I lost my aunt during the first year of my undergraduate degree. Unfortunately, she took her life after years of struggling with debilitating mental illness and borderline personality disorder. She was an amazing woman who taught me how to fight for what I believe in. I have strong memories of her teaching me how to make the best matzo ball soup, which I still make to this day. She was that "fun aunt" who knew how to play, have fun, and be silly when things got too serious. Her death was not a surprise to most. My mom was responsible for all of the arrangements after her death. She and my aunt were located in southern California and I was attending school in Washington state. I flew down to help my mom with notifying family members and taking care of my aunt's pets. This was a very hard adjustment during my freshman year. I was studying psychology at the time and have always had a significant interest in mental health. My aunt's death reinforced my passion for learning about mental health. I decided to become a peer health educator on campus to provide suicide prevention education to students and faculty. I was part of a team who created and distributed educational talks and documents about suicide prevention. This work was very rewarding and allowed me to focus on what I love - decreasing the stigma around mental health and educating others on improving their mental health. After graduating with my undergraduate degree in psychology, I worked in an inpatient psychiatric unit as a mental health associate. I ran therapeutic groups and milieu management for voluntary and involuntary patients. This work allowed me to see all the different aspects of an individual's mental health struggles. Seeing patients make positive improvements during their stay encouraged me to continue my work in mental health. I am now in the second year of my MSW program and am currently doing my practicum as a counselor at a cancer clinic. Helping improve the mental health of cancer patients, in every aspect of their treatment, has been an incredible learning opportunity thus far. I am so proud of how far I've come in my education and I know that my aunt would be proud of me too. I think of her often in the work that I do and I am grateful to her for all of the lessons and motivations that she has given me through my life.

I lost my aunt during the first year of my undergraduate degree. Unfortunately, she took her life after years of struggling with debilitating mental illness and borderline personality disorder. She was an amazing woman who taught me how to fight for what I believe in. I have strong memories of her teaching me how to make the best matzo ball soup, which I still make to this day. She was that "fun aunt" who knew how to play, have fun, and be silly when things got too serious. Her death was not a surprise to most. My mom was responsible for all of the arrangements after her death. She and my aunt were located in southern California and I was attending school in Washington state. I flew down to help my mom with notifying family members and taking care of my aunt's pets. This was a very hard adjustment during my freshman year. I was studying psychology at the time and have always had a significant interest in mental health. My aunt's death reinforced my passion for learning about mental health. I decided to become a peer health educator on campus to provide suicide prevention education to students and faculty. I was part of a team who created and distributed educational talks and documents about suicide prevention. This work was very rewarding and allowed me to focus on what I love - decreasing the stigma around mental health and educating others on improving their mental health. After graduating with my undergraduate degree in psychology, I worked in an inpatient psychiatric unit as a mental health associate. I ran therapeutic groups and milieu management for voluntary and involuntary patients. This work allowed me to see all the different aspects of an individual's mental health struggles. Seeing patients make positive improvements during their stay encouraged me to continue my work in mental health. I am now in the second year of my MSW program and am currently doing my practicum as a counselor at a cancer clinic. Helping improve the mental health of cancer patients, in every aspect of their treatment, has been an incredible learning opportunity thus far. I am so proud of how far I've come in my education and I know that my aunt would be proud of me too. I think of her often in the work that I do and I am grateful to her for all of the lessons and motivations that she has given me through my life.