I plan to not only study criminal justice but also psychology. I want to understand better people's motivations to deviate from the law. I want to delve into the psychology behind why people become homeless. What happened in these people's lives? Why do certain people with certain mental health conditions become homeless, but others with the same conditions are housed? Who is most at risk for becoming homeless? But most importantly, what can I do to help? Well, I think it all comes back to mental health. It's been stigmatized and been such a hush-hush issue for so long, when people have feelings of anxiety or depression, they either feel ashamed to get help or don't know where to go for it. These people self-medicate, with either drugs, alcohol, or other harmful routes, eventually beginning the cycle of addiction. These people can become homeless. We should have more mental health screenings for people down on their luck. With my criminology and psychology degrees, I plan to work with communities to have more accessible therapy options and treatment plans. But in the meantime, I can encourage my peers and family members to go see a therapist or even just a simple, "It's okay to feel what you're feeling, you are still valued." can go a long way. The end goal for me is to work for the FBI as a criminal investigator. I can do my part to make sure that all people suspected of committing crimes are given due process and a fair trial, as our constitution guarantees its people. I want to be available to inmates to talk about their experiences, too, and what they would have done differently if they were given a chance. Prison reform is something I strongly believe in. I don't believe that prison is effective if all we do is lock perpetrators away, we have to provide them with opportunities to improve as people. Some prisons are implementing woodshops or libraries for their inmates to learn and have skills when they are released. I want to join this movement to view prison as a "redirection and reflection" as opposed to a "grownup time out". 44% of criminals released from prison are back in within the first year. The recidivism rate is disturbingly high, and I believe that if we provide more opportunities for these inmates to turn away from a life of crime, we can lower violence, gang activity, drug addictions, and potentially many other sorts of crime. These individuals should be given opportunities to improve, and this is what I plan to do with my criminal justice degree. With my degree, I plan to help make mental health help more accessible to all people, help guarantee a fair trial for people accused of criminal activity, and help create more opportunities to help incarcerated persons end up on the right side of the law.

All Too Well by Taylor Swift. This song reaches back to when I was a kid. I fell in love with the "Red" album, and Taylor, with this song. It tells of a broken romance, yet it still portrays the fact that the singer isn't giving up. She calls out her former partner toward the end, but during the beginning, she blames herself for the failed romance. In truth, I found relate to Swift's words, even though my ten-year-old self had never gotten my heart broken. As I've gotten older, the song has grown with me. From my first crush in middle school rejecting me, to my ex-boyfriend dumping me, to teaching all the words to my current boyfriend, and slow-dancing in the kitchen with him, this song has so many meanings to me. "I remember it all too well." I don't have any tattoos as of yet, but I would like my first one to be these words written in small calligraphy on my forearm.