If my year had a soundtrack from 1989 it would be “Welcome to New York”, except it would have to be changed to “Welcome to Florida”. I moved to Florida all by myself from Canada in August of 2023 for my doctorate degree in clinical psychology. I got to drop my bags off at my first solo apartment floor. 2024 will be my first year whole year living in a different country from my parents. It’s a new soundtrack, but I can definitely dance to this beat. I’m loving the Florida weather, the wildlife and the people in my program. We all come from different walks of life and everybody here was someone else before. I have met people from New York who grew up in the lively city and also people from South Carolina, who grew up on a farm and show me photos of their baby cows. The diversity of life in the United States is fascinating. The lights are definitely bright in a doctorate program. For example in the last two weeks, we’ve had two tests, a 30 page report, two assignments and over 400 pages of reading. The lights don’t blind me. I know what I signed up for and I’m here to work hard. In fact, in my first semester in the program, I finished with a 4.0 GPA. I am excited to heal people who are struggling with their mental health. When talking about mental health problems, I think of another song from 1989. “Clean” appears to be about feeling moving on from the end of a relationship. However, this song that can be used to describe other psychological disorders such as substance use disorder or depression. This song is so powerful when people hear and realize they are stronger than their depression or their substance use. Music can be so healing, especially knowing that someone else has felt similar feelings to you. In clinical psychology, this is referred to as validating and normalizing emotions. I know Taylor has helped many people through dark periods in their life and I hope to do the same. I may even recommend Taylor’s music to clients as a part of their healing journey. Taylor has also supported me since I started listening to her in 2008 and her music has kept me motivated through all the stages of my education. If I win this scholarship, I will see it as Taylor’s music continuing to support me in my goals.