As a future clinical counselor and a student in the social work program at the University of Mississippi, I have the understanding that my assignment in this world, my duty to my community, is to serve and protect those around me. Not that I mind all that much, but serving others has always been something that came naturally to me. I never minded sharing my stuff or sitting with the kid crying on the playground until they were feeling better again. It gives me overwhelming peace to know that people in my company feel welcomed, appreciated, and cared for. I have done my fair share of volunteer work at various organizations including churches, nursing homes, food drives, etc. But the most rewarding thing for me when it comes to helping other people is knowing that my friends and family know they can always come to me and confide in me. I try to always have an understanding heart because I know we all have different stories, enduring different pain and suffering. I understand and have seen the trauma response that turns people to substance abuse. I also know that a lot of the time it is a generational pattern that people truly believe they cannot escape. I want to meet people where they are and help them find their desire to turn away from substance abuse or unhealthy coping mechanisms. The reason I am choosing to be a clinical counselor is because I want to be that person to help someone overcome childhood trauma or manage their mental health. I experienced some traumatic things myself when I was a child and I would have loved to have someone on my side advocating for me. We live in a world today that brushes mental health under the rug, a problem to be addressed in private. We shame people for abusing narcotics or alcohol, yet we do not dare recognize that we are a world full of broken people. Instead, we resort to showing our highlight reels where we are successful and living the best life we can. Because mental health is such a taboo conversation, people chose to suffer in silence to fit in with what society deems acceptable. Once I complete my education and start my career, I do not want to limit myself to a nine-to-five. I aspire to advocate and make a change, even if it is a minor one. I plan on researching for the entirety of my career. I believe in lifelong learning, and with the privilege of education that I possess, I plan to speak out about this extremely taboo topic. I hope to make an impact on my clients' lives and help them start their journey to recovery. I am not completely confident where I will end up but I do know that I will work with adolescents that have experienced any form of abuse, have lost their way, are experiencing any form of anxiety or depression, or just need a listening ear. This stage of development can be a vulnerable time, especially in our society today. Teenagers are experiencing challenges that could change the trajectory of their life forever. Hopefully, I will have the honor to step in and help each person that I work with understand that there is no such thing as “too far gone”.

Where do I even begin? My faith has had the most significant impact on my life. I grew up in a Christian household where we went to church every Sunday morning and Wednesday night. I have known God my entire life, but I did not surrender my life to Him until I was twelve years old. That might seem young to some or behind to others, but it was perfect timing for me. When I was a little girl, I was exposed to something an innocent five-year-old should never have to be exposed to. I did not understand at the time what was happening to me, nor the many years to follow when I questioned why something like this had to happen to someone like me. I am a survivor of child sexual abuse and please believe me when I say only God has provided me with healing and peace. He was the one who comforted me when I would lay face down on my face crying out to him because I had never felt so alone, so different. This secret was shameful and disgusting to me. I did not have the capacity to understand that it was not my fault, I did not ask for this to happen to me. I searched for something or someone to assure me that my life was worth living. I am currently an undergraduate at the University of Mississippi where I am pursuing my Bachelor’s degree in Social Work. I also aspire to go into the Master of Social Work program and obtain my clinical counseling license. I have plans to become a counselor for young children and adolescents who have experienced trauma and/or abuse of any sort. The decision to go into this career was one blessed by the Lord. I feel passionate about helping people who feel they are “too far gone”. I know that feeling, it is an incredibly dark place to be. I have this burning desire to help people see their full potential, that their life too is worth living. God has blessed me with the gift of compassion and empathy, and I do not want to use it if it does not bring Him glory. I hope to help people see that there is still light in this world. I am not naive in thinking that this career will be easy. The Lord walks alongside me in everything I do and I know that whatever I am faced with, he will enlighten me with what he wants me to know. He helps me when I am afraid of the evil in this world.

My name is Sarah Grace Jackson, and I am currently an undergraduate student at the University of Mississippi. I am the youngest of three siblings and have lived in the same small town in Mississippi my entire life. I enjoy all things outdoors and have always possessed a love for long-distance running. Call me crazy, but I find it therapeutic. I am currently pursuing my bachelor's degree in social work and then plan to go directly into a master's program for clinical counseling. Something you should probably know about me, if not anything else, I am someone who feels extremely passionate about people. Knowing the way people interact with others and respond to any sort of life event intrigues me like nothing else. Even in my childhood, I enjoyed people-watching. My favorite pastime was to sit on the playground and console those who I felt needed comfort. I humbly say this, because I never understood why I was this way until I understood that I was being the person for others that I so desperately wanted someone to be for me. I do not identify myself as a survivor child of sexual abuse because that is not who I am, however, it is a significant part of my story, something I do not have the power to change. It is the reason why empathy and compassion come so easily to me when corresponding with someone that is not too comfortable with sharing past trauma or even current situations. I understand the frustration that comes along with shame and worry. The idea of someone not accepting you because of what you have experienced can often be debilitating. I am not nor have ever been money driven. What drives me the most is knowing that I could one day have the privilege to help someone get beyond the feeling of being “too far gone”. If I receive this money, I plan to use it to help cover the cost of furthering my education. I have not always valued the privilege of education. It was not until I went into college that I realized that an education is something not everyone gets to pursue or even has the desire to do. I have been extremely fortunate to have the support and drive to pursue my degree. I aspire to get my clinical license so that I can begin my career. I am going to be a first-generation college graduate, and I feel so passionately about my education. Knowing that I will not only be able to make myself proud, I will also be able to make generations of family members proud. They have encouraged me to pursue my dreams and go for whatever I set my aspirations on. In the same way, my education will help me to do the same for someone else who might not have the same privilege that I have had my whole life.

As a future clinical counselor and a student in the social work program at the University of Mississippi, I have the understanding that my assignment in this world, my duty to my community, is to serve and protect those around me. Not that I mind all that much, but serving others has always been something that came naturally to me. I never minded sharing my stuff or sitting with the kid crying on the playground until they were feeling better again. It gives me overwhelming peace to know that people in my company feel welcomed, appreciated, and cared for. I have done my fair share of volunteer work at various organizations including churches, nursing homes, food drives, etc. But the most rewarding thing for me when it comes to helping other people is knowing that my friends and family know they can always come to me and confide in me. I enjoy sitting down with someone and allowing them to speak to me about whatever they are struggling with. The reason I am choosing to be a clinical counselor is because I want to be that person to help someone overcome childhood trauma or manage their mental health. I experienced some traumatic things myself when I was a child and I would have loved to have someone on my side advocating for me. We live in a world today that brushes mental health under the rug, a problem to be addressed in private. Because this is such a taboo conversation, people chose to suffer in silence to fit in with what society deems acceptable. Once I complete my education and start my career, I do not want to limit myself to nine to five. I aspire to advocate and make a change, even if it is a minor one. I would love to shine a light on the concerning issue of child sexual abuse. This is something that I plan on researching for the entirety of my career. I believe in lifelong learning, and with the privilege of education that I possess, I plan to speak out about this extremely taboo topic. I hope to make an impact on my clients' lives and help them start their journey to recovery. I am not completely confident where I will end up but I do know that I will work with adolescents that have experienced any form of abuse, have lost their way, are experiencing any form of anxiety or depression, or just need a listening ear. This stage of development can be a vulnerable time, especially in our society today. Teenagers are experiencing challenges that could change the trajectory of their life forever. Hopefully, I will have the honor to step in and help each person that I work with understand that there is no such thing as “too far gone”.

I have high ambitions for my future career. I am a first-generation college student and I am hoping to obtain my Master's degree in clinical counseling right after I finish getting my Bachelor’s degree in Social Work. I am currently a full-time student at the University of Mississippi and I am dedicating this season of my life to focus on my education. I decided that I wanted to go into counseling when I was a senior in high school. This was the time that I realized the importance of mental health and that I had never learned how to prioritize it in my own life. I began to struggle with a lot of childhood trauma at this point in my life and felt so alone like I would be a burden to someone else. I wanted to help others in a way that no one had ever helped me before. As I have worked on my healing journey, I am passionate about helping others do the same. Once I complete my education and start my career, I do not want to limit myself to my nine to five. I aspire to advocate and make a change, even if it is a minor one. I would love to shine a light on the concerning issue of child sexual abuse. This is something that I plan on researching for the entirety of my career. I believe in lifelong learning, and with the privilege of education that I possess, I plan to speak out about this extremely taboo topic. I hope to make an impact on my clients' lives and help them start their journey to recovery. I am not completely confident where I will end up but I do know that I will work with adolescents that have experienced any form of abuse, have lost their way, are experiencing any form of anxiety or depression, or just need a listening ear. This stage of development can be a vulnerable time, especially in our society today. Teenagers are experiencing challenges that could change the trajectory of their lives forever. Hopefully, I will have the honor to step in and help each person that I work with understand that there is no such thing as “too far gone”. My parents have been my main source of support through this journey. And while they cannot support me financially, they are there every step of the way. Receiving this scholarship will ultimately help me to continue my education. I have done my best to make grades that represent the importance of my education to me as a person. Any help I can receive helps me reach my goal and I truly aspire to get there debt free, if possible.