My carefree childhood spent jumping on my neighbor's trampoline, competing in gymnastics, and playing in the culdesac with my friends and siblings was rudely and abruptly interrupted when I was 13 years old. I didn't know it, but I was suffering from anorexia and obsessive compulsive disorder. It turns out the habits and thoughts that others thought were quirky were actually things that were making me miserable inside. I hid it well but eventually my mom started to notice and one day saw me getting dressed and instantly knew I needed help. Fortunately for me, after a few phone calls and consultations I started seeing a therapist. I spent a week in the hospital and missed a lot of school for most of my seventh grade year as I learned about my disorders, myself, and strategies to help myself. As I think about my future majoring in Education with a minor in Psychology, I see how my experiences fuel the contributions I want to make to the world as a teacher and educator. In my job as a gymnastics coach, I've had the chance to patiently encourage kids who were distressed, distracted, or discouraged because they couldn't perform a skill, were afraid, or simply missed their parent. I want to be a teacher because I think the daily presence and influence of someone who has had mental health struggles is so important to supporting students in the same situation with empathy. What I've gone through defines my path, not me.