A dark-haired 12 year old girl grips the edge of the counter, crying as she debates as whether or not to take her own life. She's considered doing this many times before; she was rejected from her biological family, neglected and sexually abused. When she was put into a foster home, she was abused by the other children in the home. She never saw herself as a unique individual whom someone loved. She only saw herself as a mistake that no one would want to have a relationship with. That girl was me. That time, I nearly succeeded in taking my own life. But, as I stood there alone, I realized that someone did love me and that they'd go through hell to make sure I was okay. They would always be there for me. I call her Mom. She's the person that saw who I really was on the inside and adopted me into her family so I could have a better chance at life. My depression has shaped my beliefs in different ways. For example, I used to believe there was no hope for me, that no one ever wanted me. Now I realize that my adoptive family loves me more than anything in the world. They're always there to listen to me when I need someone to talk to, and they're always there as a shoulder to cry on when I'm at my best. My mental health experiences thus far affected how I viewed teenage guys my age. Guys would give me attention, and I would feel great about it, but I always held back for the fear of getting hurt. But that belief has been thrown out the door and rejected. I have an amazing boyfriend who treats me like an angel and assures me that he loves me dearly. My mental health has also affected the way I have friends. I've always been scared of getting burnt by friendships; I've always had the fear that they wouldn't follow through. These days, I have a small group of wonderful friends that know me better than I know myself sometimes and are always there for me, no matter what situation may arise. I've chosen to become a worker in the realm of criminal justice; that choice was influenced by my mental health and past experiences. I believe that no criminal should slip through the cracks of our justice system, so I am determined to work hard in my job so that no one has to see the one who did a crime against them go free.

Living life as one of two children of a single mother has been a struggle and a blessing. It's hard to watch my mother have to not buy something simply because we don't have the money for it. There are things we used to be able to do, but since she became a single mom, life's struggles have been building. Due to my sibling and I graduating this year and her own pursuit of college, I've watched her try to juggle the stresses of being mom, college professor, graduate student, and foster mom to the children that come through our home. Life has been more stressful, but through it all, she never seems to give up. She somehow finds that small piece of hope to hang on to when the times get rough and the world is falling apart around her. I love my mom deeper every day as I learn from her how she manages to makes ends meet for us, even if it means that she's stressed out until the early hours of the morning, making sure papers are graded, that my sibling and I had a good day, and being there to hold either one of us as we cry and share the pains of that day. One particular situation I lived through after my mom lost her job was realizing we simply didn't have money for groceries that month. I remember in horror as I stayed up that night, thinking about how we would go on. When I woke up the next morning, I'd learned that my mom had connected with people who were generous enough to help us that month with groceries and with other things around my house. I still to this day don't know who those people were, but I'm indebted to them. When I grow up, if I ever become a mother, I wouldn't want to do it alone. I don't want other women to have to go through it either. So when I become an adult and well-established in my field, my desire is to help either single mothers who are struggling through life or help the children of those mothers so that they have some small piece of hope for life. My one idea for that would be to open a place for single mothers to come to where they can get truly beneficial advice for how to raise their child. My other desire would be to donate money to the centers that are already helping women raise their children or direct them somewhere else they can get help. I plan to be an attorney in the criminal justice field, and I would never in a million years dream of not helping out children that were in my own situation or single mothers that live through what my mom does every single day. Life as a child of a single mother has opened my eyes to how my situation could be worse than it is. Even though I may not have some of the privileges that come with two-parent homes, I know I'm truly blessed and have many things to be thankful for.