Young women are the future of our planet. Women serve a pivotal role in the social changes of our world. Unfortunately, women have often been denied the opportunities to make a full impact. However, the resilient women of the past have made it possible for the women of the present to leave their mark. Each and every day, women are persevering through the obstacles society has put in place for us. Acquiring knowledge provides you with a power that no one can take from you. Today’s women are given a fairer chance to pursue education than the women before them. It is with great honor that I say I am one of these women. I am grateful for the women who preceded me that made my dream of obtaining an education possible. I am going into my sophomore year at South Dakota State University. Here, I study the field of psychology. Along with a psychology major, I am pursuing a minor in mental health services. I hope to obtain my master's degree in psychology to become a licensed therapist. Women’s rights and mental health awareness are two things that are finally starting to receive coverage, in our society. I am passionate about shedding light on these two topics. Many people suffer from mental health issues, whether they be chronic or acute. I believe that everyone deserves to live a happy life. Women are often underrepresented in many career fields. Due to this lack of representation, young women can experience fear of chasing their dreams. I want to show other women that their dreams are achievable. The STEAM fields offer a wide array of potential studies. I have always been drawn to working with mental health. I enjoy the creative aspect of the STEAM field. I hope to help serve the public through innovative techniques. My goal is to reduce the stigma surrounding mental health issues and show other women they can pursue higher education. I hope to advocate for accessible mental health services and women’s rights to education. Opening the minds of our society will lead to a more inclusive and kind approach to living life. We all have the chance to make the world a better place. Every positive change, no matter how big or small, offers benefits. I want to provide others with a sense of inspiration to become the best versions of themselves. As we push for women's and men's equality, we can reach a point of unity. We are all stronger together.

From a young age, I have been interested in working with people. I have always been drawn to the medical field. At that young age, I had no idea of all the possibilities the medical field offered to help others improve their health. Time passed and I began to understand different areas of medical practice. I thought to myself, I could do anything. I could work with young people or old people. I could work with the heart, brain, or lungs. There were endless opportunities. I knew that I wanted to work with children, so specializing in pediatrics was a goal for me. I still had not fully settled on a specific specialty. I was a bit undecided, that was until my sophomore year of high school. A friend expressed to me that she thought I would make a good counselor. Soon after she said that the girl next to her told me that she agreed I would make a good counselor. This would lead me to do much research on jobs in the mental health field. I was instantly intrigued to learn more and create a career path in this field. Listening to others express their feelings and helping them sort through them had always instilled a sense of purpose within me. I began telling people I wanted to be a psychologist. Surprisingly, many people met me with discouragement. The main reason people shared when I would ask why they opposed was that working in mental health is difficult. Soon after this, the COVID-19 pandemic was in full effect. I realized just how difficult maintaining good mental health can be. Many people began to share the struggles they were experiencing via social media. I still really enjoyed the possibility of becoming a mental health professional. When school was back in session, our class had a medical student speak to us about what school was like for him. He mentioned genetic counseling. This piqued my interest, and I began looking into this career. After some thought, I decided to take the route of becoming a genetic counselor. I initially intended on majoring in human biology. When I discovered I could major in psychology and still become a genetic counselor, I decided to major in psychology. I began my first year at South Dakota State University in the fall of 2022. This time in my life was filled with much excitement and eagerness for my future. I had an appointment with my academic advisor, in which I was enrolling in classes for next fall. She informed me that my schedule was off track, and I would have to take a chemistry course over the summer. This made me question myself if I was truly on the right track. I spent much time thinking and discussing with those close to me if this was the right choice for me. After some time, I decided that it was not the right choice. I wanted to become a therapist, instead. Everyone has the right to happiness. My goal is to help patients reach a place of happiness and provide them with strategies to stay in that place. I want to provide a sense of hope for patients. Sometimes instances that bring hardship can cultivate growth. I will chase my dream for my family, my friends, and my future patients. I hope to advocate against the stigma surrounding receiving help for mental health. Every person matters, and together we can make the world a happier place.

Since the age of ten, I have known that I want to work in the healthcare field. My parents have always been my biggest supporters. Not a day went by where they did not encourage me to chase my dreams and stop at nothing to get there. In the times I doubted my intellectual abilities, they reassured me that it is possible to accomplish my goals. Neither of my parents attended college and always wanted my younger brothers and me to have the opportunities they did not. Due to their support, I have strongly emphasized obtaining a higher education. I had support from teachers as well; my chemistry teacher in particular helped me greatly. She made me realize my love for science, even further. She received her doctorate degree. This demonstrated her determination for her students. She truly believes in the capabilities of her students. She helped me see that my goals are possible and that with dedication I will achieve them. I am currently a freshman at South Dakota State University. I am very grateful to be attending college to receive a bachelor's degree. I have dreamt of this for many years. I am studying psychology to become a therapist in the future. I would like to work in the pediatric specialty. In recent years, there has been a push to destigmatize mental health disorders. I am passionate about the topic of mental health, as I have had friends and family members affected by mental health. I hope to advocate for mental health patients and their families, mental health services, and mental health research. My tie to the healthcare field recently became stronger than ever. On Christmas eve of 2022, my younger brother was diagnosed with type I diabetes. He said he was feeling unwell and decided to stay home from school. My dad took him to the local clinic. My brother left thinking he just had a virus. On December 23rd, he told my parents he was feeling worse. The next day they drove to a bigger hospital. My dad called me later and told me that the doctors wanted to keep my brother in the hospital overnight because they thought he had diabetes. At that moment, it felt like my world stopped spinning. My little brother having diabetes was a sentence I never expected to hear. I remember thinking that my sixteen-year-old brother should not have to worry about this. My family kept in touch via phone as we traveled to him. He was flown to Avera McKennan, later that day. I was filled with questions, as I had not known anyone with diabetes. However, there was one thing that I knew, and that being I was always going to support him. With time, my family and I learned how to help manage his condition. Things started to feel less scary; we started to adapt. The hospital staff was amazing, and they helped us with everything we needed. I saw how much a healthcare professional can help someone. This event made me confirm my dream to work in healthcare. I want to work in mental health services to provide assistance and hope for patients. I realized that sometimes moments that bring hardship can cultivate growth. I will chase my dream for my family, my friends, my future patients, and most importantly for my brother. Throughout his time in the hospital, he kept a positive attitude. I will forever admire his strength and his story motivates me every day. I hope to instill a similar sense of hope in people through my future career.