As I near my five-year anniversary as a Correctional Officer, I often reflect on the dedication I have made to making a meaningful impact and serving my community. My commitment originates from a deeply personal mission; where I watched my mother overcome adversity and desired to break generational cycles for the betterment of my own family. Through this journey, I recognized a need for a transformation in the community at large. My first steps into public service began with the desire to emulate the success of my family members who had forged long, fulfilling careers in criminal justice. As I entered this world, I began to recognize that the justice system, specifically in corrections, desperately needed a new approach. Rather than merely punishing surface-level behaviors, it was clear to me that delving into the root causes that lead individuals down destructive paths was necessitated if the rehabilitation mission were to be successful. This realization began my journey into spirituality and psychology as possible interventions to recidivism and criminal behavior. I have seen firsthand, both in my own life and in the lives of the offenders in my charge, the profound impact of trauma on individuals in our community. Many incarcerated people share traumatic experiences in common: moments and milestones that shaped their mindsets and behaviors as adults and ultimately hinder their chances of success. Where the current penal system perpetuates a cycle of punishment that further encourages offenders to crime by limiting their opportunities for growth, I am dedicated to reshaping that cycle by addressing the underlying trauma. Unique insights can be gleaned from our own experiences with trauma, and I am no different. I understand the challenges individuals can face in overcoming these experiences; for myself I lived with a sense that I was not valuable unless I was achieving. I witnessed my mother, too, survive trauma, yet exhibit great resilience and determination in the face of this adversity. While she has been my inspiration, I sometimes feel a distinct sadness to see the way her pain is still her primary motivator. Both because of and in spite of this, I have resolved to remain empathetic, connecting with those within the correctional system not just as an enforcer of rules but as a catalyst for positive change. My career goals are centered around expanding my impact in the correctional setting beyond the confines of providing security and order. I aspire to transition into a role where I can implement trauma-informed mental health programming within the rehabilitation system, even if that means a hard-won battle to bring attention to a service that has not been fully accepted as being necessary. I will need to bridge the gap between my security and safety awareness with my knowledge and practice in the field of psychology. I envision a shift towards an approach to rehabilitation that empowers individuals to truly confront the past that is affecting their present, fostering change that resonates inside of institutions, as well as in the community at large.