Simone Biles is the athlete I was rooting for most during the last Olympics. Her resilience and determination to return to the sport after the last Olympics is inspiring to me as I also deal with some anxiety issues. At the time of her last Olympics, I didn't really have anxiety and fully understand what she was going through. But as I grew in school, athletics and focusing on my future I developed many traits of anxiety and then went to talk to my doctor about it quickly thanks to Simone and her story. Using her platform to bring mental health to the forefront not only for female African Americans like me but for all people was courageous and empowering. She was very open and transparent with her journey following the Olympics and how she took a break, began seeking help with therapy, proper medications and rest. After doing a paper in my AP Research class my junior year focusing on mental health in male athletes in high school. During this research and my own journey to seek help I also realized the lack of resources not only to the average person but especially for athletes at the school level. Mental Health has become a passion of mine to do more and bring awareness to Athletic directors and potentially higher up the chain in our state for the athletes. I also have now turned a focus in my future plans in law and to work on mental health reform in the prisons. Given all her accomplishments and challenges she continues to take one day at a time and also makes sure her teammates, family and friends are supported in their endeavors as well. She is a great role model to show us how to balance life when given the challenge of Mental Health. She is the GOAT in more ways than just gymnastics.

Mental Health has impacted my future goals because I see it from the side of the person struggling to figure out how to achieve their goals while dealing with their mental health issues. I myself struggle with Anxiety and ADHD. I find I am at my best when I am super busy and not idle in my own thoughts. However sometimes I do tend to overextend myself and I have to pull it back a bit. I started my junior year of high school pursing my associate's degree in criminal justice. During the last 15 months I have evolved into a pathway of researching and pursing the path of the criminal justice system and mental health resources for inmates or lack of. The passion for mental health started with a Research paper for AP Reasearch my junior year and I continue to research and learn as much as I can now so once I am in College/Law School I can pursue that path and make a difference or change some processes that exist today. Mental Health Prison reform is a passion of mine that I want to pursue and make a difference in as many lives possible for years to come. I also feel putting more resources and training at the local level of law enforcement When one has their own battle with mental health you definitely see things in a different way with different emotions. Sometimes the emotion is that you realize you are not alone, and also giving another person that same feeling in a simple conversation is comforting to both parties. Looking at news stories and understanding what the underlying issue is versus the surface issue presented is also something I notice more now. When they present a story based on certain words or comments, I now realize that person is most likely dealing with something bigger than the main issue presented. Having more mental health resources is also something I noticed was lacking for the general population not just in prisons. When I decided to take the step to go to therapy, I was put on 2 wait lists that were a minimum of 12 weeks. I really empathize with people that are further along in their mental health journey and need immediate help. Their only true solution at that time is a hospital environment and most people are not comfortable starting there and its sometimes seen as a last resort. Normalizing mental health conversations in my demographic is growing but we are not anywhere close yet to being at a good place. More conversations need to happen at younger ages and continue to have those conversations to make it ok to discuss, not to hide it. I know mental health is so important even before my own diagnosis but given the fact I am now also included in those statistics I am even more determined to make a difference when and wherever I can for the future. Thank you for considering me for this scholarship

Hero. The only word I can use to describe my father who has always been my protector, but on April 15, 2021, he was the protector of his fellow coworkers. My dad was at his job at a Fedex facility in Indianapolis on April 15, 2021 when a former employee had proceeded to bring a gun to the facility and fire off multiple rounds through the parking lot and inside. As my dad was in his office working, he expected a normal night but moments later his life would be changed. The former employee had moved inside the facility after setting off multiple shots in the parking lot, injuring other employees. My dad immediately took action by corralling as many of his employees as he could into to his office while calling 911. Even thought that the event that had occurred not even an hour before was so traumatic, he still worked to help people find out what had happened to their loved ones who were in the facility. My mom wanted my dad to come home but he knew that he had to stay and help those who had lost family members or didn't know whether or not their family members were okay. I didn't know that my hero would become other peoples hero as well. My dad has always been my protector whether I got a scrap or something has simple as making sure he was closer to the street and cars incase anything would happen. He has always had that comforting feeling to him that I knew if something happened to me, he would help me and make sure I felt all better. When my mom woke me up at 5:00am to tell me that my dad had been in a mass shooting, I thought I had lost my hero. As she woke me up and told him that he was okay, I immediately went to him and throughout the day my mom slowly talked to me about what happened. I couldn't believe that after such a traumatic event he stayed to help those families get organized and meet with their loved ones who they hadn't heard from. Mass shootings were something I had always seen on tv as they became a frequent thing at one point, but like most people I never thought I would experience it or have a loved one experience it. It truly is something I would never wish on anyone as it truly is a life changing experience that makes you realize every day is valuable and you shouldn't take a second for granted.