As a child, I became interested in climbing as the rock climbing wall was always one of my favorite summer camp activities. However, there was never an opportunity in my hometown to engage in climbing frequently nor was there an opportunity once I left home to go to college. Thus, once I moved to Arizona for graduate school, I was excited to learn that there was a rock climbing gym in town. My roommate made me aware of this gym and took me along to one of her climbing sessions, and it was amazing! Learning how to belay, testing out the boulder area, and discovering the most difficult top-rope route I could complete were fantastic experiences that fully ignited the flame of my rock-climbing enthusiasm. The more I went rock climbing the more I fell in love with the activity as it challenged me physically and mentally. I became more flexible, improved my mind-body coordination, and gained strength in ways I never knew were possible. I also started overcoming my fear of falling through practicing at the bouldering area, and I gained more trust in myself as l completed more dynamic and complex moves. I have been rock climbing at this gym for the last three years, on average once to twice per week, and the progress I have made has been so empowering. And luckily, since I am leaving the state to go to my internship this summer, there is also a gym in my new town! I will be going every weekend to maintain fitness and relieve stress from my clinical work. Overall, rock climbing is one of my favorite activities and I want to continue climbing for the foreseeable future. This scholarship will help me pursue higher education by helping me reduce the loans for my last year of graduate school. I have been in Midwestern's Clinical Psychology doctorate program for four years, studying and working to become a clinical neuropsychologist. Over these four years, I have accumulated over $200,000 in debt and will be expecting approximately $41,000 to be added for my final fifth year, exacerbated by a recent tuition increase. This amount of debt is staggering, and any amount of aid will tremendously assist in cutting it down. Thus, being able to reduce my loan balance by $2,000 through your generous scholarship will be a significant help both immediately and by reducing future interest. Thank you for your consideration, Sarah LaJaunie

The dream version of my future self will be working as a board-certified clinical neuropsychologist in a hospital helping those with traumatic brain injuries, cancer, and neurodegenerative diseases while also being actively involved in implementing systematic changes to reduce barriers to healthcare access.

I am Sarah LaJaunie, and I am a 4th-year Psy.D. student at Midwestern University preparing to start my internship year. When I am not working on my academic and clinical responsibilities, I love rock climbing, kickboxing, talking with my family, and trying new restaurants with my friends. Additionally, I am a strong advocate for mental health and social justice initiatives, which include (but are not limited to) reducing systematic barriers to healthcare access, protecting access to gender-affirming care within the healthcare field, and protecting human rights within federal and state laws. I also value giving back to the community and thus have organized several fundraising/donation drives to provide financial assistance and clothing to those affected by natural disasters, intimate partner violence, and unstable incomes. I plan on entering the field of neuropsychology, a journey that began in high school. Science was always my favorite subject throughout school, and thus I was enthralled by the chance to enroll in AP Psychology. This class ignited an insatiable curiosity for the science of the brain and behavior and presented an opportunity for a career that could combine scientific curiosity and helping others. I knew before the end of that class that I was going to become a psychologist, and by the time I applied for undergraduate school, I knew I wanted to specialize in neuropsychology. I wanted to continue learning about the complexities of the brain and how to help those who were struggling with neurological impairments. Through my graduate training, this desire has only strengthened, and I discovered firsthand how this branch of psychology can aid so many people. I am in awe of how neuropsychological testing can provide insight into the cognitive strengths and impairments of a person, and how that cognitive profile can narrow down potential etiologies of their diagnosis. I love that a neuropsychological report can be used to direct clients and their families to resources, advocate for the client's needs, and provide some answers and closure in a time of distressing unknowns. I am honored to be able to work alongside other healthcare/medical professionals in the treatment process of a client. I am excited to be able to contribute to research that strives to find cures for neurocognitive diseases like Alzheimer's, how to improve the prognosis for cognitive rehabilitation after brain injuries, and what needs to be changed systematically in our society to better aid those who require care due to having neurologically impairments. These opportunities to help, professional experiences, and scientific endeavors are why I choose to specialize in neuropsychology, and I am enthusiastic about what the future of this field holds.