I'm Olivia Olibrice and I'm a sophomore in university. Currently, I'm majoring in Criminology and striving to get my Master’s. I tend to stay reserved; I believe that past experiences influenced this choice. Many years ago, at three, I had a relative pass away from cancer. Her name is Kristine and she passed away, she was young. I was prepared for her passing, due to cancer being a common cause of death in my family. In my mind, I had a deep connection with Kristine. It felt like we've known each other for years. During the diagnosis of her disease, we became close. With her life felt fun, I would be in her room eating snacks, looking out of the window, and laughing. I remember feeling giddy, even when she was at her lowest. Years later, I found out that I was the only person that she wanted to be around during her time of struggling. I cherish Kristine in my heart, it pains me to think of her aching, while I was happy. At fourteen, I discovered that the relationship I had with Kristine was warped. The bond I established in my mind was false; we weren't best friends; this shattered my heart. Until then, I considered her my first best friend. In my mind, I thought that we knew each other for years, but we met the summer of her condition. The only reason that I spent time with my cousin was because of her having cancer. It took me many years to heal, but I am happy that I was the person that she chose. I'll forever be grateful to experience someone being so selfless. To give energy to a toddler rather than themselves. The time that we spent together was never wasted. Whenever it was time to go, my parents would have to drag me out of Kristine’s room. I miss the laughing, sight-seeing, and playing that we did. Every time I visit New York, I think of her. She was a beautiful person; I wish that we got to see each other grow. Honestly, as I grew into a teenager, I kept to myself because of the past. Kristine has always been a lingering thought in my mind. I compared individuals to her, like she was the standard. I've found someone who's reached that standard, my best friend Jae. She makes me laugh, goes on adventures, and sits in silence with me. I believe that Kristine’s linger reminded me to find someone who's able to make me happy. The death of Kristine is a sensitive topic, but when reflecting there are positives. She taught me to be optimistic, to not let your battles make you, and to stay true to myself. Every single day, I wake up one day closer to getting my degree, that is for me. But I also make sure that I am happy while achieving my goals, that is for her. I never want to live life unhappy, stray from God, and stress because all I can do is try. If I'm not able to succeed the first time, there'll be many other times to get it right. The most important factor is to give it my all each time. Everything I wrote is what I learned from my beautiful cousin, Kristine. It's a shame that she’s gone, but I know that her being gone will get less painful.

Hello, I'm Olivia Olibrice and I have many disabilities, though one has to do with my mind. I'm known to get painful migraines that limit my function through the day. These started at the age of 16. I'm not sure of what caused them, but they are a known disability in my family. These migraines started as a twice a week ordeal, then it increased. It caused me to become extremely sensitive to light, unable to move, nauseous, and tired. Fortunately, a year later I transferred hospitals and they prescribed me medication that aids in preventing these migraines. Unfortunately, without the medication I would find myself constantly having to take breaks throughout the day. I wouldn't be able to look at screens; they would increase the pain that I would experience. This exact situation happened a few times a week, resulting in me falling behind in my schedule. I would find myself staying up after hours to complete work or waking up early to complete assignments. This disability overpowered my life for at least 4 months. I was confused on why my personality shifted, and why I couldn't wear certain hairstyles. I had lost myself with this disability, I became agitated most of the time. It was so consuming that my other health issues began to increase as well. Thankfully, when we moved, I found a medicine that helped. In result, this medicine consistently allows me to complete my work throughout the week. I began this medication in 2025, and it has helped me tremendously. Currently, I'm on the lowest dosage and have fewer migraines. There have been times when I've gone weeks without getting a migraine. This mediation has impacted my life for the better. I'm able to focus on all of my health issues, without letting one overpower the others. I'm able to take care of myself educationally, medically, and personally. I'm not sure where I would be without this medication, but I'm grateful. Since being on it, I've gone on a plethora of adventures; something I would've never done prior. Hence my personal experience with migraines, I'd support individuals in communities that suffer from migraines by coming up with funding for eye shields. Due to light being a factor that worsens migraines, eye shields would be important for them. It would be wonderful if I could provide them with this simple, but effective product. I'd also raise income for medications that aid in migraines, due to everyone not having access to them. Even when the medication is obtained, I would make sure they are in the proper hands. To aid communities, I'd also speak around the world and inform individuals that many factors contribute to migraines. I have noticed factors that affect my pain; things I'd never thought of. Anything from stress, heat, light, hormonal changes, and more can influence a migraine. Overall, migraines have the ability to disappear, but for many they don't. Though, migraines can be tamed through medication. A way to slow down migraines is to take preventatives, which is what I do. It's unfortunately an everyday thing, but it's helped me to function on a daily basis. Though, there are other ways to ease a migraine. Your environment can lessen one as well; the lighting, food you ingest, your sleep, hairstyles, and more. Everything influences the chances of a migraine. Unfortunately, migraines run in my family, so the pain may be everlasting. Though this is true, I want to thank you for allowing me to share about my neurological disability.

Being the child of a woman is difficult, because she shows strength and teaches her ways. Though being the child of a veteran is a lesson in itself, she has taught me a plethora of things that prepared me for the world. My mother isn't American, so seeing her fight for a spot in the U.S. has been inspirational in itself. She joined the Army when I was six and has stayed in. I'm currently a sophomore at Chaminade University of Honolulu. I plan to attain my Master's degree in Criminology. With this degree, I want to join the Air Force and work in the NCIS department. My mother always opened me up to seeing her world, she never villainized the military, which I appreciated. She allowed me to develop my own opinion on our nation’s team. Through their aiding, I found my love for criminology and forensics while being stationed at Fort Stewart, in Georgia. I lived in Georgia during my ninth through eleventh grade years. During my last year there, I found an interest in law enforcement again. Growing up, I was infatuated with true crime cases, but it shifted to medical. I thought that I would become a doctor. Unfortunately, I took a biology class that made my love for medicine dissipate. This was disappointing for me, but it made me choose a different science. I chose forensic science and I am grateful everyday for that choice. For the rest of that semester, I had a strong interest in that class. Towards the end of my junior year, I moved to South Korea on Camp Humphreys base, but I knew what I wanted to study. Thanks to the military, I found my love for law enforcement again and wanted to focus on criminology and forensic science. As a result of being a military child, I learned many skills that are necessary for my major. When I am in class, my professors explain that we need to assess the scenes a certain way, act a certain way, and report in military time. Fortunately, my mother taught me these things since I was in elementary school. As I was growing up, I was confused on why my mother wanted me to understand the way soldiers operated in their environment. I am grateful for everything that she has taught me, she has prepared me for my future. Everything that the military has exposed me to for more than a decade has been a journey that I will take on to this next chapter. Ultimately, being a child of a soldier has influenced me to be courageous in joining the law enforcement. After sometime, I plan on joining the Air Force and working in the NCIS department. Growing up, I never believed that the skills I developed from living on base would benefit me in the future. Thankfully I was incorrect, what I learned is being applied to my courses as I type today. I am grateful for my mother and her career. It allowed me to be in a diverse environment; it allowed me to be exposed to different lifestyles and to learn to not judge. This life that I lived also allowed me to not be sensitive, which I am grateful for. Being sensitive is not a bad thing, but in my field the suspects will use it to their advantage. With showing sensitivity, I thank you for allowing me to share my mother’s career and what I have learned from her.

Hello, my name is Olivia Olibrice, and I aspire to become a Forensic Investigator. I want to join the Air Force and work in the NCIS department. Currently, I'm attending Chaminade University of Honolulu and I’m attaining my Master’s degree in 2028. With this degree, I want to aid individuals who are put into unfortunate predicaments. As a child, I was exposed to many drugs. These drugs were medical; I've had health issues since I was born. Though, I have been exposed to weed and alcohol when I would go out of town. In the past, I viewed drugs as a normal thing. Medically, it was something that helped to make pain less painful. Regarding alcohol and other substances, I did not like it. I thought that it was unnecessary for individuals to input those products into their system. I believe this stemmed from my family and alcohol intake. They're not light drinkers, they drink until they run out. Due to this, I've witnessed a plethora of situations where alcohol has altered the mind. Now, as a young woman I understand why people indulge in drugs. They aid in releasing the pain that people feel when sober. I understand this because at 16, I had surgery and was given medication. This drug made me feel drowsy and I would end up falling asleep. I liked the way that I felt when I was on this medication. Due to this moment in my life, I comprehend why individuals rely on them. Now, I am not a fan of substances; I feel like many people rely on them and tend to lose themselves in the process of numbing their pain. As I've stated before, due to drugs, I have witnessed life altering events. Drinking and smoking is normal in my family, so most of the adults tend to do it. In doing this, I witnessed people pass out as a young child. There was a specific time when I saw a relative so drunk that I believed that they had passed away. This was a traumatic situation, and everyone acted like nothing had happened. From that day, I viewed alcohol as a scary product. Unfortunately, the consumption of drugs is normalized in today’s society. In the past, we were made to believe that drugs were fun; but it's not. Drugs are products that numb the pain that we feel. Having drugs exposed to me from a young age has altered my mind. I tend to want to help addicts, I get nervous when individuals are drinking, and I'm able to pick up on signs of intoxication. This should not be a skill that I have, especially as a young woman. Though my skills aren't normal, it'll help me when I officially join my field. Currently, as I'm sharing my words with you I don't have a solution for drugs. I do intend to be the person someone can confide in. I'm not a fan of drugs but I understand the comfort that it brings to the body. Depending on the drug, when you start it's difficult to stop. Currently as I work to get my degree, I plan to be the temporary substitution for whatever drug is at play. I will be there to aid individuals, to help them in taking the next step. I want people to realize that they don't need to rely on drugs. I also want to thank you for allowing me to share my opinions on drugs, it's a normalized product. I believe that if a drug doesn't improve your health, it shouldn't be consistently used.

Hello, my name is Olivia Olibrice and I'm a student at Chaminade University of Honolulu. Originally, I'm from Philadelphia and I was raised around multiple faiths. I was exposed to Catholicism, Christianity, and Agnosticism. As a child, I believed in God, but I was not taught His Word. These religions were more of a label, rather than how to live. Due to this, I did not rely on the beliefs that I saw as youth. Though, for some reason I always promised myself that I'd have a relationship with Jesus. Unfortunately, I didn't uphold that promise to myself, I went through certain struggles, but I'm glad that I called upon Him during those times. Currently, at 17 years old, my end goal is to know God. I want to grow in a way that aligns with the Lord. Growing up, I occasionally went to church, but it wasn't traumatic; so, I thought. I reminisced on my childhood and realized that there was a reason why I've held out on God. In middle school, my aunt made me memorize Psalms 23. It wasn't fun, I was up until midnight memorizing the Word. This made me feel less than when I didn't understand the context from the Bible. Ever since this, I was hesitant on reading the Word. Aside from this, I've experienced a plethora of traumatic events in my life. I knew not to be upset at God, but I did question His ways. Currently, I'm understanding why I experienced these events. I believe that He knew that I'd look at situations from a different perspective due to my past. I'm not quick to judge individuals; that's because of what I've done and been through. Life in 2025 wasn't easy, I went through trials and errors. I was recovering from surgery, family issues, and discernment that I couldn't comprehend. Through these, I tried my best to not question Him. Currently, I'm experiencing family issues and other things, but I trust Him. I'm able to sit in what I'm going through; I do my best to rely on Him and read His Word. Honestly, it's frightening to sit in humility as a human, but I know I need to. I understand that no matter what I'm given to deal with, that I'm meant to make something of it. I'm able to do this because of how He led me through this last season. I moved homes and transferred schools, and through this I prayed to Him. Whenever I found myself stressed, I gave it to Him and He came through. He showed me that I need to trust Him; no matter what the end result is. Fortunately, I’m able to put trust in the Lord. I have days when I struggle to give it all to Him, but I do. I try to implement Him into my daily activities. Prior to taking a test I pray to Him; while crossing the street I thank Him, while reading His Word I ask for my flesh to be broken. These are important because in the beginning of the year, I was anxious. Once I forced myself to trust the Lord, He showed me that I'm able to do all things through Him. By His grace, I finished the semester with high grades and applied my knowledge. I plan on continuing my relationship with the Lord. I plan to continue reading the Bible, praying, my walks, and trusting Him. I'll implement journaling and listening to podcasts. Journaling allows me to build a closer bond with the Lord. Also, podcasts related to the Lord are interesting.

My name is Olivia Olibrice, and I am a sophomore at Chaminade University of Honolulu. I am here to attain my master’s degree in criminology. I was born on June 13, 2008, and I am originally from Pennsylvania. As a child, I struggled with my mental health, but I was unaware of it. Growing up, I knew that my mental state was abnormal, but I didn't know the severity. I would not eat during lunch; this was because I was anxious about people watching me go into the cafeteria. Another was me pacing in the hallway, I didn't want to socialize during recess. I would be anxious during school hours, and I would find myself in a depressive state. Still to this day, I am not completely sure what created this mental struggle, but I know what enhanced it. In the first grade, my mother joined the Army, and we began to move more than normal. I would find myself not staying at home, eating my lunch on the bus, and distancing from friends. My anxiety increased when I entered high school; I was also stationed to a new base. As well as COVID-19 beginning; I was unable to socialize. I lost a plethora of friends because of my inability to communicate. I became anxious from the smallest things. Fortunately, I am able to control my anxiety. I am able to socialize with individuals, and I have techniques when I am anxious. Over the years, I learned that people are going to think what they want regardless. I am proud of how far I've come. Every day in the eleventh grade, I would think about how I had an anxiety attack in ninth grade because I had to present. It was so intense that I had to step out and catch my breath. This was my first anxiety attack, and it was scary; to be 12 and lose focus. Looking back, I am grateful for my teacher, she knew that I could overcome my struggle; and she was right. To shift focus back, in eleventh grade, I had to socialize due to a program I was doing. I did a teaching program and aided children. This taught me to be vocal and learn how to find myself. During this year, I also gained a new personality. I ended up moving again, but this time I was an improved Olivia. At my new school, I was socializing with everyone. During my senior year, I had multiple acquaintances; I am grateful. As I've stated prior, I plan to attain my master’s degree, and I know that my social skills will be put to use every day. With this degree, I will join the Air Force and work in the NCIS department. I want to help people get answers; I want them to feel heard. At my time at this university, I learned that there may be timid victims, suspects, and witnesses. Thankfully, I know what it is like to feel how they do. I can use my years of anxiousness and socializing to build rapport with them. I want younger me to realize that her anxiety wasn't made up, that it was a real feeling. There are some days when I wish that I could reverse time and not let my worries limit me. Since I cannot do that, I will take that into the future. I will not let my worries dictate how I go about life in the future. Aside from overcoming anxiety. I want to thank you for allowing me to share my story, I am grateful.

Hello, I am Olivia, I am a sophomore at Chaminade University of Honolulu. I am originally from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. This was a difficult point in my life, during this moment I had switched schools. I was always anxious in school and seemed to keep to myself. Fortunately, now I am the same, but I am more outgoing. My mother taught me how to unapologetically be myself. In elementary school, my mother decided to transition from being a nurse, to a soldier. She went to basic training when I was six, I began to become anxious and cry for her. This “phase” did not seem important to me due to another factor weighing heavily on my life. I would get picked on by someone that I considered my friend. For many hours of the day, instead of being a friend, she was out to get me. My torment went on for the entire school year; I did not deliberately share with my family about the teasing. After my mother came back from basic training, I was still heavily getting bullied and I had enough. To me, it was embarrassing, but one day I told my mother. She told me to tell the teachers and see what they do, and if nothing happened, she would deal with it. I did what she said, because I knew my mother would “be extreme.” I told my teachers what took place, and they did nothing. I shared about the gang initiating, fighting, arguing, stalking, and chasing that took place. After my vulnerability, nothing was done. To this day, I am saddened by the way that I was failed. Fortunately, towards the end of the year, my mother came to the school unannounced. It was after school and she marched through the property in her uniform. She demanded for the principal, she was fed up with the school. During this time, I was embarrassed; but looking back I am happy for younger Olivia. After some time, the principal came out looking stressed and my mother was speaking to her. She shared how I was getting bullied and that the staff did nothing but escalate the torment. At this moment, the principal looked spooked, she was frightened of my mother. She was trying to say that this never happened, but my mom cut her off and did not let those lies come out her mouth. After going off on the principal, my mother saw my main bully and her sisters walking. She seemed annoyed and decided that my last day was had. After this, we drove to WAWA, which is a gas station in Philly. After my mom finished getting gas, she saw my bully again and wanted to yell at her, but she remembered that she was a child as well. This day is a fond memory in my mind. Since that day, I gained a new level of respect for my mother. She altered my perspective by showing me that I have a voice, and that it doesn't matter how long it takes to fight, just that I keep fighting. Her strength helped me find myself over the years as a young woman. In the future I plan to work with NCIS in the Air Force, so I hope I am able to help another individual find their voice. I want to be what my mother was for me on that random day in May of 2016. In addition to this story, I want to thank you for allowing me to share my favorite memory with my mother. I am thankful, thank you!

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Growing up, I felt abnormal, like I was always sick; I was treated like fragile glass. It seemed like there was always an issue with my body. I was born two months premature, which led me to having breathing issues. I have asthma and I have bowel issues; they were the main obstacles during school. I remember that I would be eating lunch with my friends and instantly get hit with pain. It was intense to the point that I could not walk to the nurse's office. Reflecting back, I am not sure how I fight through them when they occur. Growing up, my bowel movements seemed to affect me more than my asthma. I state that my bowels had more of an effect on me due to me not wanting to eat during school. I remember periods where I would be taking many medications for my health issues. I would get anxious with how my body would react. Prior to high school, my anxiety was apparent; the anxiety did not come with my health issues, it added to it. I remember always being anxious in school, honestly anywhere that was not home. Being a child with these adversities was interesting, I am happy with how I am now. Though I am happy today, there were struggles that I faced every day. In elementary school, I would get anxious during tests, lunch, and switching classes. I would pace back and forth in the hallway without eating my food. It was concerning to the point where teachers approached me. When it comes to my asthma, I was not concerned about it until middle school. That is when I realized that I am not able to be as active as I would want to be. During class, I would feel like it was a struggle to breathe, which was abnormal. Now, I know what the issue was, my body was not used to it. Currently, as I am still a teen, I know that I will find new methods in the future. Though, I currently use a few techniques that are helpful. I notice that my anxiety lessens when I pray and when I am in a friend group. This allows me to relax my body and distract my mind. Another method that helps is breathing slowly; this is especially with my asthma. Regarding my bowel issues, there is no cure. I try to eat full meals so that my body can function properly. These adversities have caused me to miss school due to testing, pain, or precaution. During the first 12 years of school, I would be worried about these issues making an appearance. It got to the point where I would focus on my body and how it moved, instead of my work. Now, as a sophomore in a university, I am not scared of my body. Whatever it decides to do is okay, these issues occur more than once a month, and I am prepared. A mental method that helps me is that I have plans in life. I plan on graduating with a major in criminology and minor in forensic science. I will join the Air Force with this degree as an officer and work in the NCIS department. The plans that I have are not able to get done unless I do my part. Aside from my adversities, I want to thank you for the opportunity to share my health and my future goals with you.

Olivia Olibrice, that's who I am, someone who thought something was wrong with her. I honestly could not understand why I felt the way I did as a child. From the ages of 5-16, I felt anxious, depressed, and stuck. I vividly remember being anxious during lunch due to the crowd and social interaction portion. I knew that it was not normal, because before and during school, I would overthink every aspect of the day. My anxiety would cause me to fail assignments because I felt the need to overachieve. This longing to overachieve wasn't because I was studious, it was because I was anxious about failing. I did not properly comprehend the curriculum. After some time in school, the anxiety built up, and I began getting bullied. This introduced depression into my life. I despised school by the second grade. For years I suppressed these obstacles, but it enhanced itself. Through my years in elementary and middle school, I felt anxious and depressed, the only thing that helped was isolating and reading. These obstacles stuck with me during high school, but once again, they were enhanced. I would not leave my home unless it was for school, and I stayed in my room. I remember during my sophomore year, my brain randomly reminded me of the traumatic events that I’ve experienced. I have been hurt by people in many ways, after more mental issues appeared. The reminder of these events caused me to become paranoid for months, it bled into the next year. From 2023-2024, I became a paranoid person, I would not allow anyone into my circle. After some convincing, I allowed one person in, my best friend. I will forever thank the Lord for bringing her into my life. She allowed my problems to subside during school. After a few weeks, I met this guy and we had a liking for one another. During this time I was happy, but my mental health caused me to step back and give up. We ended up talking and realized that we were both mentally struggling. He has taught me to never let my mental health stop me, which I appreciate him for. After a few months, I had gotten surgery and began abusing the medication. I would take these high dosages of pills to sleep the day off. I was not happy enough to stay awake; this continued for about 3 months. After some time, I despised the feeling of waking up after a nap. The grogginess made me feel horrible and I began to hate school. I always hated the environment, but never the work. It was my senior year, and I was graduating early due to me moving. I chose to better myself because I would be a sophomore, but full-time college student (for the first time). During the moving process, I removed everything that was holding me back; including that guy who I was interested in. He had ended things with me a month prior, which hurt, but I knew the Lord had a new season for me. It has been a struggle to not fall back into my old ways. I have also found God again and I am excited to learn. I am the happiest that I have ever been, I have not been depressed in months. I still struggle with anxiety on some days, but I genuinely pray about it and control my breathing. As of right now, I am a sophomore at my university, and I am doing a 4 + 1 Criminology program. During these years in school, I plan on doing an internship at the NCIS department on base and becoming a lab assistant on campus. Once my time in school comes to an end, I want to join the Air Force. I will become an officer and work in the NCIS department. This is my career goal, but my life goal is to continue to be happy and better myself. Thank you for giving me the time to share my story, I appreciate it.

When hearing the name Olivia Olibrice, what do you imagine? Well, I will tell you, I am a black female who is a first generation American. If I am being honest, I have experienced underrepresentation my entire life. It was not until this year when I was able to be okay with the adversities I face. There will always be obstacles that I face, just because of my color, features, and hair. Prior to me sharing about the adversity I have faced, I will share about myself. I love films, I am in university, love God, have locs, and enjoy the color green. This may not be noticeable from just looking at me, but it is noticeable. My father is from Haiti and my mother is from Jamaica. It was difficult having immigrant parents, one would think this was because of a language barrier. This was the least of my worries, I focused on the fact that I was Haitian. Growing up, being Haitian was seen as bad. Every week individuals would bully my Haitian features and share how I was evil because Haitians practiced voodoo. This was true, they did indulge in this practice, but I didn't. I became embarrassed to be Haitian, to the point where I stopped sharing that part of me. Another issue were the friends, it was incredibly difficult for me to make friends with anyone; especially people of my color. It seemed to be even more complex with them, looking back at school was difficult. This obstacle caused me to become anxious and enjoy my own presence. After some years, I numbed myself to what I experienced. This issue did not bother me, because I knew where it stemmed from; me being of color. During my last two years, everyday there was a racist remark; especially towards women like me. I couldn't even walk into my school building without hearing a racist remark. Relating to this, the friends that I made would make fun of my color, even when we were the same shade. This was a confusing thing for me because I never saw the purpose in doing that. The behaviors of these teens caused me to stay alone. It was so concerning that I would hear about people wanting to be cordial with me but wouldn't because I am black. These events did not affect me until after my senior year, when I moved away. I know that adversity is everywhere, but it is tiring some days to be a female. Being a colored female feels like I'm constantly putting on a facade. I am continuously told to fit into social norms, and they're frustrated when I'm not.. I had to overcompensate for my emotions, or else I was seen as having an attitude. There are also instances where people will bluntly be racist and I wonder if they know it's hurtful. Now, I live in my truth, I am just as much of a human as the rest. Honestly, there was not much representation for someone like me. For me, I was called whitewashed or an “oreo.” As I am writing this and reflecting, these events made me feel belittled. There is still not much representation of how to navigate life with these adversities. It feels limited in many ways, but I'm happy with who I am. I plan to be a colored woman who displays the comfort of being different, while being respectful.

Were there any infatuations that you had as a child, like the news or the color red? Growing up, I did, honestly I still do. Hello, I am Olivia and I am a sophomore in college. I am majoring in criminology and minoring in forensic science, this was not always the plan. I planned on being a medical student, I wanted to become a pediatric oncologist. This career weighed heavily on my heart due to my family having a variation of cancer, along with me wanting to help. I wanted to find answers on why cancer was a thing. My entire goal was to help limit cancer, and I chose pediatric due to my love for children. Though my desire to become a Pediatric Oncologist lasted for many years, during my junior year of high school, I knew it wasn't for me. I ended up taking a forensic science class, and I fell in love with this science and the law. This was not my first exposure to these cases and the evidence along with it. I thought it was just something that I used as background noise. Growing up, I would find myself listening to shows like “Forensic Files” and researching cold cases. During my junior year of taking this science, I contemplated changing my major. After months of deliberating, during my senior year, I chose my current major and minor. When I changed my major, I realized that I can still help others and stop issues anywhere I go. So, with the degree that I will earn in 2028, I plan on helping individuals who are unfortunately in a traumatic event. My “Pie in the Sky” is that I want to provide a comfortable environment for victims (even a decedent). I want to make sure they are heard and seen. Every victim is not a decedent, and I want them to see themselves as survivors. Currently, I am doing a 4 + 1 Criminology Program, where I will graduate in three years. I have been taking college courses since my junior year, so I have had time to research life after school. For now, during my three years, I plan on taking the intended courses that are required for me to graduate. While I complete these classes, I plan on doing an internship with the NCIS department on the Navy base in Hawai’i. I also plan on working as a lab assistant for the forensic science department at my university. After being confident about my future career, I have done research on potential departments. I initially saw myself becoming a forensic technician, I am still open to this. Currently, I plan on joining the Air Force and becoming an officer. As an officer, I can work in the NCIS department on base. In general, it is incredibly difficult to choose one subject to study, especially since this establishes your career pool. It took years of pros and cons to establish which one to choose. In the end, I tossed the pros and cons aside, I chose my happiness. Imagining myself as a medical student made me happy, but I remembered the happiness I felt during my junior year. I was excited to read cases and do labs, I still feel that way as I take courses at my university. It is a surreal feeling to find something that you stay passionate about. I want to thank you for taking the time to read my essay and hearing me.

There are many chronic illnesses that a person could have, I have multiple conditions. I have conditions that are associated with my bowels, as well as my breathing. Though this is unfortunate, I am known that I am more than my chronic conditions. Currently, I am a seventeen-year-old sophomore in college, and I intend to make something of myself. I want to become a forensic scientist. Once I obtain my master's degree, I plan on joining the Air Force and working in the NCIS department. Growing up, I remember my mother explaining my health to me, but I never took it seriously due to the normality of it. It felt normal growing up with these conditions. Now, as I am almost an adult, I can recall many limitations that these conditions brought into my life. I noticed an issue when I began third grade. I would be at home and feel discomfort in my stomach, and my parents would provide me with medication that soothed me. The pain from my stomach increased once I hit fifth grade. During recess, at least two times a month, I would feel pain in my stomach that caused excruciating pain. I would have to crawl or get help from the nurses at school. This specific chronic condition causes me to experience pain in my stomach, become immobile, and to vomit. My other conditions relate to my breathing. The first breathing condition causes me to be unable to be active without gasping for air, and I cannot handle smells well. The second one causes me to stop breathing in my sleep. With these, I find myself gasping for air or regulating my breathing while awake. I noticed this since second grade, it was a quick realization, especially since I took medication for it since I was two. Though these chronic conditions took a toll on my life as a high schooler, it was not as straining as a child. My mother would explain my conditions to me and make sure I knew my medication, but she made sure I was still a child. From birth I've had breathing issues and a smaller respiratory system. I was born two months early, which resulted most of my breathing limitations. As a child, there were many tests, medication, and restrictions but I did not realize how intense it was until now. It became a regular part of my routine to the point where I knew what time each medication was taken. As I began middle school, I became more aware of the effects my medication had on me. I had to be responsible for the medication that my school had in their possession. I found it hard to always go to the nurse in between classes, so I put one in my locker. As I've stated prior, I am in college, so I have dealt with my conditions for almost two decades. With this time frame, one would assume I have mastered them by now, but no. That is completely false for me. Prior to school I ignored my health, now I take it seriously. It should have always been taken seriously, no matter what. Now that I am on campus, I find myself overcompensating for my health. I am more consistent with my medication. Though I have these limitations, I find myself making a future for myself. I do not let my conditions stop me from living; I played soccer and continue to beat the odds. I see myself being happy in life while also maintaining my conditions, trying consistently to reduce the inflammation that they cause.

Currently, I am 17 years old, and I am a sophomore in college. Though, there was a time when I had to put my entire being into my faith. The obstacle that I will share today has heavily affected my life, but I am happy that I went through it. Today, I know how to set boundaries, say what I need to, and I am more aware. From the ages of 15-16, I moved to South Korea, and it was definitely a change. I lived on base, but the people were different. A few weeks into moving here, I had made friends that seemed special to me. I had met my best friend, Jae, and a guy named Von. When I met Von, I had been open to making guy friends. Unknowingly, he had different plans, he became romantically interested in me. When I found out about this, I was open to getting to know him, especially since I liked him before becoming his friend. Prior to him confessing his interest, I walked with him and had an instant feeling. I immediately knew that him and I would be involved with one another, but we would never date. In the end, I was correct, December will make a year since I spoke to him. Through our time together, I felt a spark between us, I never felt like I needed to be different or rush into things. He was kind and was mostly honest, but he also had his flaws. He would be racist towards black people (we were of color), and he would hide his interest in me from others. After 6 months of this on and off treatment, I ended things with him due to the toll it took on my mental. It was the week after my birthday, I ended things and I had felt lost. Almost 2 weeks into my healing, I felt compelled to deepen my faith. I am a Christian; my faith is what got me through the summer. I genuinely believe that I would have went through a tragic path if I did not do this. In this healing, I would go on walks and pray, read the bible, listen to gospel, got into praise dancing again, and to improve my productivity. At that time, life was difficult, but it was worth it. I say this because, almost a year later I became friends with him again. During my healing, I forgave him and understood why he was the way he was. In November of 2024, we began a relationship again. During this reconnection, I was able to set boundaries, share my truth, and be okay with who I was. I believe I had the power to do these things because of the pain I experienced prior. Though we began talking once more, on December 21, 2024, we parted ways. I have not heard from him since that Saturday. The end of our relationship caused tears to form and walls to go back up. Now, I am back to being myself, thinking of the entire relationship does hurt me. It is more of a tender felling, I am hurt that we never had a decent chance, but I am happy with the good moments we had. Honestly, I am glad that I experienced this specific event. It allowed me to deepen my faith; I was able to see how peace felt and how good God is. I was able to know how I should operate and to never change who I am (if it is not beneficial to my mental health).

The population of the United States of America is large, and I am one of the many citizens there. Hi, my name is Olivia Olibrice, and I am an applying for this scholarship. I am a military child, first generation American, creative, and I have an interest in law enforcement. My mother is from Jamaica, and my father is from Haiti, they got married and had me in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Since a young age, I began moving to various states and exploring the world. Out of the country, I have traveled to Haiti, Jamaica, Canada, Korea, and Japan. In the U.S., I traveled to North Carolina, New Jersey, Delaware, Virginia, New York, Georgia, Hawai'i, South Carolina, Florida, Missouri, and Maryland. Due to my mother's career, I have traveled a large amount. I would consider these moves as lonely. I am an only child, so during my relocating periods, I would fill my time by watching crime shows and documentaries. From the age of six, I became interested in many cases. Moving while also watching these cases, allowed me to become understanding of individuals in certain cities. I believe that moving around will allow me to understand the differences in victims and how they react. The cases of JonBenét Ramsey and Elizabeth Short were my main focus in middle school. I found it concerning how people could be so cruel, careless, and bold. They have the confidence to just hurt and leave someone in such a disturbing state. Eventually, as I got older, I realized that I wanted to join the field of helping citizens similar to Elizabeth and JonBenét. I registered for a forensic science class during my junior year of high school. I genuinely fell in love with this class; I put most of my energy making sure I knew the information. I knew that this class benefited me because of me taking the time to learn a microscope. There were certain tools that were difficult to operate in that class, and I would ask for help. After some time, during my senior year, I decided to major in criminology and minor in forensic science. As of right now, I am a sophomore in college, and I still enjoy learning about this science. I am in school to get my master's degree. With this degree and expertise, I want to aid victims in cases by allowing them to feel heard. I want to analyze and gather details from a crime that will get justice. To me, justice is not always incarcerating the criminal, but to share the victim's/survivor's story. In my upcoming time in my field, I plan on being their voice and using my vision to my best ability.

A crucial issue facing the criminal justice system would be money. In multiple cases, we're able to view how one's income can alter the outcome of a case. Prime examples are JonBenét Ramsey, O.J. Simpson, and the Menendez brothers. If it were possible to view these cases with and without money, the end results would be drastically different. According to the article “Racial and Ethnic Disparities in the Criminal Justice System,” at least 26 states mandate some form of bias reduction training. Growing up, especially as a person of color, I've been aware that individuals are treated based on their profile. It is more common for people of a higher class to get their issues swept under the rug, rather than facing them. As someone who is studying in the criminal justice field, I plan on helping anyone, despite their life. Though it's tempting, I personally have morals. I would never accept cash from a despicable person. I have always had a desire to aid individuals in whichever field I was in. Now that I know that I want to work in the criminal justice field, it's clearer. As a future Criminologist, I would use my morals intensely. I would require my morals to be present in my workplace. When I am collecting evidence, speaking to others, and taking the stand, I will put in my all. I will not allow one's income to control my truth. If a guilty person is paying hush money, I will decline and take the risk so that others are heard. Victims, who are put in unfortunate scenarios, need to have individuals on their side, where I will be. During my junior year of high school, I decided to take a forensic science class. During those months in class, I fell in love with the criminal justice portion. I would do intense research for jobs, areas, and programs that were the best for criminal justice. During my senior year, I did dual enrollment, and I had taken a criminal justice class. It is interesting how there are different laws in states. I noticed how these laws may affect how many people will risk committing crimes, depending on their state. In the middle of my senior year, I did research on colleges that had the best programs for my future. I came across many schools, but three were catching my eye. When viewing this school, I searched for programs, internships, and how they are with graduates. This school has a beautiful program for criminology majors. There is a 4 + 1 program, internships, and a crime scene house. This school is also known to sit down with students and make sure that they have a secure job before graduating. I am glad that I found this university, it has the tools that I need to strive and better myself. As an incoming student, I feel prepared and hopeful for my time at Chaminade University. I have a clear path for my time there, and any obstacles seem manageable. Due to my passion for helping others and wanting their stories told, I am adamant on doing my best in college. Being in this specific field does not mean “another 9am-5pm job,” it is my obligation. I will sacrifice my time after work; I will give this field most of my time. My purpose would be to allow individuals to feel safe. In my years of reviewing cases, justice isn't always guaranteed. As long as people feel heard, cared for, and are taken seriously, then I have done my job. I do not want anything more than to be part of the few individuals who do not allow money to speak for them. I want to do my work as if I'm not given a salary. The system is already disturbed prior to me entering it, so I want to alter that. One's social class can dictate the outcome of an event; it has taken place on multiple occasions. It's unfortunate how money can control one's morals. As an upcoming criminologist, I will do my absolute best to never be a victim of hush money. After realizing how many individuals fail to protect us, I will do the opposite. I will be better, and I have done so by doing my research, taking opportunities, and being considerate of the future. I will be my own person and face whatever scrutiny is coming my way. I will allow individuals to be heard, feel safe, and get possible justice.