Growing up in a household where educational attainment was more of an exception than the norm, being the first in my family to obtain a college degree carries profound significance for me. My journey is intertwined with the narratives of my parents and siblings—each with their own struggles and setbacks in pursuing education. My father, a two-time high school dropout who later earned his GED, and my mother, who had to abandon her college aspirations due to the constraints of a previous marriage, exemplify resilience in the face of adversity. Meanwhile, my half-siblings have either dropped out of college or chosen a path of dependency, perpetuating a cycle that I am determined to break. Being the trailblazer in my family symbolizes more than just personal achievement; it represents a departure from the status quo, a rejection of predetermined outcomes, and a commitment to rewriting the narrative for future generations. I aspire to set a new trend—one characterized by perseverance, ambition, and unwavering dedication to education. I want to be the beacon of hope for my younger sisters, demonstrating that regardless of our circumstances, we have the power to shape our destinies and defy the odds stacked against us. As a political science major, my college journey is driven by a passion for understanding the intricacies of governance, policy-making, and international relations. Participation in Model UN has afforded me invaluable opportunities to immerse myself in diplomatic simulations, engage with global issues, and cultivate leadership skills. Through these experiences, I have gained insight into the complexities of international diplomacy and the profound impact that policy decisions can have on the lives of individuals worldwide. In college, I aim to delve deeper into the field of political science, exploring courses that delve into areas such as comparative politics, public policy analysis, and international law. I am also keen on pursuing internships and research opportunities that will allow me to gain practical experience in the realm of policy-making and governance. Ultimately, I envision myself contributing to positive societal change through policy advocacy and implementation, whether on a national or international level. My long-term goals extend beyond personal success; they are anchored in a fervent desire to make a meaningful difference in the world. I aspire to leverage my education and experiences to influence policy decisions that address pressing global challenges, such as climate change, poverty alleviation, and human rights. Whether through working for governmental agencies, non-profit organizations, or international bodies, I am committed to being a catalyst for change and advancing the collective well-being of humanity. In conclusion, being the first in my family to obtain a college degree is not merely a personal milestone—it is a testament to the transformative power of education and the resilience of the human spirit. As I embark on this journey, I carry with me the hopes and aspirations of my family, and the determination to create a legacy of empowerment and opportunity for generations to come.

From the earliest days of my academic journey, I have been driven by a singular purpose: to effectuate positive change through policy making. As I stand on the cusp of my collegiate career, I am filled with a fervent determination to transform this aspiration into a reality. My education and career goals are anchored in the belief that through rigorous study, unwavering commitment, and meaningful action, I can become an individual capable of reshaping the world for the betterment of all. Central to my vision is the concept of creating a more hospitable world, particularly for marginalized communities. Whether it be addressing socio-economic disparities, advocating for environmental sustainability, or championing human rights, I am impassioned by the prospect of crafting policies that foster inclusivity, equity, and justice. However, one question continues to loom large in my mind: should I pursue this endeavor on a national or international level? The answer to this question remains fluid, reflective of the evolving nature of my aspirations and the global landscape. On one hand, the intricacies of domestic policy making offer a platform for enacting tangible, immediate change within my own community and country. On the other hand, the realm of international policy presents a broader canvas upon which I can address systemic issues that transcend borders and impact populations on a global scale. Both avenues hold immense potential for impact, yet both pose unique challenges and opportunities. Despite this uncertainty, one thing remains clear: the transformative power of education as a catalyst for change. This scholarship serves as a beacon of hope, illuminating the path towards realizing my dreams. With its support, I can access resources, mentorship, and opportunities that will enable me to cultivate the skills and knowledge necessary to become an effective policy maker. First and foremost, this scholarship will afford me the opportunity to pursue a rigorous education rooted in the principles of social justice and public service. By immersing myself in courses that explore the intersections of politics, economics, and social policy, I will gain the analytical acumen and critical thinking skills needed to navigate the complexities of policy making. Additionally, I plan to engage in extracurricular activities such as internships, research projects, and community service initiatives that will provide practical experience and deepen my understanding of real-world issues. Furthermore, this scholarship will empower me to connect with like-minded individuals and mentors who share my passion for creating positive change. By participating in networking events, conferences, and workshops, I will expand my professional network and forge meaningful relationships that will serve as invaluable sources of support and guidance throughout my journey. In conclusion, my education and career goals are driven by a steadfast commitment to effectuating positive change through policy making. Whether on a national or international level, my ultimate aim is to create a more hospitable world for all, especially those who have been historically marginalized and underserved. With the support of this scholarship, I am confident that I can achieve these goals and emerge as a transformative force for good in the world. Together, we can pave the path towards a brighter, more equitable future for generations to come.

Firstly I would like to say that this is a very valid piece that has more than enough of a place within our world. I think that, as mentioned in this piece, the older generation had its hardships however we too have them as well. there is something of a preconceived notion in our world that with age comes knowledge and I know very well that many people disagree with that, and I too am one of those people. I see it as with age there is experience, not necessarily knowledge. I think that older generations tend to look down upon the Gen Z group, the generation I am a part of, and see it as inferior to some degree because we do not have to experience what they did, we don't have to deal with a world war, we don't have to deal with the pain of poverty. But that is so far from false, as mentioned in the text, we are reaching 25% unemployment, we live in a world where the living cost is at an all-time high, inflation is doing its thing and going up, and even a job that pays 15 dollars an hour is still not enough for me to make a car payment on time and tuition on top of that. Just because our hardships are presented in a different format than theirs does not make them any less valid than what they endured. We just want to live and do so where we don't have to sit in a pool of anxiety, not because we fear going to war, but because we fear not being able to eat or be sheltered or live. I think that the older generation sees us as lazy and tired for nothing, but when we work 60 hours per week and still cannot afford to live, I believe that this is not laziness it is passion, it is persistent, because although we struggle and become burnt out we will work out butts off just to make this place a world where our future children may not have to sit in that pool of anxiety that we do. We want to change the world and we are, and the older generations wanted to change the world and they did, but at what cost, what burden did they leave to us unknowingly? We want to be prepared to not create those burdens, not create the pain and pressure to sit on the shoulders of our children, it is just a matter of making it happen and preventing it.

Can you imagine a girl who genuinely wants to change the world for the better? Well, that is me, I do want to change the world. My passions lie in change, I want to create a better world for BVI (blind and visually impaired) people. They are a group that is constantly looked over. Whenever people go to "make change" for their community it becomes nothing more than what it started as. Most of the time the change that happens for their community is limited because it is not controversial. Think about it, in the news when you hear about any disability laws that are passed or changed, it is because something bad happened to someone within the specific community. Not that those other communities do not matter, there is a lot of change to happen, and it is great that they are getting any form of change to happen even if it is gradual. But the BVI community rarely, if ever, has a moment of controversy. There are plenty of instances of ableism in our everyday lives, but it gets looked over a lot because most people see it as the norm. Think about it, how many times have you seen videos on TikTok, Facebook, Instagram, or whatever, where some random mean person is yelling at a BVI person with a guide dog because they don't look blind. How many times do you walk around your city and freely walk across the street with the knowledge that you will be safe because of that traffic light, how many of them have you actually seen with the beepers and the voices? Did you know that most of the braille that is on the signs next to classrooms, hospital rooms, and anywhere else is incorrect? Not to mention the substantial lack of funding for BVI organizations, assistive technology, research, and everything that revolves around their world. This is because many people think it is "good enough" that we have done work towards it so now we can overlook it. That is false, what is considered "good enough" is not that at all, there is no such thing as good enough, and we can only strive to make this a better world for them. That leads to what I want to do. I want to be a person who creates laws and legislation that make the world a better place for the BVI community. I also want to work in advocacy for the BVI community where I can help make their lives good and make them feel productive. I want to show them that they are not a burden to society, they are important people who belong in this world. I just want to be a part of letting them know that.

Well, let me tell you about it. I grew up in a lower-middle-class family in Wichita Kansas, a place that seems to have four paths, farmer, aerospace engineer, graduate and leave, or figure something out because you're on your own buddy....good luck. My parents seem to have fallen into that 4th category, not that their families were supportive and encouraging, but let's just say college was not for them, they tried but it didn't work out. Manual labor has been their friend since they were children, there was a safety net so why not use it? With that being said, my parents are some of the hardest workers I have ever met, they still have time for love and compassion for their family. They are very encouraging for me to follow my dreams because they didn't have those big aspirations to pursue. This leads me to what my career aspirations are and why and how my experiences have contributed to that. I am studying political science, I want to work in advocacy via lawmaking and legislation. However, I have three different areas to pick from, because three areas have developed me and my passions, three areas molded my thinking process and ideals, and three areas that I feel I can do good work in and make a change. Let's start with CJR or criminal justice reform. My parents amid their jack-of-all-trades jobs ended up working at a state prison for 10 years each. This is the job I saw mainly my mom in since my dad got a different job about 5 years into my mom's term working there. Both of them had stories let me tell you, although not all good stories, many of them were surprising. There were a lot of people in there on multiple repeated minor infractions, not ones that would hurt people or damage property, ones that anyone could make pretty easily. They showed me that there is some work to be done with the criminal justice system, work I may be able to do, and work that could change people's lives for the better. The second of my aspirations is foster care and DCFS reform. Okay everyone I do not think that I need to explain this one in depth on what needs to be changed but here is why it is important to me. In 2016 my niece was born, 4 months later she was rushed to the hospital with 3rd degree burns all down her chest and Left leg, 2nd degree burns on her right cheek, and a TBI. In her time in ICU, she flatlined 2 times and seized multiple times. A month after this my parents agreed to take emergency custody of her and from there on the custody battle began. We managed to get full custody and adopt her in 2020, however, that should have happened a lot earlier. They told us it would be a 6-month battle and then over, it lasted almost 4 years. Knowing the struggles my family dealt with, I would like to make a change and make it easier for the kids specifically. Third, Blind and visually impaired rights/laws/legislation. The US has failed badly at accessibility for most disabilities but this one is specific and important. Everyone heard BVI and thinks well we have that dealt with we don't need to do more, well they are wrong, there is a whole lot more to do. Some people that are very close to me are BVI and seeing the struggles they have is astonishing and saddening. I want to make living possible for them too.

America as we know it is divided that is without question. One thing that is key to that division is the lack of free speech, and sometimes the abuse of it but that is a conversation for another time. Free speech has been around since 1791 people, don't you think that there should be some certainty behind it, because I do. With American division politically, economically, and in so many more ways the free speech of those that are affected tends to be suppressed it is a tactic that has become more and more prevalent as time has gone on. But the existence of free speech is not only important, it is a Right, one that cannot be taken away. College campuses are places that should foster the growth of every community within it, the vast expanses of those communities have effects all over the globe. With the ability to speak freely, students are capable of firstly being known and heard, and secondly capable of creating something, no matter what it may be. The intellectual and personal development of college students is dependent upon the fact that they can be heard, known, and supported. Without free speech, campuses would lack so many critical things that make them so unique from other schools. If you take a step into just about any building on most campuses in the United States you will see flyers for literally everything; sports, plays, STGov, petitions, political activism and advocacy and so much more. All of those things are important to someone, those are things that with the right to free speech we as students are capable of sharing and creating a community of solidarity, comfort, independence, and more. For some people, college is the first place that they are capable of truly thinking for themselves, independent of their parent's pursuits. Those communities that I mentioned, even those flyers and posters, are symbolic of the use of free speech to break out from the shell that once used to be and push to make something different, something that many have never been able to do before, whether that be fear of failure, parents, uncertainty, etc. But with free speech and access to that essential freedom, especially on campus people are capable of finding themselves in a place where, because of free speech, the most vivid intellectual conversations occur. My major is Political Science and Government, something that inherently has a lot of free speech embedded into it. This major is the one I would argue, truly keeps free speech from getting demolished. We are the people that want to foster critical thinking, we want to know your opinion, personal connections, the ways you think and why you think them. My school in particular is one where free speech is encouraged. There are numerous places where free speech and free voice of opinion are welcomed, the student government will hear it, the professors and staff will hear it, and most likely fellow students will too. While observing the openness that my campus cultivates, has shown me that free speech is something critical to us as students. Without free speech on campus, our schools would be run more like dictatorships than places of passion and education. College campuses are meant to be places where you can come and discover yourself, what you want to do with your life, your purpose. But without free speech that would be entirely null and void, there would be no student and staff opinion, no one would get help, and it would be a storm that we could never fix.

Hello Readers, my name is Sydnie VanArsdale and I will be a Political Science student at Washburn University this fall. I want to start this out very straightforwardly. I am a very proud First Gen student and not only am I a First Gen I also intend to be the first of all of my siblings to complete a degree in 4 consecutive years and further my education afterward in a field I find fulfilling and brings me great joy. Now that I got that little portion out of the way, which I will come back to in a little bit, here is a little bit about myself. My family means the world to me, that is without a doubt and we are a very close group, my sister is 10.5 months younger than me and we have always been very close. Then there is my niece who we adopted, she is 6 and then I have 4 older siblings between the ages of 23-30. My parents are a very big support to me, they do not care what my ambitions are as long as I am happy then they will support me. We are an animal family so my pets are like my kids, we all have "our" pets but I will be the first to admit most of them are mine. We have three dogs, three cats, a hamster, and a bearded dragon who is my baby. That was one of my first passions actually, I wanted to be a zoologist and study Herpetology (the study of reptiles). However, as I grew and became a different person I obtained many other passions but two have become my life. After the animals I started becoming obsessed with space, I wanted to be an Astrophysicist and discover something grand and new about our universe. Then my current passion, Political Science. I have done competitive policy debate since freshman year and I am continuing that and doing it at a collegiate level at Washburn. That gave me a spark for government and at this point it is just a matter of which part I want to go into since I can actually work with government and incorporate my prior loves in that as well. I think my family always knew I was going to go to college because I was the academic out of the siblings. I would work hard on homework, loved to read and still do, I intake information like a sponge and adoringly call myself a plethora of useless information because that is what I am. This leads me to why I want to attend college. Firstly I love information and the concept that I can be around and study with people that value the topics that I value and take them seriously is exceptionally important to me. My family has always prompted the best for me but they never really know what I am talking about but they will never be afraid to listen. Secondly, I want to make them proud and I am well aware that I will make them proud no matter what I do but accomplishing this will make them proud too. Third, I want to prove to myself that I can do this. Two of my older siblings are taking college classes but have been doing that for the past 5 or 6 years, they quit and have no motivation. Now before I run out of space a bit of my ambitions. I want to either work in Advocacy, IR, or space policy. Each incorporates one of my past passions. It's wonderful.

Hi Readers, I will start this with the statement that I do have a major picked and am planning to pursue it, Political Science at Washburn University. However, the career paths that I want to explore are two vastly different fields of the topic and to be honest, the anxieties that follow are very real. But I would love to explain them to you, why I am passionate about them, and what fulfillment I think I will get from these topics. The first career path that I am looking at is a job in international relations. I did policy debate in high school and will be continuing it at a collegiate level at Washburn, which gave me a love for international topics specifically how countries interact with each other and how they do it. As far as how I am planning to explore that in college, I would love to take advantage of my university study abroad opportunities, it is something that they advertise wherever they can on social media, emails, flyers, news, and more. I know that professors in the political science department often do trips that are a week to a month-long that allow their students to not only explore the culture but also the political and governmental structures. If I understand it correctly, they get the opportunity to go to the embassy in the country as well as government facilities amongst other places. There are also many international students at Washburn so having friends that are from other countries could give me a good look into the country itself. Now for the existential portion for this part 1 of 2. A career in IR would allow me to explore the world and change people's lives not only here but in so many places, which sounds very fulfilling to me, as well as the concept that I could be a part of people that make a range of decisions that can be life-altering, from humanitarian issues to peace treaties. Not only that but as I will explain in the next topic, other countries have something that America lacks exceptionally. That is accessibility and that is extraordinarily important to me, which leads me to my second career path. To start this one, I will begin with the why and how I got into this. As cheesy as it sounds my boyfriend prompted this one, he is blind and having him in my life has shown me so much about our country that I would love to be a part of changing. America is honestly a very inaccessible place for the BVI (Blind and Visually Impaired) community, can you imagine walking down the street by yourself and firstly not being able to see where you are going but also having little if any assistance to prevent you from getting injured or assisting you where you are going. That is how most American BVI citizens live because few people pay attention to that. Anymore something must be controversial to allow for it to come to the attention of the US public and media, but disabilities are not controversial unless someone with one is being mistreated and therefore do not spotlight the day-to-day hardships that these people face. I think this will bring me a lot of fulfillment it is something that can make the love of my life's life easier and thousands of others, now that is fulfilling making people's lives easier and safer while also helping someone who is more important to me than anyone else, it would be wonderful.

Hello Readers, I want to start this first by telling you a little bit about myself, some stuff you may not see in my bio on this website and then I will get into the actual prompt itself. My name is Sydnie VanArsdale, and I will be a freshman Political Science student at Washburn University this fall. That major is part of how I plan to make a positive impact on the world, but I will get into that in just a moment. I have some big passions that I am very dedicated to and those things envelope my life. Things such as my family, my community of debaters, animals, and a whole lot more. My family plays a very big role in my life and has taught me a lot about responsibility. When I was twelve my family took emergency custody of my niece who we eventually adopted. She had received third-degree burns all over her body and a skull fracture, on top of that she flatlined twice on the table and had to go through getting skin grafts all over her chest and left leg as well as numerous other surgeries. That entire process required me to grow up fast and take responsibility for numerous things that most 12-year-olds today may not have. For example, I was having to make sure that all the family's laundry was done, and the dishes, I didn't have a whole lot of help because I will be the first to admit I'm not that good with kids, so my sister did most of the babysitting when we were not a school. My parents were working hard to keep us sustained because half the time my mom couldn't go to work because she had to take this little 6-month-old to see a burn specialist and physical therapists and everything in between. But because of that it also required one of us to get the housework done and that was ultimately my job. After this started happening, another thing started hitting my family, my grandmother's (who we call Mimi) health began to decline, thankfully she is still with us, but she is not in too good a shape. So now I am her main caretaker, I get to take her doctors' visits because she has COPD which has had her on oxygen for 6 years, very weak bones that have left her with multiple spinal cracks, as well as progressing macular degeneration so she cannot drive let alone get out of the house by herself. That also means that working a regular schedule was out the door for me this summer, so my money is limited until I can get a job in college. There is a whole lot more, but I need to answer the prompt now and I hate to sound like I am complaining. With my Political Science degree, I plan to change the world through advocacy and policy. I have found in the world that without structure or at the very least guidelines and instructions people start chaos and don't know what to do. I would love to do advocacy for the visually impaired as well, my boyfriend is blind and the number of struggles and lack of accessibility that the US has is astonishing. I want to make a world where my boyfriend and his friends and fellow BVI people can live happily and safely without worries of danger and discrimination. I am running out of space so thank you so much for reading, I know that is a whole lot but truly thank you so much!

Hey metal heads, my name is Sydnie VanArsdale I am going to be attending Washburn University majoring in Political Science and minoring in Physics. I did policy debate in high school and will be doing it on a collegiate level, which is what gave me a love for the government and the ins and outs of it all. However, prior to that I wanted to be an Astrophysicist, and I have recently found out that I could do both of my passions combined into one by making policy and legislation about space and any Astro-related topic pertaining to the world. I would love to make a difference in the world when it comes to space because I think that space should be a place that is innovative and free for all, not a political ticket to more complications. As far as my plans for paying for college it will be between any scholarships I manage to receive and my own money I earn as I go because my family has made it very clear I should not take out any loans and that is my plan but if it so happens that I am required to I am ready to accept that but until then I will keep applying to scholarships and saving money. As far as why I need this award well pretty straightforward, I do not want to go into debt, and I know very well from friends and my siblings' experience that most jobs do not provide enough income to make paying for college and living life comfortably possible. Finally, the truly fun part, what does metal mean to me, well metal is something that I grew up on because my dad is a major metal head and has been since he was little. He tells me stories about how he and his friends would go to those tiny venues that were barely as large as a typical living room. Also, how he and his friends drove up to Milwaukee from Wichita Kansas of all places to go to this metal festival that they stayed at for a whole week. Metal is something that functioned as an emotional outlet for him and that ultimately flowed over to me as well. This is music that I can listen to, and my emotions can calm, the loud music drowns out all of the bad thoughts and I can sit there in peace for a moment. My dad always talks about how metal is its own community, one that is closer than any kind of music he has ever seen. I honestly can vouch for that we are an awfully close community; we literally pick each other back up when we fall as a simple courtesy to each other. We are kind to newcomers and welcome the kids that come into this searching for people and music to relate to. All of that is part of what metal means to me, it is a simple but incredibly significant part of my life and I do not think I would have made it this far without it.

Hello! My name is Sydnie VanArsdale I am a current senior in high school and will be attending Washburn University during the fall of 2023. My plan is to pursue a degree in political science with an emphasis on international relations. This came from my experience with policy debate. Originally I was going to major in astrophysics or something of the such but then I went to debate camp this summer and it switched my plan entirely. The guy that was running the camp is a teacher at a school in my city and the head debate coach at that school as well. He helped write the resolution (the topic) for the year and wanted the kids that can't afford debate camp to be able to experience a camp without having to deal with the expense. This guy has a masters in political science and while talking to him I started becoming obsessed with this topic area because I was so used to talking about it due to debate and that gave me a lot of knowledge about international relations. This also gave me a view into the world that, to say the least, I was not expecting to get from a debate camp, let alone from school. I saw how terrible the world can be. We talked about the atrocities that are going on within the Ukraine-Russia war, how the state of diplomatic tension that a lot of countries live with is very scary, and so many other things that made me question the ethics of the world. This led to my entire process of rethinking my college major. I found that in reality the only way to change how the world is through policy. So that leads to my plan for my future. I want to be a part of the next generation of government leaders that are capable of changing the world, it is no question that my generation is capable of it. It is just a matter of who will take the time to learn what they need to, to make that change happen. I want to be a part of the next government leaders that make that change through policy actually happen. I want to have the skill set to explain what truly needs to be explained and make it straightforward and understandable to make sure that real change gets done. To say the very least, I want to help prompt a new world, one of better ethical principles and even better governmental strategies for their people. I will also be honest here, this scholarship, or any for that matter will help me with that but I know that my need is far below those of a large number of my peers, but thank you so much for reading and considering me.

When I thought about getting involved with the community my brain automatically went to volunteering. So things like helping kids, feeding the homeless, distributing goods, etc. You get the point because the list goes on. But when I actually thought about it, my contribution to my community was actually at my school. I have been doing policy debate since freshman year, I am very dedicated to it, and actually, I am at my state tournament writing this. Debate is typically an incredibly underfunded unappreciated academic competition. My school is no exception to that, they are way more focused on our sports than our academic issues, which is something that typically happens within high schools all across America. To get to the point, For the last three years, we have not had a real debate coach at my school. Not one dedicated to our success at least, although they wanted us to be successful they did not that the time to put in the work required to be a debate coach. Anyways to get to the point, for the last three years my debate partner and I have been the coaches essentially, we have been teaching a total of a little over 50 novice debaters. Although not all of them have come back to the activity we found some of them to continue on our legacy. Debate is a very technical and mentally tasking activity and it really does require a heavy amount of dedication to be a part of. We were willing to put that in, although my grades perished because of it but I was not going to give up on my kids. My goal is to inspire a new generation of policy debaters, although I am well aware I am not the best debater I know that just advocating for this activity will have some impact to it in the long run. My school will continue to not have a real debate coach and I know that my plans for college are going to attempt to hault that a little bit I plan to continue to help the program. Although I can not provide funding because I will be a broke college student (which is the reason I am writing this in the first place) I still want to help all that I can. If it weren't for debate I don't think that I would be the way I am right now. I would not be going to college to study political science and then also debate in college. This is the basis of what my life has turned out to be and my hope is to make even a small impact and just that alone would make me happy.

Hi, I'm Sydnie, seeming as I am applying for this scholarship I do have some mental illnesses but I will get to that in a second, I would like to tell you a little bit about me. As I am writing this I'm 17 and a senior in high school. I know where I want to go to college, Washburn University, It is in the capital of my state which works out really well since I want to study Political Science. I am a debater, and it has given me an immense love for public speaking about things I am passionate about. Which just so happens to include mental health amongst many other things. On top of that, I am a nerd or at least that is the easiest way to put it. Needless to say, I have a lot of knowledge and it is so much fun.Now the portion that this is truly about. I have Bipolar Disorder and OCD, it's such an interesting combination of mental issues. I was diagnosed around April of this year so 2022 and it has been a game changer. This has allowed me to understand so much about myself that truly confused me. Such as why it takes me so long to take notes because I must perfect them visually to allow my brain to tolerate them. This also allowed me to understand many of my erratic behaviors both manic and depressive. There have been many times when I will go do things impulsively or buy items that I very much so can't afford and after the fact, I never understood why I couldn't tell myself no. This was also the case when I would stay in bed for hours after I am supposed to get up. All of this was not because sleeping felt good and comfortable but because I just couldn't allow myself to have any good reason to be productive or happy. All of this really confused me, I did not understand why I was doing any of it all I knew is that I couldn't stop. When I finally got to a therapist she was very sympathetic to me and it was really nice. She gave me so many tools to figure out how to deal with what is going on in my brain. She also gave me a place to let it all out without feeling guilty because that is her job. Ultimately mental health issues have impacted my life more than anything. They built friendships as well as tore them down, it allowed me to live and experience things, even if that was in an erratic manic sense. I dare to say I am thankful for these things, they make me who I am and helped shape me so I guess I am thankful for them and that's all I really need from them at this point.

Okay so before I really start this I would like to preface this with the note, I listen to heavy metal. With that being said the song that has the most important message and meaning to me is Dethrone by Bad Omens. This song is riddled with anti-religious innuendos and it is truly perfect for me. Before you think "Wow you hate all religions" or "Wow she must be full of evil" or just something to that effect. I am not anti-religion, I recognize that for a mass amount of people it prompts security, comfort, and companionship. Don't get me wrong I entirely respect that however within my own personal experience with religion this song speaks to me. Seeming as music can be interpreted in any sense, for me it speaks of nonconformance, standing up to what haunts you, and most importantly breaking down social walls. For me, religion has not only haunted me but has also been the thing I am supposed to conform to for almost my entire life. My parents put me in catholic school starting in second grade all the way to the present day, my senior year of high school. I was put through over 15 religion classes in the last 10 years and what I have gauged in my personal journey is that the church is not the place for me, any church for that matter. That's why this song is so important to me, it shows me that I can be my own person, without conforming to what people specifically want from me, and I am grateful for that message.

I will just start this off bluntly, I am bipolar and have OCD. I was diagnosed around April of this year, so 2022. It explained a lot to me, it allowed me to understand so many of the things that I do. I got the opportunity to get to therapy earlier this year, I finally convinced my parents to let me (my dad was not very keen on the idea). When my mom finally convinced my dad to allow me to go they were astonished by what they did not know about me. They found out I have dealt with suicidal ideation as well as self-harm. Originally, we thought I simply had clinical depression and anxiety which would explain a nice amount of my symptoms however I voiced some of my tendencies to my therapist and she has some other ideas. When I started to explain my repetitive tendencies such as rewriting my notes, my need to replay songs if I miss any part of it at all and if I don't I can have a breakdown, I require color-coded school supplies and notes, amongst many other things. From those she had me take some tests and evaluated me further and suspected I have OCD which was later confirmed by a psychiatrist. That diagnosis did not surprise me that much although I had never thought of what I do as being something like that. But the part of my diagnosis that truly astonished me was the diagnosis of Bipolar Type 2. I had no idea that there was more than one type let alone that there were less drastic symptoms of bipolar disorder. I had explained that side of my symptoms to my therapist by accident, I did not know that these things were generally abnormal. I told her about how I like order and reason but then I explained how off of pure whim I have driven three towns away in the middle of the night to go see my friend because I wanted to. I had not told my parents, which by the way I am a good kid I almost always tell my parents where I am going so it is very out of character for me. That on its own is not a prompt for this diagnosis but when it happens 7 times in a two-week period it is a little bit questionable about what is going on in my brain not to mention the numerous other erratic things I end up doing. I also explained a multitude of instances where I have fallen into deep depressive states I won't get out of bed, I won't do my homework, I stop hanging out with friends, and so many other things. Those are concerning as it is but when that drags on for weeks at a time then it truly marks a question. Now that you have a bit of a bibliography of my mental health issues here is the rest of it. I know I can't make a large-scale impact on mental health. I just merely want to give those around me in the world at least one safe person to come to talk about these things, without judgment, without question. There is no question that our world is changing and accepting mental health issues more readily we just need to make it better.

I think I have grown in a lot of ways within this last year. All of them have helped form who I am and who I am going to be in the future. However, I am a person that is very affected by those around me, and I think that those around me have caused me to become who I am more than anything else. This sounds incredibly cheesy and I apologize for that but the experience that came with meeting my boyfriend and actually just the experience of being with him has changed me. Before you think wow that is stupid and cliche let me explain why. My boyfriend is blind, many of my friends that I have gotten from him are blind and I met him at a camp for visually impaired children and young adults where I was helping out. Having someone in my life who is visually impaired has most definitely changed my life. I have become incredibly aware of my surrounding as far as people go, I notice when someone is walking around with a service dog or a cane to guide them. I notice all of the braille that is around and sometimes the lack of it. I have become so much more aware of accessibility features of so many things that I have never realized before as the bumps on the edge of the sidewalks, the beeping at crosswalks, and the braille on the keypads at the bank. those things are so simple but they are there to help people. As far as how this has truly changed me, firstly I am exceptionally more aware of my surroundings. I am also a much more curious person because I want to know if something would be useable for someone I care about more than almost anyone. I have become so much more understanding of disabilities because, in reality, these things we call disabilities are superpowers. Not to mention how much I have learned about the visually impaired community, they are some of the kindest, most considerate, and funny people I have ever met in my entire life. This has also changed my journey of self-discovery because without my boyfriend I wouldn't have chosen the college I did, his sister is the one that talked me into going to Washburn. Having him in my life it also has taught me to not take anything for granted especially sight. I respect what I have and more importantly what I have that is in reality dispensable such as my senses. My boyfriend reminds me so often that what I have is truly much more dispensable than anyone wants to think of. I am so glad I have him and the amazing opportunities that came with being with him and I would not change it for the world.

Hi, I am Sydnie VanArsdale and I am going to be attending Washburn University fall of 2023 for Political Science. I am a self-proclaimed nerd, I love reading, history, international policy, debate, and just intaking knowledge. I am also a self-proclaimed plethora of useless information or at least that is what I am to a lot of people. I would say I know a pretty nice amount about political science and I will never admit I know everything because that is true, I will never know everything about it but that won't stop me from learning more about it whenever I get an option. I know you are probably looking for some type of essay about how democracy has affected our everyday lives or some vast, jargon-sounding idea that makes the world better or rather how it can but that is not what this will be. My personal thought behind how the world can become a better place based on what I have learned through the topics stated in the prompt is simply, we as people need a more open mind. I am well aware that many people believe or even do have rather open minds when it comes to many topics but when you look at history all of the truly open-minded civilizations have been the most successful. For example the Romans, they traveled all around or at least as far as all around was for them, they discovered new lands, new people, new everything and were willing to incorporate many of the concepts and items into their every day lives. Although they did not lack their issues they still were so incredibly prosperous and innovative simply from their open-mindedness. That is a quality that the people in our time lack drastically, everyone thinks they know everything and are constantly correct, it is there way or no way and due to this, although we are very advanced, we have slowed down innovation because we are not willing to listen to possibilities. This could be a true game changer in my opinion when it comes to diplomacy, social issues, and especially war we just must be willing to implement it.

Generational wealth to me is the passing on of money to your family. That's a pretty literal definition however that is how is see it. I think most people see it as giving money to your kids. But for me, I do not want kids, that is not my intended life path. So for me, it is more of giving back to my family for all they have done for me. I want to make college funds for my nieces and nephews. I want to pay off my parent's student debt and give them all of their heart's content. It is giving my sisters all of the opportunities I can think of, supporting their ambitions so that their kids have the opportunities that they aspire to. However, I don't think that generational wealth only reaches over monetary value it expands to traditions and memories, which is also wealth the wealth of knowledge. The memories of my grandmother, my great-uncle and his wife, and stories from my parents about their hometowns and childhoods all of these things are wealth in their own right. Not to mention the trades that my family teaches each other. My grandmother was a hairdresser so I know how to cut and dye hair properly, my dad was a barber. My mom was a corrections officer so I know how to defend myself properly. Without that wealth of knowledge, I would be an entirely different person and I have a feeling I wouldn't be as good of a person if I didn't have that knowledge. As far as how I plan to achieve it that is both simple and complicated at the same time. For starters college, that is obviously why I am applying for this scholarship in the first place. I want to study political science, I think most people have a little bit of a stigma behind political science majors that we are known it all's that are rude and have little respect for others. But personally, I think that is false I am studying this topic, not for selfish purposes but to potentially make the world and the world of the future a better place through policy and knowledge. I am very passionate about this topic, If I can do at least a single thing to make the world that my ancestors live in better than what it is now I feel as though i have given some form of generational wealth to this world. That is what I want to do and that is what I believe in.

"People do crazy things when they are in love"-Megara. As you cant tell my favorite Disney character is Megara. She was one of the first female characters in Disney movies that did her own thing. She took her own and gladly made the main character mad no matter how flattered she was. She is stubborn and that is amazing. She takes the concept of being her own person to the next level. She does not want help from anyone. If she requires help she does not accept it easily. She is very cocky as well. This goes along with her being stubborn however this takes it to where she knows what she is capable of. Now here is the thing about that quote I put at the top. She fell in love, and despite her stubbornness and her cockiness she still found someone that was amazing and perfect. He is not perfect but he is perfect for her and that is all she cares about. He may have some fatal flaws as if this were a Shakespearean tragedy but this was her man and she would do anything for him even sacrifice herself.

I believe my mental health is very important for many reasons, but the most important one I have found for myself is it is how I function. I have Bipolar disorder, my mental health is somewhat of a key function of my daily life. My disorder makes me go into manic episodes and depressive episodes, both are very debilitating, so doing my best to keep my mental health on a good path and avoiding triggers to episodes is my maintenance. I also take medications, which I understand for some seems bad but for me, it works, it keeps me at bay, it subdues my depressive episodes extremely, and makes them so much more tolerable than they used to be. My friends and my boyfriend are also key parts of my mental maintenance, without them I do not know how I would have gotten through numerous episodes from both states. They will come just be with me and talk or watch a movie or just force me to socialize when I'm depressed. When I'm manic they do their best to keep me at home, or in the safety of their homes or cars where I can't do anything drastic. Most importantly they keep me away from stores during my episodes, they are a very bad thing for me in a manic state, I can and will overspend and drain my bank account without any worry. To me, in those moments there are no repercussions which ultimately is what drives me into a depressive state when I finally come out of a manic state and find that I have ravaged my life into shambles. Ultimately at the end of the day, this disorder still exists and isn't going anywhere any time soon so I just live with it and manage the issues as they come. To say it simply it's my brain's life and I am just living in it.

I think learning is important to me because it is a constant thing. Everyone thinks that learning is just a school-centered thing that ends when you graduate, whichever graduation that may be. But the thing is, learning is a lifelong commitment that you need to keep rather serious, if not for learning we would have so many amazing things in this world. We wouldn't have rocket scientists, doctors, political figures, and more, but we also wouldn't have firefighters, police officers, and teachers. We would lack the stability that our society requires to learn the skills to stay alive, stay safe, and stay happy. Education will continue throughout my life that's without question. As our world expands and technology becomes greater there are so many more opportunities in our midst. We will have to learn how to use new things and how to be new people as time marches on. So to say the least learning never ends, there is not much more to say than that. other than I plan to continue learning by example and by testing and reasoning, those are the only true ways to lean in our world.

This is such a good question and I love that it's a prompt. I love math because it is our world, it is honestly as simple as that. Just knowing that there is such a thing as an equation to explain how I am able to sit here and type this is just so intriguing. there honestly is not much that is truly better than math. Also, the fact that we humans were capable of discovering the equations of the universe down to the smallest molecules is at times unfathomable. It just makes me so happy that I am a part of a generation that takes those equations and puts them to practical purposes and there are people willing to explain them to others for the sake of learning. On top of that, we make it one of our core values of education. every year through school you have a math class and you will just learn more and more. I understand that it is not necessarily everyone's cup of tea but it is so important that we still make it available to everyone we can. Even when it is as simple as two plus two it is still detrimental to our education. It is so crazy and I love that!

Higher education is important to me because my family is not exactly what you would call stable in the education realm of things. My dad dropped out of high school twice, none of my brothers have been to college, my older sister dropped out of college, and then my younger siblings do good so they don't worry about it yet. My mom got her master's and that is basically the only basis of an actual college degree in my immediate family. So I guess I want to make a statement in my family, that education is something to take seriously and commit to. I want to major in political science, and before you judge that I do not want to get into politics, I somewhat despise them like a lot of people do, I want to get into the social aspect and the humanitarian and diplomatic issues that plague our international relations. College is where I can grow as a person both emotionally and mentally. I want to make a difference in the world and personally, I see education as the only route to that. I want to show my siblings that there are a lot of opportunities with education. (I want to preface this with the fact that two of my three brothers have gotten into drugs and just a bad life, one fixed his life and went into the military which I am not at all saying is a bad option, and my older sister is going back to school now)

The thing about college that excites me the most is the freedom. I am the oldest child that is from both of my parents, I am the closest to my grandmother because my sister is only ten and a half months younger than me. I take care of my grandmother, don't get me wrong I love my grandmother, she is my best friend, but it gets hard being the one that does everything for her. When I go to college I am moving two hours away, not too far that I can't drive home pretty quickly in case of an emergency but far enough to have my own independence and be my own person. Seeming as I will be two hours away my family will have to take the time to take care of my grandmother, and I know they will I'm not at all worried about that, but mentally this will be the first time in the last 7 years that I can take a break from helping her for more than a week. This is my mental health movement, this is my soul move, and it most definitely is a body move. Mentally, I can relax, I will get to be a newly grown adult and do what college kids do without the worry that I will have to drop everything to drive to doctor's appointments. I have a lot of mental health issues and so I really need a break every once in a while that is not just sleeping at night. My soul will be happier and healthier because my mind will be calmer. My body is a whole different story, my body sadly does not get the love it deserves, I need to learn to love myself and college is going to give me that opportunity. I won't have the pressures of socialite high school bullies inside my head. My workout regiment will be on my own accord, I can go out to eat with my friends or my boyfriend and not have to worry about calories or cost. I just want this to be a time when I can grow as a person. This probably wasn't the essay you were looking for and I completely understand if you don't pick me but this was really nice to type out. I feel a little lighter because I just spelled that out in this document and I am not sorry about it. Thank You

Feminism to me is my own self-expression. I do not mean that literally but I feel like the point has been given. I am a woman, I am very proud to say it. I am a cis woman and although I have not personally felt the adverse effects of not being a cis woman when it comes to being a woman I know many who have. This leads me to why I said that feminism is self-expression. The women of our world come in every shape, size, and color, we are all unique individuals however we all have one thing in common. We are women. We as women have this amazing ability to be ourselves, to be self-expressive, that concept is seen across many cultures and through history. Even when we go back to the stereotypical historical gender roles, women paved the way for self-expression. We were the ones who told the stories to the children. We were the ones who painted pots that gave the present day a look into the past. We are the people that have the ability to make things go smoothly we have sadly been behind the scenes of all the presidents. every first lady to have ever existed sat there and smiled, but little did the world know those women were some of the most influential people in that white house, they controlled how the world saw their family, and if they wanted to mess that up they did happily. Sorry I got a bit carried away on that but it does slightly frame my next portion of this. My feminist icon is one that not a whole lot of people know about. The 28th first lady of the United States, the wife of President Woodrow Wilson, Edith Galt Wilson was and is one of the most unacknowledged feminist icons of US history. When her husband fell ill instead of informing the press of his lack of capability she decided to take over his job, she gave herself the job of president de facto and did his duties, to be honest, better than he did. She took over both political and social issues and distributed jobs accordingly. She managed the government very well and in a rather organized fashion. She did this until the next election. She was the first female president in essence so that on its own warrants her being a feminist icon but personally what I find much more important to look at is the way she viewed this job. She called it her Stewardship, she took on one of the most public and debatably hardest jobs one could possibly be appointed to and did it happily. As far as how this impacted my view on feminism, that's a bit complicated. The easy answer would be she was basically the first woman president proving women can indeed lead a country. But my true answer is she seized a moment where it was so socially un-acceptable for her to be doing more than smiling and hosting parties and decided to dually take care of her husband and his job almost single-handedly without question.

I have to tell you my road with mental health issues, like many others, has been a very rocky surface. I'm going to start off with this, I was only diagnosed about 9 months ago and am 17. In March of this year, 2022, after a long time of begging, I managed to get my parents to take me to a therapist. Note I was asking them to do this for me since I was probably 11 but they never took it seriously. This was partially due to them not thinking anything was going on with me and partly due to the fact my dad worked as a mental health coordinator for ComCare in my city. My dad has experienced years of different people, specifically criminals, with mental health issues. He had seen some of the extremes and so the idea that there was something going on with his daughter was not really logical to him. I am pretty sure it was more denial than him thinking there wasn't something wrong. Anyways, I still love him to death but I know that if he just would have let me get help, I would have been able to avoid some of the hardest times in my life. When I finally went to a therapist I was diagnosed with Bipolar disorder, Anxiety, and OCD. It took me a little bit to accept that, especially the bipolar part. I definitely didn't have any worry about the stigma, I was much more worried about how my future would go with that diagnosis with me. I was asking myself questions of uncertainty such as how is my future going to be affected by this. I was also a bit astonished by some of it. I never thought that I could have OCD, I didn't think I had the symptoms of it, turns out I do. for example, it makes my homework process a bit longer. I have to write my notes once just to write them down, then rewrite them pretty but then if I mess that up even once I must rewrite the whole page. But then if I go back another day and don't like how they look I will get an entirely new notebook to rewrite all of the notes, no matter how many and how much. Also, I can't take final notes on a laptop. I must write them out at least once so I can remember them. To say the least it is a little bit of a hot mess to work through but I manage. Ultimately these diagnoses have helped me in my general life. I now am able to explain to myself and my friends why I act the way I do. Although I do not like using it as an excuse, it gives me a good way of explaining why I can't do some things, why I act in a in a certain way, why I respond to situations in a different way than everyone else. Now I'm on a couple medications that have made my life so much better and i am honestly very grateful for that. I have learned a lot and this has made me a much better person having this in my life and I am so happy to share my experiences with others and to let people know that it is okay to not be okay.

I am perusing a college degree for quite a few reasons actually. Firstly I’m going to be the only one of my 6 siblings to receive a degree and do it in 4 consecutive years, where I will not drop out because I’m dedicated. Secondly, I’m planning on getting my degree in political science. I have been a policy debater for 4 years and that has given me a very unbiased, very deep look at what our world consists of. As I saw this I realised how messed up our world is, and how much more messed up it could get without proper leadership and instruction. I know that a political science degree isn’t going to make me change the world, and to be honest I have no intent to because I know that I as one person will not be capable of changing the world drastically, I have very much so accepted that. But what I do want to do it be apart if this generation of growing, where I can be one of the people who has an unbiased outlook on the world and evaluates it as such. I want to show people that maybe just maybe there js some more logic than what they believe. I want to be able to explain that some set in stone views aren’t necessarily right. I genuinely respect peoples opinions and learning to be an unbiased thinker has led me to that, but I want to help teach the rest of the world that. I personally believe that I wouldn’t be able to do that or have that ambition in another degree path. Thirdly, I grew up in a family where education, although valued because it’s the basis of our world, wasn’t necessarily deemed the most important thing. I too agree that education isn’t the most important thing but I would love to be educated further. I want to be able to go into the world and have as much knowledge as I can on a topic that I’m passionate about. That’s something I think our world lacks. People think to be successful you must go with the status quo to live your life, you must get a nine to five job, get married, have kids, just the whole nine yards to make ends meet and ultimately make life work. But I don’t want that, yes I want a job, yes I want to be successful, but I also don’t want to be a stereotype, not that there is anything wrong with that, for some people it works perfectly but for me it’s not even close. I want to bend the agenda as much as I can and create a future for myself that I feel passionate about and love beyond belief. That is why I want a degree.

I am the shy kid, or the quiet kid, which is the quality I most value in myself. This quality seems a bit odd to write about because I am sure you are looking for the ones that say compassion, work ethic, time management, leadership, and many more. But for me, being a quiet person has led me to so many conclusions that I am thoroughly astonished I have gotten this far. There is a stereotype amongst shy people that we are the meek ones, who cannot speak up because we are scared but I argue the contrary. I am quiet because if I speak up, I will not be able to listen, I am not afraid I am rather confident. You could ask any of my close friends and they will tell you I have some extraordinarily strong opinions that I am willing to share and give my take on a situation at any time. But they will also tell you that I listen, I am a good listener, to my friend's problems, to common situations, to arguments, to the problems of the world, just about everything. Being a quiet kid is what has given me the ability to go into things with an unbiased view, I will see both sides and everything in between. When problems are thrown my way, I want to hear it all from everyone before I form my opinion on the matter. That is one thing that this world lacks to do a lot, being willing to listen to a side and not decide till they hear the rest of the story. You see it every day, political parties arguing over a concept, automatically going to the thought that the other side is wrong simply because it is a differing view, lacking the ability to listen to the other side and hear them out. That went far off the personal factor, but I still wanted to show that idea, anyways back to being the shy kid. For most of my life I have found that being a quiet kid was more of a blessing than a curse. People are constantly underestimating me, which to some might be a little bit degrading but to me it is great because I love confusing people when I exceed their standards for me tremendously, simply because they expected me to be stupid because I am quiet. This skill has also allowed me to learn to take in my surroundings very well, I can take a detailed account of a location, directions, patterns, colors, and so much more simply because I am not focused on making a conversation and appeasing those around me. That is also a benefit, I do not really have to live up to social standards because if I do not talk people tend to require less from me. Also, this skill is somewhat learned and somewhat natural. I will not lie, I was a talkative kid, but I realized how much more I would benefit from shutting my mouth and looking at what was in front of me rather than being so obsessed with the little inconveniences and problems of the world around me. Honestly, for me this is my superpower and I genuinely love it, I am glad to be like this and would not change it for anything.

In simple terms, our universe, the infinite, vast chasm that we call our universe rather is so intriguing. But I find it most notably intriguing when we file it down to our people, and how we work. It is common knowledge that most people are followers. We see others do one thing and we are more apt to do it as well. In many cases that can be a positive thing in such activities as volunteering donating, or even concepts such as kindness and nurturing. However, there is a downside to that, it means that we are prone to doing the bad as well, from as simple as peer pressure bullying to the extremes of unethical crimes during the war. We as people need a firm disposition to choose the good even if that means something we don't want to do. That's where I want to chime in. As I go to college my intent is to study political science, so that at one point I might have the opportunity to make a difference in the world, specifically on the ethical factor. Our world is incredibly prone to making decisions that hurt others to satisfy us and our government and international affairs are no exception. To be specific in my intents, I want to work with diplomacy. I love the idea of managing a way to get many nations to decide to get along. I think that if our country would implement the conversation of peace in more places, we would have the ability to change the lives of a lot of people socially, economically, and statistically. I see this as such. Our reality is that we show our people, our public, that we want to change the world. From the countless images of poor children in Africa being fed, the thousands of foundations dedicated to getting a clean water supply to areas with contaminated water or lacking it blatantly, amongst many other things. These things are what people see and think that everyone wants to help, many people want to be extremely optimistic about it all, thinking that if only they could help, but the reality is that most of it is a scam. I'm not denoting the foundations that do those things in a non-greedy way and actually are focused on the matter at hand but for the mass of people doing this, that is not the reality. Most of those supposed people are there to help keep most of their profit for personal gain, for company gain, basically anything but what they are showing. To honestly get to the point, to be honest, I don't have very many ideas as of now. But I would love to take the time that I'm going to spend in college to muster up all the possibilities and ideas that I can possibly think of. Then use the resources I'm given to get to the point where I can present those ideas to the world, or I guess in this case to the nation and other nations, so I might help change the world. I understand that's a rather far-fetched hope, and to be honest, I don't know how tangible it is but I'm still reaching for it. And I know as you read this you are probably thinking, wow this is just another person who simply wants peace and thinks the world should revolve around happiness, but I promise you that is not the case. I am a policy debater, I consider myself rather the pessimist of the group, I go in-depth to see what the bad ends are going to be and how tangible they are for people. I'm well aware that our world is an extremely pessimistic place, and I'm not saying I'm going to change that. But what I do want to say is that I want to make it a fair playing ground, of equal opportunities for life as a whole. Thank you for reading my small but long rant on my intentions and I completely understand if I don't get this scholarship, it's probably one that any person who has a vision for life will apply to but either way I still intend to do what I am saying.

I have owned dogs my whole life, in my seventeen years, my family has had seven dogs. They were Missie a black lab, Gurtie a pug, then when Bailey passed away, we got Bailie another black lab. We lived like that for a while and then got Brutus, a chihuahua. Then when Gurtie passed away, we got another dog, a pug named Ozzie. When Brutus passed away, we got Freddie, another chihuahua. Then finally we got our great Dane named Magnus. That's my dog biography As far as how my dogs have impacted me, that is what I see as quite a story. Missie and Gurtie were around before I was born so they served as the basis for socialization for the first 4 years of my life until I got to preschool. My dogs were my sanity, I was a small kid that really had no perception of creativity and so my dogs were the ones that kept me on track. This feathered out to my later life. As I grew up and found more ways to express myself, my dogs became a very important part of my life. They guided me through a lot of mental health issues. There was a series of times when I was having breakdowns on a daily basis and my dogs were the only ones there for me. I was so afraid to talk about it because I felt I wasn't normal. I was terrified of being different but my dogs were the ones that made me feel normal. As I got older my mental struggles began to increase drastically. My parents finally got me to a therapist and I was diagnosed with bipolar disorder. It was a very challenging thing for me. It took me a couple of months to accept and so my dogs were yet again a basis for my sanity. It was even better because my family got our Great Dane around thanksgiving about 5 months before I was diagnosed. Magnus came to us already knowing the basic skills of sit, stay, lay down and he can also catch. With that, he was also a gentle giant and is very clingy, so he had no problem comforting me all of the time and making my life tolerable. Since he already knew some tricks, it was easy to train him to do DPT (Deep Pressure Therapy) which helps me a lot when I'm having panic attacks. I also trained him to keep me from hitting myself or harming myself in general when I'm having a breakdown and can't stop myself very easily from doing those things. To say the least he is an amazing dog and I really don't know what I would do without him.