of our story is heard, understood, and used to build safer, more respectful spaces for everyone. In my future, I want to advocate for everyone, with a special emphasis on underrepresented communities like Black women. Women, and especially Black women, have too often been pushed aside. I refuse to move forward in my life without doing my part to ensure that my community’s voices continue to be heard, believed, and valued, especially when they are facing harm or injustice. Central Michigan University has a newer degree that is helping me see multiple disciplines, such as the humanities, social sciences, arts, sciences, and more. Public and Applied Liberal Arts has made me think about the world in a variety of ways, from the way art evokes emotions and why it was created, to how real connections are formed in different environments. This degree will move me forward in my plan to support vulnerable communities by helping me understand people more deeply, speak up for them more effectively, and contribute to safer, more compassionate communities.

I know this may sound cliché, but ever since I was a little girl, I have wanted to help people. I grew up seeing people who look like me on the street with nothing to eat and no bed to sleep in. Those are the two things that I value most! I would freak out without food or my bed. Not only that, but my family has struggled with mental health issues, some undiagnosed. These experiences were the main reason I chose to study psychology and figure out ways to help those who feel misunderstood and/or underrepresented. In the future, I want to play my part in a place that is often overlooked, the workplace. Starting as a human resources specialist in businesses, I can understand firsthand what people working 9-5's are feeling and the issues that arise. Some of these issues are logistical, yes, but others are personal, and workers may only be able to come to me. Hearing their stories and effortfully trying to fix the problem is my main goal to create a positive impact in the workplace. Aristotle said, "The more you know, the more you don't know." This paradox is what motivates me to continue to go past my limits and explore the perspectives of all kinds of people. I know for me that human resources would not be enough. Growing up, I would see people like the late founder of Beauty 2 The Streetz, Shirley Raines, aka Ms. Shirley, giving what they could and more to people who needed it, no matter their circumstances. I can't say that I want to be like her or make the same impact, but I would love to explore that avenue of service. In college, I am learning more and more about the importance of service. I hope to carry the experiences and knowledge to the streets and give back to my community in ways I know how. Uplifting the lives of the unhoused would not only heal my inner child's worries about them, but it would also be for the greater good. Central Michigan University has a newer degree that is helping me see multiple disciplines, such as humanities, social sciences, arts, sciences, and many more. Public and Applied Liberal Arts has made me think of the world in a variety of ways, from the way art invokes emotions and why the art was made, to how real connections are truly made in a certain enviornement. This degree will move me forward in my plan to create a positive impact not just for one community but for as many as possible. Attending higher education and getting my Bachelor's in Business Psychology would get me one step closer to becoming the woman that younger me would look up to. I not only want to create positive change, but also motivate and influence others to step up and do the same.

I don’t know, I am a virgo, a “perfectionist”, I see a variety of outcomes to a situation and I become indecisive, overwhelmed, and challenged. You may think that this isn’t really a terrible struggle to face knowing that some people have the struggle of only seeing one outcome which can create biases. Though, as a student who has never gotten a C grade in a class before, the pressure is on 24/7 to make the right decisions. Sometimes because of the multitude of directions I can choose from, I feel that there is always a way to complete a task or solve a problem by myself. This independence blinds my ability to ask for help from others, even when I know that they can help. This struggle comes in many forms from writing school papers to setting goals. This struggle is most prominent in the former. I used to be great in school, but proficient mainly in science and math classes. I really liked these classes because there is always one clear answer. Writing has no clear formula nor pathway. I have always struggled to write about one topic and not just summarize it all because there are so many factors that contribute to the topic. This made my life a little tricker when it came to having to apply for colleges, scholarships, and jobs where I had to face this challenge. I have little to no experience writing meaningful essays about myself so I had to get used to that aspect as well as making sure the reader can follow the story. Repetitiveness is one thing I quickly learned about my writing. With a limited vocabulary one thing that I found to support me was finding different ways to say the same thing. I then discovered the benefit of peer review, when someone else reads and critiques my writing, they always bring up something I overlooked, or fix something I missed. This is good practice, but sometimes I don’t like to ask for help. I am still working on ways to overcome this challenge, one thing that is helping the most is practice. Although practice does not make perfection, it makes progress. Progress is better than what 4th grade Madison Mizell had when she was struggling to read and comprehend. Practicing writing and receiving constructive criticism has been the best helper to me. This struggle has taught me that no matter how hard I try to do things on my own, most things require another set of eyes. As a person I feel I am more accepting to help, knowing that it does make a difference. I can learn from others and have learned to be more trusting. Being a “perfectionist” has given me the ability to not completely forget about every possible outcome to a problem, but to push to be better at finding a solution and making it real. This used to seem impossible for me, but at the end of the day the day will end. In the future I will continue to take things one step at a time for I am not done with this struggle. As I continue to get stronger at writing and making small decisions on how to better my papers, I think I will end up with my own formula for myself. When I accomplish this I will share my story because I know that I am not the only one in my position and hopefully this will give others the courage to keep on with their journey of overcoming the effects of being indecisive.