As cliche, as it sounds a lesson that I’ve learned from martial arts and have applied to my life, is patience. Patience is the key to living a peaceful life, rather than getting upset by not understanding the troubles at hand, it's better to take a deep breath and calm your mind as well as yourself before trying again. Nothing is ever done properly in a rush, just because you’re fast doesn’t mean you’re good. Patience is used in all the techniques of learning, whether it was a sport, a hobby, or especially a new lesson at school. Another lesson martial arts has taught me is perseverance. At the dojo I practice at, along the wall, there are six words hung up and the first one on there is perseverance. Starting something new can be tricky, you feel awkward and out of place but pushing yourself to keep going and working toward your goal is important. Ive used this lesson most recently as I just started at a new school. Transitioning from seeing people that I know every day to a completely new environment with no one familiar with was hard, but every day I went I talked to someone new and tried to make new friends. In the end, these lessons stick with you as you continue to grow and change as a person. They eventually become a part of you and help define you as a person.

My name is Noor Abu-Rus, and I am currently a freshman at Eastern Michigan University. I am currently pursuing a bachelor’s degree in Clinical Psychology to complete my Pre-Psychologist qualifications. After undergraduate school, I plan to transfer to the University of Michigan Ann-Arbor to earn my Master’s Degree as well as my Doctoral Degree. I chose this area of study because as a person who has struggled a lot with their mental health, I wanted to understand the causes and effects of the thoughts that people experience. I have always been fascinated by the way people choose to act, react, and what causes those actions. My goal is to become a Clinical Psychologist, primarily to help de-stigmatize the shame and disparities around mental health within the Arab American community. I was born and raised in Dearborn Michigan, where the population is primarily Arab Americans. As of 2019, only 19.2% of Americans received any mental health treatments, of the 19%, an even smaller percentage identify as Arab Americans. These same people then end up continuing their lives often feeling like there is no end to this cycle. During my senior year, my final research project was about mental health issues among Arab American teenagers, which spiked my interest in this career field. It mainly targeted the high school students within the Crestwood School District in Dearborn Heights, Michigan. The main point of the research was to see whether other descendants of Arab Americans had felt the same performance pressure, stress levels, and emotional levels. Using an anonymous google doc, I was able to track the stress and emotional levels of my peers for two sold weeks. The results were different than what I had expected. Many had stated that they felt constant pressure from their parents to perform a certain way and often reported they didn’t know anyone they could talk to. One of the preliminary questions on the survey asked if they had previously been to therapy and almost all the answers were no. At the end of the survey after having the ability to ‘rant’ anonymously, one of the final questions asked if the participants would consider signing up for therapy and the answers changed significantly. From ‘no(s) and not interested’, to ‘yes’ and ‘ they’re willing to speak to their parents. Reading these responses made me feel better as a person and that's when I realized that I truly wanted to help people and let them know that there is always someone out there for them to talk to when they feel down. I plan on using my education to continue studying the different ways mental health issues can be resolved or decreased within the Arab American society without falling into the stigmatization and pre-made assumptions. My goal is to one day open my own clinic and offer affordable help for everyone seeking it. Receiving this scholarship would not only help me continue and further my education in this field, but it would also give me the chance to help and contribute to the destigmatization of mental health within Arab American society.

1). I deserve this scholarship because I need pocket change to carry around. 2). I aspire to study and get my degree but never use it and marry rich instead. 3). An obstacle I've overcome was successfully grabbing the remote from the table without moving from the position I was in.