I grew up in the inner city of Miami and was raised in a section called Little Haiti. I grew up listening to the melody of gunshots, police sirens, and shouts, an environment of constant fear and toxicity. My high school, which was populated by Hispanic and Black students, carried an ugly reputation due to lack of resources. It was never expected for students to graduate, let alone make it out of the neighborhood. However, I knew that I did not want this for myself. I wanted to graduate high school and be the first in my family to go to college. I wanted to be the first in my family to pursue my passions and have a safe space to thrive, both as a student and an individual. As a first-generation student at Florida State University (FSU), eight hours away from home, transitioning into the college life was a challenge. I was so used to living in a toxic heteronormative space that moving away was a shock. I remember feeling like I did not belong, like I was not deserving of being on a college campus. Like I wasn't deserving of being me. Then the guilt and pressure of being a first-generation student came. It felt wrong to be having all these new experiences, that my family never got to have. My mental health started to deteriorate and luckily I was able to get help through my school. Soon enough I was diagnosed with Major Depressive Disorder and Generalized Anxiety Disorder. Hearing those words come out of my therapists' mouth made a bell ding in my head. The excessive worry, constant hyperventilating over assignments, and shameful cries over liking other girls made sense. To face and cope with my mental health, I knew that I would have to find a community at FSU. I decided to join Studio H, which is an art therapy club on campus. This organization caught my attention because it was a space in which I could express myself, and cope with my troubles, all through creating art. Prior to getting accepted into FSU, I never had the resources to explore my artistic skills, so I jumped at the opportunity of becoming a member. I met tons of artistic and queer people that made me feel seen. Almost three years later, I am open about being a Lesbian, and am Co-President for Studio H. I am now responsible for hosting events on campus tailored to all students. Those same events that made me feel safe as a scared closeted girl. We pride ourselves in collaborating with other associations on campus and providing resources to students at no expense. The experiences I have gained through Studio H, have helped me explore the intersection between art, mental health, and social justice, three passions that I never thought I could pursue collectively. I found that every experience through my time with Studio H furthered my interest in the mental health field. I become confident enough to research different art therapy programs across the nation. I stumbled upon Antioch University and immediately fell in love with the unique duality of the program, being able to attain a mental health counseling license through an art therapy lens. Most importantly, I fell in love with the programs mission to shape students into superior and culturally competent counselors. Fast forward to Spring 2024, my last semester of college, and I have been admitted into the Clinical Mental Health Counseling Art Therapy Master's Program at Antioch. One day I hope to own and work in a private practice, specializing in marginalized communities.

I grew up in the inner city of Miami and was raised in a section called Little Haiti. I grew up listening to the melody of gunshots, police sirens, and shouts, an environment of constant fear and toxicity. My high school, which was populated by Hispanic and Black students, carried an ugly reputation due to lack of resources. It was never expected for students to graduate, let alone make it out of the neighborhood. However, I knew that I did not want this for myself. I wanted to graduate high school and be the first in my family to go to college. I wanted to be the first in my family to pursue my passions and have a safe space to thrive, both as a student and an individual. As a first-generation student at Florida State University (FSU), eight hours away from home, transitioning into the college life was a challenge. I was so used to living in a toxic heteronormative space that moving away was a shock. I remember feeling like I did not belong, like I was not deserving of being on a college campus. Like I wasn't deserving of being me. Then the guilt and pressure of being a first-generation student came. It felt wrong to be having all these new experiences, that my family never got to have. My mental health started to deteriorate and luckily I was able to get help through my school. Soon enough I was diagnosed with Major Depressive Disorder and Generalized Anxiety Disorder. Hearing those words come out of my therapists' mouth made a bell ding in my head. The excessive worry, constant hyperventilating over assignments, and shameful cries over liking other girls made sense. To face and cope with my mental health, I knew that I would have to find a community at FSU. I decided to join Studio H, which is an art therapy club on campus. This organization caught my attention because it was a space in which I could express myself, and cope with my troubles, all through creating art. Prior to getting accepted into FSU, I never had the resources to explore my artistic skills, so I jumped at the opportunity of becoming a member. I met tons of artistic and queer people that made me feel seen. Almost three years later, I am open about being a Lesbian, and am Co-President for Studio H. I am now responsible for hosting events on campus tailored to all students. Those same events that made me feel safe as a scared closeted girl. We pride ourselves in collaborating with other associations on campus and providing resources to students at no expense. The experiences I have gained through Studio H, have helped me explore the intersection between art, mental health, and social justice, three passions that I never thought I could pursue collectively. I found that every experience through my time with the organization furthered my interest in the mental health field. I become confident enough to research different art therapy programs across the nation. I stumbled upon Antioch University and immediately fell in love with the unique duality of the program, being able to attain a mental health counseling license through an art therapy lens. Most importantly, I fell in love with the programs mission to shape students into superior and culturally competent counselors. Fast forward to Spring 2024, my last semester of college, and I have been admitted into the Clinical Mental Health Counseling Art Therapy Master's Program at Antioch. One day I hope to own and work in a private practice, specializing in the LGBTQIA+ community.

I grew up in the inner city of Miami and was raised in a section called Little Haiti. I grew up listening to the melody of gunshots, police sirens, and shouts, an environment of fear and toxicity. My high school, which was populated by Hispanic and Black students, carried an ugly reputation due to lack of resources. It was never expected for students to graduate, let alone make it out of the neighborhood. However, I knew that I did not want this for myself. I wanted to graduate high school and be the first in my family to go to college. I wanted to be the first in my family to pursue my passions and have a safe space to thrive, both as a student and an individual. As a first-generation student at Florida State University, eight hours away from home, transitioning into the college life was a challenge. I remember feeling like I did not belong, like I was not deserving of being on a college campus. Then the guilt and pressure of being a first-generation student came. It felt wrong to be having all these new experiences, that my family never got to have. My mental health started to deteriorate and I asked for help. Soon enough I was diagnosed with Major Depressive Disorder and Generalized Anxiety Disorder. Hearing those words come out of my therapists' mouth made a bell ding in my head. The excessive worry, constant hyperventilating over assignments, and shameful cries made sense. To face my struggles and cope in a healthy manner, I knew that I would have to find a community on campus. . I decided to join Studio H, which is an art therapy club on campus. This organization caught my attention because it was a space in which I could express myself, and cope with my troubles, all through creating art. Prior to getting accepted into Florida State, I never had the resources to explore my artistic skills, so I jumped at the opportunity of becoming a member. I met tons of amazing people and loved everything the club stood for. Almost three years later, I am now double majoring in psychology and studio art. I am Co-President for Studio H, and I am responsible for hosting events on campus tailored to all students. We pride ourselves in collaborating with other associations on campus and providing resources to students at no expense. The experiences I have gained through Studio H, have helped me explore the intersection between art, psychology, and social justice, three passions that I never thought I could pursue collectively. I found that every experience through my time with the organization furthered my interest in becoming a mental health counselor. My personal experiences with mental health and my time with Studio H, helped me become confident enough to research different art therapy programs across the nation. I stumbled upon Antioch University and immediately fell in love with the unique duality of the program, being able to attain a mental health counseling license through an art therapy lens. Most importantly, I fell in love with the programs mission to shape students into superior leaders and culturally competent counselors. Fast forward to Spring 2024, my last semester of college, and I have been admitted into the Clinical Mental Health Counseling Art Therapy Master's Program at Antioch.

As a first-generation student at Florida State University, eight hours away from home, transitioning into the college life was a challenge. When I first stepped foot on campus, I knew that to cope with these feelings of homesickness, and unease, I would have to find a way to combine my passions and pursue a career that would fulfill me. I was always sure that majoring in psychology was the route to follow but I also felt like there was something missing. As a freshman, I wanted to become more involved on campus and build a sense of community. I decided to join Studio H, which is an art therapy club on campus. This organization caught my attention because it was a space in which I could express myself, and cope with my troubles, all through creating art. Prior to getting accepted into Florida State, I never had the resources to explore my artistic skills, so I jumped at the opportunity of becoming a member. I met tons of amazing people and loved everything the club stood for. Now, almost three years later, I am double majoring in psychology and studio art. I am Co-President for Studio H, and I am responsible for hosting events on campus tailored to all students. We pride ourselves in collaborating with other associations on campus and providing resources to students at no expense. The experiences I have gained through Studio H, have helped me explore the intersection between art, psychology, and social justice, three passions that I never thought I could pursue collectively. I found that every experience through my time with the organization furthered my interest in becoming a mental health counselor with an art therapy concentration. As a future graduate student at Antioch University, I plan on continuing my research to address mental health disparities in minority communities. I currently work as a Spanish speaking research lab assistant under Dr. Victor Buitron with the Youth Resilience Lab to address the gap in research concerning the mental health literacy and needs of Latinx parents. Our goal is to learn what the needs and stigmas are in the Hispanic and Latinx/e community. This will then help us provide resources for the community. During my graduate career at Antioch University, I would love to connect with Dr. Mariaimeé Gonzalez to learn more about the work she has done to ensure that Latinx/e communities are being provided with the appropriate care. I am also interested in hearing about Dr. Misty Gibson’s work with the LGBTQIA+ community. I am hoping that with the guidance of both faculty members, and the education being provided, that I will become a qualified culturally inclusive counselor. Essentially, this will help me continue uplifting and empowering the community with quality mental health care resources. All in all, one day I hope to own and work in a private practice, specializing in the LGBTQIA+, Latinx, and other diverse communities. I have gained a plethora of experiences from classes, volunteering, research, and leadership roles that have paved the way toward my decision to pursue a career in mental health care. I am confident that with my experiences and education, I will reach my goal of being a mental health counselor and serving the community.