Both as an individual and as a student, my primary driving motivator to continue to learn and grow constantly is my desire to help others. I firmly believe that no one deserves to, or should feel misunderstood, or like they’re trapped and suffering entirely alone in the world. Everyone deserves a sense of community, companionship, and understanding no matter who they are, be it through family, friends, a therapist, or anyone else. Due to these longstanding beliefs and passions of mine, stemming both partially from my own personal experiences but also from a sense of altruism, I plan on dedicating my studies and life to a career in psychology, my biggest aspiration being to become a therapist that works with LGBTQ+ youth. I am a transgender man, and this aspect of my identity has shaped a large amount of my experiences, life, and views. I take great pride in being transgender, I love myself and I wouldn’t trade who I am for anything else in the world. However, I did not always feel this way. There was a time where I felt so incredibly ostracized and alone, with no words to put to how I felt on the inside nor a place i could go where I felt truly understood and accepted. It was unbearably frustrating growing up as a young boy who was viewed by all around him as a young girl no matter how hard he tried, and it greatly hindered my ability to make friends as a child. Once I grew older and learned that I wasn’t alone in the slightest, or the only person in the world that felt the way I do, it was as if a whole new world opened up before my eyes. When I first came out to my parents as transgender, it did not go very well at all. My father, although he is incredibly supportive now, did not accept nor did he even try or want to understand my identity at all. However, my mother, who has always been the most supportive and loving person in my life since the very day I was born, told me that she would always love me no matter what and that she wholeheartedly accepted me. That meant the entire world to me, just one person’s support was enough to help me brave through the face of the adversity that was my father’s unacceptance. It took my father a long time to come around, but I wasn’t alone. Not only did I have my mom, I met countless amazing people, therapists and friends both in and supporters of the LGBTQ+ community that acted as my beacons of hope in my darkest times, encouraging me to live on no matter what, and providing me a place to relish in true, shameless queer joy. It is because I know all too well how it feels to be alone and misunderstood, especially as a young queer person in an unaccepting environment in a world that seems like it’s always out to get them, I sincerely hope that someday, when I become a therapist, I can become that beacon of hope and support, a safe space for queer and trans kids that may be facing horrific treatment and unacceptance, to ensure them that there is nothing wrong with them at all and that they are never alone. This scholarship would assist me greatly in making my dream a reality, and propelling my studies and valuable education further so that I can someday save and change the lives of countless young members of the LGBTQ+ community for the better.