To begin, living in a low-income single-parent household has not only shaped me but has molded my goals,morals, and ambition to advocate for mental health in communities, regardless of any sub-categories. In this, I explain the development I had being raised by my grandmother and understanding her dementia. It was a dull, gloomy evening, I had just left school and I knew something wasn't right. I checked my right pocket, left, backpack, and purse to make sure I didn't forget anything because I felt like there was something that just wasn't right. In the car with my grandmother, she starts a loud shriek and scream as she screams that we were kidnapping her. She hops out of the car as I try to hold my composure to stay strong, and she tells me something I never thought I would hear from my her ever. "I hate you!" Growing up having a rough childhood, I never thought of losing anyone close to me, but mentally losing my grandmother broke me. It made me realize the deep effects that mental health had on society. As she pulls away from me, we stand by the elementary school that my grandmother helped early enroll my twin brother and I into, the same school that my grandmother walked me to every morning. The unknown stroke my grandmother had during my freshman year of high school, and the development of Alzheimer's resulted in my interest in mental health and nursing. I was always a helper, and I always was the go-to person for advice or listening. I wanted to take it to another level. Nursing was always something that intrigued me, it always caught my attention, it was the idea of devoting yourself to helping the health of others that lightened my spirits. This helped my personal growth and maturity, although it was really hard, it helped me realize I lived a blinded childhood to mental health and death. Watching my family members deal with the news of my grandmother I watched depression, anger, and hope seep through all sides. After finishing my senior year at Wilson I had a hard time understanding death. Comprehending the loss of my grandmother led me into a deep depression that I had to slowly work out of. With family tensions starting to arise I felt displaced as my parents weren't in the picture during my childhood. I didn't really know them, I just knew my "father" was my grandmother's son, and he had twins with my "mother." In my senior year of high school, I realized my friends and family may be going through mental difficulties hidden behind smiles. Learning to understand and empathize with family through these hard times because of the similar situations and traumas we dealt with, showed me the ugly truth of mental health. Although mental health is taught, we’re never taught how to deal with it, and that made me want to go deeper into getting my bachelor's in Science of Nursing. Obtaining this degree will further my knowledge of mental health into a scientific level. Learning more about mental health will play a major role in my community. Looking forward to change and actual differences it’s been hard to choose the “right” path, but there’s this feeling that passes over me that lets me know I’m going in the right direction. I think of it as my grandmother. I learned throughout this entire journey of my grandmother’s diagnosis that mental health affects you and everyone tied to you. I aspire to change the world, although a very broad thought I’m confident in myself.