While obtaining my undergraduate degree, I worked at an interpretation and linguistics company where I was consistently surrounded by hundreds of cultures. We provided linguistic support to families from all over the world that couldn’t speak English and needed the services of doctors, lawyers, psychologists, teachers, etc. I believe the only way to learn about other cultures is by stepping outside of your comfort zone and exposing yourself to them, which is exactly what this job did for me. In pursuit of my degree, I expect that not everyone I try to help is going to want it. Americans have a reputation for being arrogant and self-righteous, and even if we come to a country with a desire to help others, it’s not guaranteed to be immediately welcomed. I expect to be challenged every single day, whether that is by uncomfortable or difficult situations, or just by the knowledge that we can only provide so much help. The strengths I would bring to my International Disaster and Trauma Psychology M.A, are my life experiences and passion. My entire family is from Colombia and they fled the country due to cartel violence, when Pablo Escobar was terrorizing our country. Consequently, I am very aware of international traumas and PTSD. Because I am fluent in Spanish and due to the nature of my jobs, I was constantly assigned to work with refugees or illegal immigrant families. While I worked mainly with children, I also spent a lot of time listening to parents about their lives back home and providing them with support such as finding them resources, therapy, or just a sympathetic ear. In one role, we performed home visits, to acquire updates on the child's development and see how the families were coping. This task required training on how to be respectful in the homes of varying income levels and cultures. About 90% of our clients were low income and it was essential that we never made them feel like we were superior to them. Additionally, I have traveled to 17 countries, 7 of those on my own. While I recognize the privilege of having these opportunities, I always pushed myself to be around locals rather than be in touristic areas, to learn about their culture, their beliefs, and their stories from them. One of the biggest strengths of mine is understanding. While traveling I have met incredible people who have not had the privileges I’ve had growing up and even though I try my hardest to help those in need, I have never and will never view myself as a savior. Through my work and traveling I only have the knowledge I do because I have learned from the people themselves. Despite my many opportunities to both learn and experience different cultures, I have yet to explore them all. Due to this, I know there will be cultures that will probably challenge my own values, beliefs, and ideas and it will take time, patience, and empathy to overcome prejudice. I have also never experienced the traumas or disasters these people have suffered. While I can sympathize, I will never be able to fully understand what they have lost or what they are going through. Despite this, I know I have the capability to overcome every obstacle I face. I'm committed to contributing to the advancement of psychology, playing a role in raising awareness about the significance of mental health. Through my efforts, I aim to help others gain a deeper understanding of this crucial aspect of well-being.

I have had an obsession with Pixar movies since I was a child. I always searched for the character I could relate with most. She was usually the loudest, rebellious, the one speaking up, but always feeling different. In 2015 and 2021, Pixar came out with a movie that changed my life forever, Inside Encanto. Like Riley in 'Inside Out', I struggled with my two ‘emotion’ characters, “happiness” and “sadness”. My nickname was sunshine as a child and somewhere along my childhood, I lost my Happiness to Sadness. I was diagnosed with major depression, anxiety, and PTSD in 2016, after a suicide attempt. While in therapy, I was constantly asked, when I could pick out the last time I was truly happy, and I couldn’t. I longed to radiate happiness, to bring laughter to others, and leave a lasting positive impact. However, I discovered the liberating truth - it's okay not to be perfect and, above all, it's okay not to be okay. Encanto was the last “lightbulb” moment I had that changed my life. Like Mirabel, I came from a Colombian family who all had gifts: musicality, intelligence, drive, passion, and expectation. As the oldest first generation child, I was expected to be perfect. I had to smile and pretend I was a part of the perfect family that achieved the American dream, all while my mother with personality disorder was constantly making me question my reality and worth and my father with his PTSD, was never present and too broken to provide me with a father figure. Mirabel tells her abuela, “I will never be good enough for you.”, after attempting to save her family, it was like I was watching myself speaking to my parents, realizing that in order to stop the pain, emotional abuse, and generational trauma, I had to stop trying to be something I wasn’t because it was never going to be enough for them. I had to work hard and be the person I wanted to be, for myself. So, you’re probably wondering why I am talking about movies in an essay to be admitted into grad school for psychology, and the answer is very simple: these movies portray psychology in a way, books, lectures, and even professors have struggled with. My parents often convinced me there was something wrong with me, that I was ungrateful for their hard work and sacrifices, and while I will always be indebted to them for their sacrifices, their trauma, their lack of awareness of mental health, is what caused me pain. Although, Latinos do not believe in psychology or therapy, my parents sent me to at least 10 therapists during my adolescence. Ironically enough, those therapist both helped and hurt me; they helped me by learning more about my parents and understanding that their past pain and diagnosis had nothing to do with me, but I spent too much time trying to explain my perspective as a Latina and provide them with examples that would help them to relate to my experiences. No matter where they came from, age, willingness to learn, or even background education, they were all white and would never be able to put themselves in my shoes. I never found a latina psychologist that would understand the generational traumas and why it was so hard to create boundaries and distance myself from my family, and so when I finally saw Encanto, I realized I wasn’t alone. Something I had been searching for in my education and therapy, was finally given to me in a child’s movie. I have a passion to pursue a career in psychology because I have seen what psychology does for others and it saved my life. Through my experiences I’ve learned how much underrepresentation there is in psychology. Psychology does not have all the answers and I don’t want to pursue this to save anyone’s life, because that’s unrealistic, I just want to know that one day I can make at least one person feel heard. Pixar has helped my generation understand generational trauma and ridding the taboo of therapy. I'm eager to learn and actively contribute to the evolving field of psychology, which is becoming more prominent in everyday life, including movies. With my diverse background, I can help children like me feel heard and understood.

What would you do if you were given a second chance at living? Would you live your life to the fullest, would you continue living life the way you were before, would you feel guilty for being given a second chance, feel like you don’t deserve it? In April 2015, I was given a second chance at life. Prior to that pivotal moment, I had been battling major depression, anxiety, and PTSD, suppressing my emotions and seeing mental health as a burden that I had to keep hidden. Believing that being strong for everyone else was my only path, I neglected my own well-being. My life took a drastic turn when I found myself in a behavioral health facility, surrounded by others struggling with mental health issues. In the midst of my own journey, a profound encounter with a group of children, some as young as 6 or 7, who had also experienced immense pain, made me realize the gravity of addressing mental health. Throughout my month-long stay at the facility, I lost everything I knew and loved, leading me to discover that true peace within myself required understanding and prioritizing my mental health. I understood that it was not something to be mastered overnight, but a continuous process of learning and growth. Letting go of the pressure to be the most successful and powerful person in my family, I discovered the importance of living for myself, recognizing my needs, and setting boundaries with those who hindered my personal growth. Even if it meant stepping away from those I cherished, I knew that my well-being was paramount. Now, I no longer feel guilty about embracing self-care to maintain my mental wellness. I surround myself with a supportive network, dedicate time to activities I enjoy daily, and regularly engage in therapy to heal past traumas and gain deeper insights into myself. My journey has ignited a passion within me to become a therapist and help others care for their mental health, ensuring they never feel burdensome to others. With determination and at my own pace, I am pursuing my dream, committed to making a positive impact on the lives of those who face similar struggles. I believe I've been granted a second chance in life with a purpose: to ensure others feel heard and understood. My mission is to prevent anyone from resorting to ending their life as a solution to their problems. I'm committed to contributing to the advancement of psychology, playing a role in raising awareness about the significance of mental health. Through my efforts, I aim to help others gain a deeper understanding of this crucial aspect of well-being.

I've had an unwavering passion for movies, drawn to characters who were outspoken and rebellious, like myself—a search for a sense of belonging. In 2021, at my lowest, I stumbled upon the movie, "Everything, Everywhere, All at Once." It portrayed a poignant mother-daughter relationship, one hero and the other a villain, forever missing each other across universes. Like Evelyn, the mother in the movie, my mom came to the United States at a young age, sacrificing everything for the American Dream. Despite her success, she struggled to find happiness, often expressing discontent with her life. She was my hero, someone I aspired to be, but as I grew older, I felt like I kept letting her down. No matter how hard I tried, I could never meet her high expectations. I was labeled as a liar, aggressive, too sensitive, disrespectful, dumb, disorganized, and messy. Our paths never seemed to align. The daughter Jobu initially appears as a heartless, vengeful, and resentful villain. However, towards the end of the movie, during a crucial encounter with her mother, she reveals that all she ever wanted was to find someone who could understand and share her feelings, and that person was her mother. Similarly, in 2021, after years of therapy and attempts to bridge the gap with my own mother, I made the difficult decision to go no contact because our relationship had become toxic. My therapist had suggested that I experienced narcissistic abuse from my mother, and after years of defending her, I finally accepted that a healthy and normal relationship was impossible. I realized breaking the generational trauma cycle required prioritizing my growth and healing over appeasing my mother to avoid resentment and becoming the villain. You might wonder why I bring up movies to express my passion for therapy, but the reason is straightforward: this particular movie depicted psychology in a way that books, lectures, and even professors often struggle to do. My parents often made me feel like there was something inherently wrong with me, accusing me of being ungrateful despite their sacrifices, something many first generation children feel . Although I'll always appreciate their efforts, it was their unresolved traumas and lack of awareness about mental health that caused me significant pain. Although Latinos generally don't believe in psychology or therapy, growing up I saw around 10 therapists. Ironically, these therapists both helped and hurt me. While they aided in understanding my parents' past pain and diagnoses, I often found myself struggling to explain my perspective as a Latina, hoping to make them understand my experiences. Regardless of their education or willingness to learn, they were all white and couldn't fully grasp my reality. I never came across a Latina psychologist or one that comprehended generational traumas and the challenges of creating boundaries with family. However, when I watched this movie, I felt understood. Something I had been searching for in my education and therapy, was finally given to me in film. My passion for pursuing a career in psychology stems from witnessing its transformative impact on others, including myself. Through my experiences, I've become acutely aware of the underrepresentation in the field, acknowledging that psychology doesn't hold all the answers. While I don't aim to save lives single-handedly, my ultimate goal is to allow others to feel heard and understood. Movies, like the one mentioned, have been instrumental in my understanding of generational trauma and dismantling therapy's taboo. I am eager to learn and actively contribute to psychology's ever-evolving landscape. With my experiences, I aspire to support people like myself, making sure they feel seen and valued.