Growing up without a father and a mother who abandoned me, I never had that much support in my life. Throughout my childhood, I was bullied severely due to my appearance, specifically my weight. “You are so fat.” “That shirt doesn’t look right on your body.” “No one likes fat girls, and no one will ever love you.” I’ve heard almost every variation of these things since I was about six years old. Listening to these types of things for nearly ten years does not have a good effect on your mental health. I started to hate my body as well as myself, mainly because other people opposed my existence for something as simple as my weight. My self-esteem began to crumble, and I lost all confidence in myself before I even gained it. Being in the generation where technology was starting to take over, I always saw people with “perfect” skinny bodies on almost every platform there was. I began to doubt myself and think that these hateful words people told me were valid. As a result of this and other elements, I developed Major Depressive Disorder as well as Generalized Anxiety Disorder. To cope with my isolated feelings and my depression, I turned to self-harm resulting in even more insecurities with my body and overworking myself. I threw myself into my schoolwork and extracurriculars so I wouldn’t have time to think about how unhappy I was with myself. But despite my attempts to escape my true feelings, they always caught up to me. These feelings became too much to handle, and I decided it was best for me to take my own life. However, something stopped me; I thought about my grandmother and how devastated she would be in me. I decided to open up to my aunt about how I was feeling, and by just talking to her for an hour, it saved my life. I got a second chance at life, and by just having a conversation, I got to express my true feelings in a place with no judgment; I got the help I needed to improve my life. I want to be the person my aunt was to me to so many people. To have a second chance at life is amazing, but to be listened to and understood without judgment is an indescribable feeling. Yet so many people in our society are shamed to talk about their issues due to the stigma around mental illness and being different. As a result of this, too many lives are lost, both young and old, and I want to be the person who contributes to the termination of these societal stigmas. My one goal in life is to help just one person because the world cannot bear to lose another kind soul due to not having someone to listen to.

I want to see more compassion in the world. This is a somewhat easy question. Although I’m passionate about many things including music, painting, culinary arts, helping others, I have to say I am the most passionate about psychology. I absolutely adore psychology, specifically personality and cognitive psychology. I am very fond of learning about how the mind works. There are over 7 billion people on Earth and yet not a single one of us is alike. We are all unique in our own way, no one can be a replica of another. Learning about the mind is going to be a significant step in science. We can finally answer questions like “Why do I feel the need to hurt others?” or “Why can’t I love myself as others do?”. The society we live in full of people hurting in secret, where they don’t know why they’re hurting. I want to know why we are hurting and tell them. Give them the answer that they’ve been searching for. I’ve felt this hurt myself, so I have an understanding of people’s feelings; this is why I want to become more educated on the mind. Not only so I can give others the answers, but so I can give myself these answers and have a deeper understanding on a different level than most. This is the reason I’m so passionate about it. The main change I want to see is to make sure everyone is included and represented which is a component of compassion. Social work is the right major for this. I grew up seeing so many different people being mistreated for things as simple as their body or the way they dress. It breaks my heart to see those people not get enough representation and someone to properly support them. In our society, we have a shortage of compassionate people and I want to be one of those people who contributes my all to make at least one person's life worth living and a little less miserable. To have a second chance at life is amazing, but to be listened to and understood without judgment is an indescribable feeling. Yet so many people in our society are shamed to talk about their issues due to the stigma around mental illness and being different. As a result of this, too many lives are lost, both young and old, and I want to be the person who contributes to the termination of these societal stigmas. My one goal in life is to help just one person because the world cannot bear to lose another kind soul due to not having someone to listen to.

I have been directly impacted by substance abuse. My mother has and still currently is an addict to crack cocaine. I have never seen her sober because she has been a victim to substance abuse since before, I was born. Later on in life, I was made aware of her mental health struggles. She has been diagnosed with schizophrenia and bipolar disorder. Which was explain her black and white behaviors towards me and how I always felt like I had to "walk on eggshells" aroun her. Her addiction got into the way of our relationship of course. I did not meet her until I was around 3 years old, However, it would have been better if we never met. She was abusive in every way towards me and stole from me on multiple occasions. I always had a special place in my heart for her as a child despite her vicious abuse and hateful words. Growing up however, I realized that she truly did not care for me. So, I became distant, and I started to brew animosity towards her and her actions. Growing up knowing that my mother abandoned me severely damaged my self-esteem as well as my behaviors. I started to crave affections and attention from people, especially those who clearly did not have the best interest at heart for me. It damaged my confidence, As a result of this and other elements, I developed major depressive disorder as well as generalized anxiety disorder and bipolar tendencies. I have always considered a career in psychology since I was a child. Numerous people have told me this as well. Learning about the mind is going to be a significant step in science. We can finally answer questions like “Why do I feel the need to hurt others?” or “Why can’t I love myself as others do?”. The society we live in full of people hurting in secret, where they don’t know why they’re hurting. I want to know why we are hurting and tell them. Give them the answer that they’ve been searching for. I’ve felt this hurt myself, so I have an understanding of people’s feelings; this is why I want to become more educated on the mind. Not only so I can give others the answers, but so I can give myself these answers for the sake of my healing process to understand and maybe forgive my mother for her behaviors.This is the reason I’m so passionate about it. To be listened to and understood without judgment is an indescribable feeling. Yet so many people in our society are shamed to talk about their issues due to the stigma around mental illness and being different. As a result of this, too many lives are lost, both young and old, and I want to be the person who contributes to the termination of these societal stigmas. My one goal in life is to help just one person because the world cannot bear to lose another kind soul due to not having someone to listen to. In our society, we have a shortage of compassionate people and I want to be one of those people who contributes my all to make at least one person's life worth living and a little less miserable.

I have had depression and anxiety since I have been 10 years old. I have always considered a career in psychology since I was a child. Numerous people have told me this as well. Learning about the mind is going to be a significant step in science. We can finally answer questions like “Why do I feel the need to hurt others?” or “Why can’t I love myself as others do?”. The society we live in full of people hurting in secret, where they don’t know why they’re hurting. I want to know why we are hurting and tell them. Give them the answer that they’ve been searching for. I’ve felt this hurt myself, so I have an understanding of people’s feelings; this is why I want to become more educated on the mind. Not only so I can give others the answers, but so I can give myself these answers and have a deeper understanding on a different level than most. This, This is what drives me to learn and understand psychology. This is the reason I’m so passionate about it. But to take a deeper dive into my passions, my main passion is making sure everyone is included and represented. Social work is the right major for this. I grew up seeing so many different people being mistreated for things as simple as their body or the way they dress. It breaks my heart to see those people not get enough representation and someone to properly support them. In our society, we have a shortage of compassionate people and I want to be one of those people who contributes my all to make at least one person's life worth living and a little less miserable. I have always considered a career in psychology since I was a child. Numerous people have told me this as well. Learning about the mind is going to be a significant step in science. We can finally answer questions like “Why do I feel the need to hurt others?” or “Why can’t I love myself as others do?”. The society we live in full of people hurting in secret, where they don’t know why they’re hurting. I want to know why we are hurting and tell them. Give them the answer that they’ve been searching for. I’ve felt this hurt myself, so I have an understanding of people’s feelings; this is why I want to become more educated on the mind. Not only so I can give others the answers, but so I can give myself these answers and have a deeper understanding on a different level than most. This is what drives me to learn and understand psychology. This is the reason I’m so passionate about it. But to take a deeper dive into my passions, my main passion is making sure everyone is included and represented. Social work is the right major for this. I grew up seeing so many different people being mistreated for things as simple as their body or the way they dress. It breaks my heart to see those people not get enough representation and someone to properly support them. In our society, we have a shortage of compassionate people and I want to be one of those people who contributes my all to make at least one person's life worth living and a little less miserable.

Growing up without a father and a mother who abandoned me, I never had that much support in my life. Throughout my childhood, I was bullied severely due to my appearance, specifically my weight. “You are so fat.” “No one likes fat girls, and no one will ever love you.” I’ve heard every variation of these things since I was about six years old. Listening to these types of things for ten years doesn't have a good effect on your mental health. I started to hate my body & myself because other people opposed my existence for something as simple as my weight. I lost all confidence in myself before I even gained it. I began to doubt myself and think that these hateful words people told me were valid. As a result of this and other elements, I developed Major Depressive Disorder as well as Generalized Anxiety Disorder. To cope with my isolated feelings and my depression, I turned to self-harm resulting in even more insecurities with my body and overworking myself. I threw myself into my schoolwork and extracurriculars so I wouldn’t have time to think about how unhappy I was. Despite my attempts to escape my true feelings, they always caught up to me. These feelings became too much, and I decided it was best for me to take my own life. However, something stopped me; I thought about my grandmother and how devastated she would be. I opened up to my aunt about how I was feeling, and just talking to her for an hour, it saved my life. I got a second chance at life, and by just having a conversation, I got to express my true feelings in a place with no judgment and the help I needed to improve my life. I want to be the person my aunt was to me to others. To have a second chance at life is amazing, but to be listened to and understood without judgment is an indescribable feeling. Yet so many people in our society are shamed to talk about their issues due to the stigma around mental illness and being different. As a result of this, too many lives are lost, both young and old, and I want to be the person who contributes to the termination of these societal stigmas. I have always considered a career in psychology since I was a child. Numerous people have told me this as well. Learning about the mind is going to be a significant step in science. We can finally answer questions like “Why do I feel the need to hurt others?” or “Why can’t I love myself as others do?”. The society we live in full of people hurting in secret, where they don’t know why they’re hurting. I want to know why we are hurting and tell them. Give them the answer that they’ve been searching for. I can give myself these answers and have a deeper understanding on a different level than most. This is what drives me to learn and understand psychology. This is the reason I’m so passionate about it. I grew up seeing so many different people being mistreated for things as simple as their body or the way they dress. It breaks my heart to see those people not get enough representation and someone to properly support them. In our society, we have a shortage of compassionate people and I want to be one of those people who contributes my all to make at least one person's life worth living and a little less miserable.

I absolutely adore psychology, specifically personality and cognitive psychology. I am very fond of learning about how the mind works. There are over 7 billion people on Earth and yet not a single one of us is alike. We are all unique in our own way, no one can be a replica of another. I have always considered a career in psychology since I was a child. Numerous people have told me this as well. Learning about the mind is going to be a significant step in science. We can finally answer questions like “Why do I feel the need to hurt others?” or “Why can’t I love myself as others do?”. The society we live in full of people hurting in secret, where they don’t know why they’re hurting. I want to know why we are hurting and tell them. Give them the answer that they’ve been searching for. I’ve felt this hurt myself, so I have an understanding of people’s feelings; this is why I want to become more educated on the mind. Not only so I can give others the answers, but so I can give myself these answers and have a deeper understanding on a different level than most. This, this is what drives me to learn and understand psychology. This is the reason I’m so passionate about it. But to take a deeper dive into my passions, my main passion is making sure everyone is included and represented. Social work is the right major for this. I grew up seeing so many different people being mistreated for things as simple as their body or the way they dress. It breaks my heart to see those people not get enough representation and someone to properly support them. In our society, we have a shortage of compassionate people and I want to be one of those people who contributes my all to make at least one person's life worth living and a little less miserable.

I am working two jobs while also being in a work study program during schooling. I go to the University of Mary Washington which is a public liberal arts institution. It is a PWI and one of the most expensive public institutions in Virginia. I was accepted here on multiple academic scholarships because I graduated high school with a 4.6 GPA and had a multitude of different extra-curricular. However, this year my schools is expected to increase the tuition up to 5.5 percent. Which is unexpected for me, especially since my EFC is $0 and I have to pay for textbooks, housing, tuition, and groceries along with miscellaneous expenses. I currently am saving 60 percent of my paycheck and using the 40 percent left to address groceries and bills such as phone, car insurance, and medical bills since I go to therapy as well as need treatment for my diabetes and GERD.