I would say the most significant part of my life was the day I realized I was adopted, I was adopted by a white family in the suburbs of Nashville TN. Growing up I had a great life, a great mother, a baby sister, and many friends. When I started to get older I realized I didn't look the same as my mom, which felt weird. I struggled a lot as a young girl, I felt out of place and socially always super uncomfortable. I would say the most significant trauma I have ever experienced was when I hit my teenage years. Those would be the worst and best parts of my adolescence. When I was a teenager I was diagnosed with RAD, which is also called Reactive Attachment Disorder which many adopted teens struggle with. It is when we didn't get the attention we needed as little kids so now we struggle with building relationships that are healthy and beneficial to our lives. I struggled with this a lot, especially when it came to the relationship with my mother, I felt that by pushing her away I would never get hurt and that if I hurt her she would finally leave me as my birth mother did. I spent most of my adolescence in treatment and being able to build healthy relationships with family and friends. I would say the treatment was something I would have never admitted to most that I went through just because of the stigma around it but now I am proud to say I went through this traumatic part of my life and now I am an adult who has coping skills, who can build healthy relationships, who has an amazing relationship with her mom. I wouldn't say everyone needs treatment but it shaped me into a person I never thought could happen and I am so grateful every day that I was able to work with a wonderful therapist who helped me heal the trauma that I had repressed for so long. Now that I am an adult life is a lot easier to go through, with the help of treatment and a loving mom I have been able to deal with my RAD and not let it negatively affect my life. I have so many amazing people who support and love me and understand my RAD and help me manage my emotions to as best of my abilities. With that being said I am currently in school to get my BA in psychology to hopefully go on and get my masters in clinical psychology. I want to focus on trauma therapy and help kids who have gone through the same things as I realize they are not alone. I try my best to advocate for the youth by telling people about my story and being able to help families realize they are not alone and that just because your child is suffering right now they will grow up and become a wonderful adult just like me.

My name is Martha Daughtrey and I am an Asian American woman studying to get my bachelor's in psychology in the south. Why I find this significant is because so many people who live in the south don't believe in mental health that it is a taboo practice and one for people who are only mentally ill. I personally have struggled with mental illness my whole life and it has affected so many parts of my relationships and everyday life. I have been able to find help along the way and am proud to say I am able to be a fully functional adult which wasn't something my family and I saw for my future. I want to be able to advocate for others who struggle with depression and other difficult illnesses because no matter what people say mental health is a big part of people's everyday life. Personally, without my therapist, I don't know where I would be today or if I could even be a productive member of society. That is why I want to be a trauma therapist for young adults and teens, I think that these years are the most important for the development of teens into adults and I want to make sure there are no obstacles getting in a person's way. I would use this money to be able to pay for my tuition so that I can become a licensed therapist and help as many people I can.

Box breathing, if you have never heard of this is highly recommended practicing, it involves breathing techniques shaped like a box. You breathe in for 6 seconds, breathe out for 6, and repeat. It is a great technique when someone may feel overwhelmed and to get them to regulate breathing. I also enjoy the 5-4-3-2-1 method, you think of five things, four things, three things, two things, then one thing. It is a great way to use your brain to focus on neutral thoughts and de-stress. One of my favorite things to do this summer is to go outside and spend time in nature, I believe nature has healing powers, and spending time away from technology gives us a moment to enjoy the world around us. I personally take a hammock and hang it outside take my favorite book and read. Nature is just one of the most powerful things you can experience to help you deal with mental health and also to regulate your body.

My name is Martha Daughtrey and I am an Asian American minority living in the south. I find this necessary because mental health is not discussed enough or looked at enough for youth and young adults, which really strikes me. I have dealt with mental health issues my whole life and I have had my family and a robust support system to help me along the way. I think that mental health is so important and many people struggle with finding the support and people who will treat them with respect and treat their issues as if they were their own. I personally want to become a therapist to help youth and young adults who don't have access to good mental health I know how important it is to have someone who will listen to you with no judgment only help. One way I have been able to help out in my community is making sure I am aware of issues in society and making sure anyone can reach out to me at any time in the day to discuss what they are struggling with. All my friends see me as the one they can talk to due to the compassion and empathy I bring to the table. I find that it is important to listen to someone and never judge what they are going through. Living in the south can make this difficult because so many people don't believe in talking about mental health. I have found posting on social media about mental disorders and ways to support mental health has opened many discussions with friends who would have never thought about discussing feelings. If I were to win this scholarship I would use the money to pay for my tuition so that I can get my degree, I can become a therapist, and help people who would have never thought about discussing feelings.

I think one of my biggest hurdles I have over come is the stigma around not fitting into societies perfect body mold. I have always been overweight and judged by so many people about my size, which has defiantly affected me when I was an adolescent. I think now that I am a young adult I have defiantly developed a thick skin and being able to deal with people who critic people who aren't the perfect size. I have overcome it by realizing that everyone is perfectly in-perfect and its okay to not fit the mold of perfection. That by being me I can show others that its okay to be different and what makes us all different is important.

I have always dealt with mental health issues as an adolescent and I think it has shaped me to be the best version I present to everyone today. I was diagnosed with Reactive Attachment Disorder as an adolescent because I was adopted and didn't get the attention an infant needs. I struggled a lot as an adolescent with mental health and building safe and secure relationships with others. I felt that I didn't belong and that no one loved me. My toughest relationship that I had to re-build was with my mom. My mom and I didn't get a long at all when I was an adolescent due to the fact I didn't trust her. How could I when my real mother abandoned me and didn't want me. My mom and I struggled a lot with communication and affection. I felt that I didn't deserve love that I wasn't worthy of anyone's love or time. After a lot of therapy and treatment I can say that I trust my mom with my whole heart. She has done so much for me that I cannot even put into words. I am so glad our relationship is where it is today because I don't think I would have made it without her.

I personally have struggled with mental illness my whole life, I was adopted at a young age which left me with a lot of attachment issues and struggles as an adolescent. I was diagnosed with Depression, anxiety, and attachment issues I have struggled my whole life and am still learning how to deal with all these emotions. I have been hospitalized more times than I can count because I felt unworthy of love or the life I have. I think that mental health is really important to talk about and that dealing with the issues you struggle is an important part of growing up. The biggest part of it all has been dealing with my attachment issues and learning how to build healthy relationships with others. I think that I have come a far way since adolescents. I am able to have healthy boundaries and relationships now, and I have used all I've learned to help others in the same position as me. I really want to get my bachelors in psychology and then get my masters as a licensed therapist so that I can help adolescents and young adults going through the same position as me be able to be the best versions of themselves. I really want to help others and advocate for mental health and plan on using my degree to do this. I think that mental health is not talked about enough now a days and that has led to a lot of young people suffering and I want to help people realize it might be tough but I will always be there to listen to anything.

My name is Martha Daughtrey and I have RAD. What is RAD you may ask it stands for Reactive Attachment Disorder which is when a lot of adopted children have because they didn't experience secure attachment as infants, and I want to use my degree to advocate for these children. This issue made adolescent years hard for me and I want others to know that it is okay to have these emotions but there is someone on the other side rooting for them. I want to be able to become a therapist and help young adults and teens with attachment issues know that they are not alone and there is someone there who can listen without judgement. I think that with my experience I would make a great counselor and someone that people rely on to not judge what they are going through.