Ever since a young age, I've wanted to take my life, and I've made myself sit through pain day in and day out. There was a time when I always cried myself to sleep and filled my mind with depressing and negative thoughts. I felt like there was no one here for me, and my anxiety never let me reach out for help, but I made sure I always appeared happy and fine! Being this person who was always happy and doing good in life, I made tons of friends and had become that friend that everyone came to when they needed someone to talk to and someone to listen to them. Being that friend, I felt like I had no one to turn to. Not knowing who I could reach out to every day/night, I started talking to God. I've danced for the church and gone to church every now and then, but I've never truly had a relationship with God. I started praying, reading bible verses, and writing every day. Now I'm not only talking to him when I have problems, but to thank him, and when I just want to talk. I never thought I would take that step forward in building a relationship with God. I believe now that God has a plan for me. A plan that I needed to take steps forward on my own. Being so distracted, I wasn't focused; I never thought about my future and what I wanted to do with my life. Bettering mental health shaped my future goals. I didn't have anything going for me because I didn't have the motivation to do anything, but I had volleyball; it was the only place I had peace. Therefore, I focused my goals around this. I wanted a career in the athletic world. I decided that I would go for a kinesiology degree when I got to college. Having been in the place of poor mental health, I want to provide others with as much mental health care and support as I can in my future profession, or even with classes leading up to my profession. In my future profession, I want to be a Physical Therapist. In this line of work, people evaluate and record patients' progress. They handle helping injured or ill people, improve movement, and manage pain. I have seen many people who are trying to recover from an injury doubt their abilities to improve, or people feeling bad for themselves and talking down on themselves, saying they're worthless and useless because they cannot provide for themselves in the process of trying to regain ability, or just simply trying to get better. When I am in the field, I want to offer positive self-talk sessions to people who feel as if they are struggling with their mental health because of their injury. I will have classes for people who either need to know that they are not alone or who just need to vent to someone, and have someone encourage them through the process. Having people who are in your situation who are improving to their original state can be motivation. I want to have an environment where not only is their body getting the treatment it needs, but the person as well is getting the attention they need for their mental health. I've built a healthier environment for myself mentally, physically, emotionally, and spiritually. I'm in college, I got my associates in high school, I'm on track to get my bachelors with a 3.8gpa. I have better relationships not just people, but with God as well.

Going into high school, I didn't have anything going for me because I lacked motivation and never thought about "What's Next". The only thing I had was volleyball; it was the only place where I found peace. Therefore, I focused my life around this and school. Junior year of high school, coming up on my senior year, I needed to start thinking about what my next steps are, for my major in college, what I wanted to do, and what I wanted to accomplish in life. Thinking about volleyball and how that's all I focused on outside of school, I knew a career in the athletic world would be best for me. I decided that pursuing a degree in Kinesiology would be the right choice. Having been in the place of poor mental health since I became a teen, I want to provide others with as much mental health care and support as I can in my future profession, or even with classes leading up to my profession. In my future profession, I want to be a Physical Therapist. In this line of work, people evaluate and record patients' progress. They handle helping injured or ill people, help improve movement, and manage pain. I have seen so many people, including family and friends, who were trying to recover from an injury doubt their abilities to improve, or people feel bad for themselves and talk down on themselves, saying they're worthless and useless because they cannot provide for themselves in the process of trying to regain their abilities, or just simply trying to get better. When I am in the field, I want to offer positive self-talk sessions for people who feel as if they are struggling with their mental health because of their injury. I will offer classes for individuals who either need to know they are not alone or simply need to vent to someone and have someone encourage them through the process. Having people who are in your situation and are improving to their original state in the same vicinity as you can be a source of motivation. I want to have an environment where not only is their body getting the treatment it needs, but the person as well is getting the attention they need for their mental health. I want to have a long-lasting impact on not just my patients' bodies, but their mental health as well. Black physical therapists make up roughly 5% of the total workforce; black women make up 3.5-4% of that 5%. I want to be a part of that and take care of everyone. I want to be part of the representation for the 13% of women who work in healthcare. I want to inspire the next generation in my field by showing them how important it is that, everywhere a person goes, they want to see someone of their ethnicity, so that they can have a role model and feel 100 times safer with someone who looks like them. Growing up, everyone has/wants a role model to look up to. Telling them about how so many people in the BIPOC community go underrepresented and how they will be changing every life for generations after them.

Growing up, my mom was a single mother, so she and my grandma raised me. After my mother had me, she returned to college, earned her bachelor's degree, and then obtained her master's degree online. Seeing my mom accomplish that made me want to do the same thing. It gave me a small boost to want to go that far in life as well. This was the inspiration I needed to figure out what I wanted in life. I knew if she could go so far in life, not having it easy at all, it made me question how far I could go in life, and it made me believe that I could go far in my career choices as well. I didn't have anything going for me because I lacked motivation, but I had volleyball; it was the only place where I found peace. Therefore, I focused my goals around this. I wanted a career in the athletic world. I decided that pursuing a degree in Kinesiology would be the best choice for me. Having been in the place of poor mental health, I want to provide others with as much mental health care and support as I can in my future profession, or even with classes leading up to my profession. In my future profession, I want to be a Physical Therapist. In this line of work, people evaluate and record patients' progress. They handle helping injured or ill people, help improve movement, and manage pain. I have seen so many people, including family and friends, who were trying to recover from an injury doubt their abilities to improve, or people feel bad for themselves and talk down on themselves, saying they're worthless and useless because they cannot provide for themselves in the process of trying to regain their abilities, or just simply trying to get better. When I am in the field, I want to offer positive self-talk sessions for people who feel as if they are struggling with their mental health because of their injury. I will offer classes for individuals who either need to know they are not alone or simply need to vent to someone and have someone encourage them through the process. Having people who are in your situation and are improving to their original state in the same vicinity as you can be a source of motivation. I want to have an environment where not only is their body getting the treatment it needs, but the person as well is getting the attention they need for their mental health. Everything that I've experienced so far has led me to this career and helped me push myself to achieve this career. Knowing that I can help people in some of the most important aspects of life gives me just as much drive as anything to go into physical therapy as my career and create something beautiful.

I've been a fan of Billie Eilish since I was entering middle school, and now I'm in my second year of college. Billie's music has always spoken to me, in my lowest point of life, and even now in my recovery for my mental health. All of her music speaks to me, but my top three, at the moment, in no specific order, would have to be "listen before I go", "xanny", and "everything I wanted". Listen before I go, was one of the first songs I've heard from Billie Eilish. This song resonated with me so deeply because it explained how I was feeling perfectly. The way she sang the song and the way the lyrics were well-crafted, I immediately resonated and made this song the song I've had on repeat for years. This song was a song I played when I imagined myself writing notes for my passing or telling my loved ones I wanted to leave. The song has never failed to make me cry and realize how I truly feel; to this day, it reminds me of how far I've come in life. The next song is Xanny. This song speaks to me so much because I was always that friend who either never went to parties or went to parties and did absolutely no smoking or drinking. I was never the type to go to parties and act a fool while being high or drunk, and I was always the designated driver because everyone knew I was never picking up a bottle or bringing any pill/drugs to my lips. The chorus of this song is me; I was never not exposed to secondhand smoke when I was around certain people. I also had to bring a drink because 9 times out of 10, there weren't any non-alcoholic drinks, so I was always drinking some form of canned soda. I had to take all of my friends home because I was the only sober one. I still have no idea about the so-called wonders of getting stoned, high, or drunk. The last song, but not least, is Everything I wanted. This song was also one of the first I've heard from Billie Eilish. This song reminded me of how I was feeling. This song to me is like how Listen before I go is to me. I used to have dreams of me dying in different ways, and one of them was drowning, because I felt like that was one big way to allow yourself to pass. I also saw how people would be if I had died. This song represents that for me. Just like in the song, for me it was a dream, but for anyone who cared, it was a nightmare. This song summed up everything for me, everything I was thinking/dreaming about. Just like the first song I mentioned, hearing this song and knowing how much I used to resonate with it shows me how much I've grown and how much my mental health has gotten better. Billie Eilish songs to me will always be one of my favorites, if not my all-time favorites, no matter what. From her first songs to her new album, I love them all. Her songs speak to me in a way no other songs have, and I will always have love for Billie Eilish songs!

My mother is one of the main reasons I want to go so far in my career. She has supported and defended me in ways that I appreciate times a hundred. She had me when she was around my age, a senior in high school, so she had to grow up fast and raise me. Things were tough but she did a wonderful job. She went back to college a while after having me and got her bachelors degree and her masters degree, started working for the state and she started her own business. Being able to know she came up from how she lived as a young kid, motivates me to be the best version of me I can and why I continue to be the person I am today and why I believe I can truly accomplish anything I put my mind to. I wouldn’t have gotten my associate degree by the end of high school if I didn’t look up to her getting her master degree, I wouldn’t be in college pushing to get my bachelors degree, if it wasn't for her. Knowing her struggle and knowing she came up from that and is living life and raising two kids and being able to not let her childhood affect the way she is and doesn’t stop her from growing and achieving things that may have looked out of reach when she was younger, is amazing. The way she builds me up and is trying to give me the life I need to achieve beautiful things in life. She's given me so may life lessons that I can incorporate in my everyday life. If awarded the scholarship, I would use it as an opportunity to enhance my education, deepen my knowledge, and build a foundation for a meaningful career. By pursuing higher education, I could gain the knowledge and skills needed to get past challenges in my career. Beyond academic knowledge, I would focus on developing personal and professional skills, such as leadership, communication, and critical thinking, which are crucial for success in any field. The financial support would ease the burden of tuition and allow me to concentrate on my studies and long-term career aspirations, rather than worrying about financial constraints. Ultimately, I would use the scholarship to build a future where I cannot only achieve personal success but also contribute positively to society by solving problems and creating opportunities for others.

Ever since a young age, I've wanted to take my life and I've made myself sit through pain day in and day out. There was a time when I never not cried myself to sleep and filled my mind with depressing and negative thoughts. I felt like there was no one here for me and my anxiety never let me reach out for help, but I made sure I always appeared happy and fine! Being this person that was always happy and doing good in life I made tons of friends and had become that friend that everyone comes to when they needed someone to talk to and someone to listen to. I would be the friend they come to. Since this happened I thought I wouldn't open up because I wanted to be that friend for them. I couldn't keep going like this yea after year and I had to get a therapist, this is when my goals started to form and I began to grow in ways I didn't think I would. Not knowing who I could reach out to everyday/night I started talking to God. I've danced for the church and went to church every now and then, but I've never truly had a relationship with God. I started praying and reading bible verses and writing what I think they meant everyday. Now I'm not only talking to him when I have problems, but when I have questions, or when I just want to talk. I never thought I would take that step forward in building a relationship with God. I believe now that God has a plan for me. A plan that I needed to take steps forward to on my own. Since I was so distracted and couldn't focus I never thought about my future and what I wanted to do with my life. Working on my mental health shaped my future goals. I didn't really have anything going for me because I wouldn't have motivation to do anything, but I had volleyball, it was the only place I had peace. So therefore I focused my goals around this. I wanted a career in the athletic world. I decided if I go to college, which I had to, I would go for a kinesiology degree. Having been in the place of poor mental health, I want to provide others with as much mental health care and support as I can in my future profession, or even with classes leading up to my profession. In my future profession I want to be a Physical Therapist. In this line of work people evaluate and record patients' progress. They handle helping injured or ill people, improve movement and manage pain. I have seen many people who are trying to recover from an injury doubt their abilities to improve or people feeling bad for themselves and talking down on themselves saying they're worthless, and useless because they cannot provide for themselves in that process of trying to regain ability or just simply trying to get better. When I am in the field I want to offer positive self-talk sessions or people who feel as if they are struggling with their mental because of their injury I will have classes for people who either need to know that they are not alone or if they just need to vent to someone, and have someone encourage them through the process. Having people who are in your situation that are improving to their original state can be motivation. I want to have an environment where not only is their body getting the treatment it needs, but the person as well is getting the attention they need for their mental health. Now I have my own person that I can go to when I need to, I have friends that I'm not only looking out for, but friends that are also looking out for me. I've built a healthier environment for myself mentally, physically, emotionally, and spiritually. I've been accomplishing my goals one by one, at this moment in time I'm in college I got my associates in high school and I'm on track to get my bachelors with a 4.0 gpa. I have better relationships with not just people, but with God and I am proud to say I understand now and I'm ready to see what my life has in store.

Ever since a young age, I've wanted to take my life and I've made myself sit through pain day in and day out. There was a time when I never not cried myself to sleep and filled my mind with depressing and negative thoughts. I felt like there was no one here for me and my anxiety never let me reach out for help, but I made sure I always appeared happy and fine! Being this person that was always happy and doing good in life I made tons of friends and had become that friend that everyone comes to when they needed someone to talk to and someone to listen to. I would be the friend they come to. Since this happened I thought I wouldn't open up because I wanted to be that friend for them. Going into high school I couldn't take it anymore and I blew up, and I had to get a therapist, this is when my goals started to form and I began to grow in ways I didn't think I would. Not knowing who I could reach out to everyday/night I started talking to God. I've danced for the church and went to church every now and then, but I've never truly had a relationship with God. I started praying and reading bible verses and writing what I think they meant everyday. I never thought I would take that step forward in building a relationship with God. I believe now that God has a plan for me. A plan that I needed to take steps forward to on my own. Since I was so distracted and couldn't focus I never thought about my future and what I wanted to do with my life. Working on my mental health shaped my future goals. I didn't really have anything going for me because I wouldn't have motivation to do anything, but I had volleyball, it was the only place I had peace. So therefore I focused my goals around this. I wanted a career in the athletic world. I decided if I go to college, which I had to, I would go for a kinesiology degree. Now I have my own person that I can go to when I need to, I've built a healthier environment for myself mentally, physically, emotionally, and spiritually. I've been accomplishing my goals one by one, at this moment in time I'm in college I got my associates in high school and I'm on track to get my bachelors with a 4.0 gpa. I have better relationships with not just people, but with God and I am proud to say I understand now and I'm ready to see what my life has in store.

As someone who has had to deal with the struggle of poor mental health, I want to provide others with as much mental health care and support as I can in my future profession, or even with classes leading up to my profession. In my future profession I want to be a Physical Therapist. In this line of work people evaluate and record patients' progress. They handle helping injured or ill people, improve movement and manage pain. I have seen many people who are trying to recover from an injury doubt their abilities to improve or people feeling bad for themselves and talking down on themselves saying their worthless, and useless because they cannot provide for themselves in that process of trying to regain ability or just simply trying to get better. When I am in the field I would contribute to this problem by offering positive self-talk sessions or people who feel as if they are struggling with their mental because of their injury I will have classes for people who either need to know that they are not alone or if they just need to vent to someone, and have someone encourage them through the process. Having people who are in your situation that are improving to their original state can be motivation. I want to have an environment where not only is their body getting the treatment it needs, but the person as well is getting the attention they need for their mental health.