Hi, I am Maria, and I am a grateful alcoholic. I am also a child of a recovering alcoholic. My family lineage is full of mental health disorders and addiction, most of the cases going untreated. My father battled his addictions throughout his entire life, coming to its peak in my early childhood. This lead to the divorce of my parents, and my father moving away to focus on his recovery. He now has two decades of sobriety. Last year, at age 26, I came to terms with my own substance use problems. After reaching my own bottom, I joined the program of Alcoholics Anonymous. I now have a year and a half sober, and work tirelessly to give others what has been given to me so freely in my recovery. If I had not faced these experiences of my own, I never would have decided to return to graduate school, in pursuit of a Master's of Occupational Therapy. I hope to utilize my life learnings, and my future degree, to give back to my community, and make the world a more equitable place for all who struggle with their own disabilities.

The decision to leave my current career and embark on the journey of attending graduate school as an individual with disabilities was undoubtedly a daunting choice. Throughout my entire education, I encountered numerous challenges. It wasn't until my early twenties that I received diagnoses of ADHD and OCD, shedding light on the reasons behind my struggles. However, in the wake of the global pandemic, I made the decision to depart from my prominent position in the tech industry and pursue a career that would enable me to give back to my community. Specifically, I aspire to work as an Occupational Therapist, specializing in early intervention autism services, with the ultimate goal of making a positive impact on the lives of others. Raised in an Italian immigrant family, I come from a background where opportunities for higher education were scarce. My mother was one of three siblings, and her eldest brother was the only one who had the privilege of attending college. Neither of my parents, who separated when I was four years old, had the opportunity to pursue a college education. Nevertheless, they did their best with the resources available to them, and I am grateful for the opportunities and comforts they managed to provide for my brother and I. However, significant traumas during my childhood demanded much of their attention and time, forcing my brother and I to develop a strong sense of independence. My mother experienced the heartbreaking loss, having two siblings lose their lives to ALS, as well as losing her mother to cancer. As a result, my mother endured a series of mental breakdowns that eventually led her to take disability leave from work. Now, with a newfound sense of purpose, I have resolved to return to higher education in pursuit of a Master's degree in Occupational Therapy. The experiences I have gathered throughout my life have transformed me into an advocate for the underdog, someone who tirelessly works towards creating a world that offers equal opportunities for all individuals facing their own disabilities. I firmly believe that my personal experience, combined with the knowledge and skills I will acquire through my graduate studies, will empower me to adopt a holistic approach in the treatment of children affected by disabilities. By combining my lived experiences with professional expertise, I am confident that I can make a meaningful and lasting impact on the lives of those I have the privilege to serve.

The decision to leave my current career and embark on the journey of attending graduate school as an individual with disabilities was undoubtedly a daunting choice. Throughout my entire education, I encountered numerous challenges. It wasn't until my early twenties that I received diagnoses of ADHD and OCD, shedding light on the reasons behind my struggles. However, in the wake of the global pandemic, as well as 1.5 years into my substance use recovery program, I made the decision to depart from my prominent position in the tech industry and pursue a career that would enable me to give back to my community. Specifically, I aspire to work as an Occupational Therapist, specializing in early intervention autism services, with the ultimate goal of making a positive impact on the lives of others. Raised in an Italian immigrant family, I come from a background where opportunities for higher education were scarce. My mother was one of three siblings, and her eldest brother was the only one who had the privilege of attending college. Neither of my parents, who separated when I was four years old, had the opportunity to pursue a college education. Nevertheless, they did their best with the resources available to them, and I am grateful for the opportunities and comforts they managed to provide for my brother and I. However, significant traumas during my childhood demanded much of their attention and time, forcing my brother and I to develop a strong sense of independence. My mother experienced the heartbreaking loss of every living family member within a span of five years, each succumbing to various natural causes. Growing up in a low-income environment, her family was exposed to harsh external circumstances, limited access to healthcare, and an insufficiently balanced diet. As a result, my mother endured a series of mental breakdowns that eventually led her to take disability leave from work. Meanwhile, my father battled alcoholism throughout his entire life, seeking recovery in Alcoholics Anonymous when I was seven years old. Today, he proudly has over two decades of sobriety. At the age of 26, I realized that I, too, was grappling with alcoholism. Since then, I have actively participated in a 12-step recovery program for a year and a half, and I am immensely grateful for the progress I have made thus far in my journey. Reflecting on my life, I can now recognize the numerous hurdles I had to overcome to arrive at this point. Early on, my disabilities hindered my educational progress, and unfortunately, the necessary resources were not made available to me until much later. In my early adulthood, I also acknowledged how my substance use had adversely affected various aspects of my life. Now, with a newfound sense of purpose, I have resolved to return to higher education in pursuit of a Master's degree in Occupational Therapy. The experiences I have gathered throughout my life have transformed me into an advocate for the underdog, someone who tirelessly works towards creating a world that offers equal opportunities for all individuals facing their own disabilities. I firmly believe that my personal experience, combined with the knowledge and skills I will acquire through my graduate studies, will empower me to adopt a holistic approach in the treatment of children affected by disabilities. By combining my lived experiences with professional expertise, I am confident that I can make a meaningful and lasting impact on the lives of those I have the privilege to serve.