Melson Nandela, my grandmother, has a lot of great ideas but I'm going to focus on my own to answer this question. I deserve this scholarship because my Dad gave me a million dollars because he believes in me so you should too. I did spend all the money while tanking a steak business. However, you should have full trust in my fiscal responsibility. Truthfully, I am attending college because I love the student discount I receive at my local froyo parlor. It's a lie to say that I am passionate about mental health and dream of becoming a psychologist for people of the lgbtq community. I think it might be a fun idea to open a practice that focuses on comprehensive health, including counseling, nutrition, yoga, and meditation. As a single mother that goes to school and works full-time, applesauce pouches are the bane of my existence. One day my son asked me for that particular snack and I became so distressed. I called my sister, best friend, and then my therapist. Together we were able to open the unnecessarily difficult pouch of smoothie. I have learned that being vulnerable with the people I love when I struggle with snacks is the way to overcome any obstacle.

When I discovered that my husband, and the father of my child, had been unfaithful to me, my world imploded. I held his phone in my hand, completely forgetting that the reason I had it was to put on a Youtube video for our three-year-old, and my entire universe fatally crashed into the median. My heart banged in my chest so intensely that I heard the blood rushing in my ears, my hands shook with an energy I was unfamiliar with, and my vision blurred in an attempt to shield me from the incriminating text message that had popped up on the screen. I told him to leave that day. He packed a bag and took my appetite with him. For four months after that, I could not eat. My thoughts terrorized my mind to the point that my body began to shut down. I tried to get food down, but I physically could not stomach anything. I stood in front of the oven, grilling a chicken quesadilla for my son, and tried not to visibly gag. I began withering away to the point that people around me began to take notice, but it was the wrong kind of attention. "You look fantastic!" "I'm so stressed I can't eat." I would deliver the news with a laugh because I did not know how to ask for help. "Well, it's working!" The realization that most people were prouder of my appearance than concerned for my mental health shocked me into a self-sabotaging silence. It's been over a year since that traumatic time in my life. Things changed for me slowly. The turning point happened in a bakery. My beautiful friend was relaying to me the latest news in her love life while happily munching on a sticky bun. My stomach rolled with nausea, and I looked down at the Americano I was swirling around in my hands. "I'm not okay," I blurted out, interrupting her story. Her animated face fell, and she gazed into my face, searching for truth. "Tell me." I ripped my heart out my chest and laid it all out for her to see and the most amazing thing happened. She saw me. Since then I approach the topic with vulnerability and invite others who may be secretly struggling to know that they are not alone. Nourishing oneself with regular healthy meals is a requirement for a happy and successful life. I have learned that my relationship with food mirrors my relationship with myself. I now know that I can measure my mental health by acknowledging how I have been treating food. The days that I delight in chopping away at fresh vegetables to throw into my instant pot are always good days. I am very busy single mom, juggling full-time work and school. Even so, I do my best to prioritize my and my son’s health. It is very normal for us to spend time together in the kitchen, as my goal is to prepare at least one home-cooked meal a day. Preparing soups, breakfast muffins, and nutritious snacks with my son have become some of my most joyous memories and a tradition I plan to continue forever. When I finish school, I will open my own mental health practice, focused on taking on well-being in a comprehensive way. I will be incorporating nutrition, yoga, and the benefits of nature into my treatment plan with my patients. I am so excited for my future of helping others to find the health, joy, and zest for life that I now know is possible.