I did not have the easiest life growing up. My parents were addicts who divorced when I was young. My stepmother was mentally and physically abusive. I had no idea who I was as a person. I did not know what made me, me. I was depressed, confused, and suicidal. I was constantly downgraded; called fat, stupid, and useless the entire time I was growing up. I was stuck in a terrible living situation in my mid-twenties and I distinctly remember taking the GED pretest, going home, and trying to tell my youngest son's father that my scores were really good, only to hear "Now she's never going to shut up about how smart she thinks she is". I stopped trying after that and began to believe that I was what everyone said or thought I was...stupid. My life was turned upside down a couple of years later when I was arrested for making a very big mistake. I spent 4 years in prison and learned a lot about myself while there and mended broken relationships with family members. Upon my release, I had an amazing support system and I realized that I had been given a second chance. So, I decided to enroll in college. Yes, I was an adult who had just obtained my GED while incarcerated. Yes, I was afraid I was not going to be smart enough or good enough. However, I knew that I needed to not only show my children that it was never too late to follow their dreams, but I also wanted to show other ex-offenders that it was not too late for them either. My dream is to make a difference in the lives of offenders who are recently released or about to be released from prison. I know how difficult it is to readjust to life outside of prison and I understand how important it is to have a proper support system to help reduce recidivism. These support systems can be anything from familial support to religious support, or even drug and alcohol counseling. When ex-offenders have people who care and things they care about themselves they realize that there is more to lose in life than just a few years of their life. That is why I am passionate about fulfilling my dream because I firmly believe everyone deserves a second chance in life. Everyone makes mistakes in life and no one should not have their entire lives defined by those mistakes.

When I was 26 years old I was in a rough place. I was living in an abusive household with my 3 children. I was stuck financially because I could not afford to move and support my children and was stunted emotionally from years of untreated mental health problems. During that time period, I made a few mistakes that lead to my being arrested. I was incarcerated in 2009 when my children were aged 5, 11 months, and 1 month old. I was sentenced to 4 years at The Ohio Reformatory for Women. While I was incarcerated I lost custody of my children, I never saw them while I was there and it was better that way. During those 4 years, I had no one to take care of but myself. So, I began seeing a mental health professional, started getting involved in programs that the prison offered, and slowly began to learn who I was as an individual and not just who everyone expected me to be. Being away from my children and family was difficult but if I am being honest I needed those 4 years away because I learned to be independent and how to be my own person. I made a lot of close friends during that time and met my wife who has shown me every day that I am loved and supports me emotionally. I have been released for 9 years now and I have a great support system and an amazing relationship with my children and family. It is because of this that I decided to attend Southern New Hampshire University and major in Psychology with a Concentration in Forensic Psychology my goal is to become a forensic case manager; to help those recently released or about to be released from prison obtain support systems. Everyone deserves a second chance and with the proper support the chance of reoffending decreases. I want to help them gain that support so they know that a mistake does not have to define the rest of their lives and that they can become well-adjusted members of society.