Mental health is deeply important to me as a student because of the experiences I grew up with and how they shaped my life. As a child, I had to face challenges that many students never have to think about. My father struggled with drug addiction, and because of that, my home life was often unstable and unpredictable. I witnessed his episodes almost every other day, and it created an environment filled with fear, confusion, and stress. There were times when my family and I had to leave our home just to feel safe, even if it meant sleeping in our car outside of stores. Those experiences made it difficult to focus on school, build relationships, and feel a sense of normalcy. As I got older, things became even more complicated. My father was involved in a serious car accident while under the influence, which led to the death of his brother-in-law. After the accident, my father went through multiple surgeries and suffered a traumatic brain injury. He was later sentenced to four years in prison. During that time, my family continued to deal with the emotional and mental impact of everything that had happened. When he was released, we learned that he was borderline schizophrenic, which added another layer to the challenges we were already facing. Going through all of this showed me how critical mental health is—not just for individuals, but for families and communities. As a student, I’ve learned that mental health directly affects how we learn, how we treat others, and how we see ourselves. When someone is struggling mentally, it can impact their ability to concentrate, stay motivated, and feel hopeful about their future. I’ve experienced that firsthand, and it has made me more aware of how important it is to take care of our minds just as much as our physical health. Because of my background, I try to advocate for mental health in my community in ways that feel real and meaningful. One of the main ways I do this is by being open about my experiences when it feels safe to do so. Sharing my story helps break the stigma around mental health and addiction, and it lets others know they are not alone. I also make an effort to check in on my friends and classmates, especially if they seem overwhelmed or withdrawn. Sometimes just listening without judgment can make a big difference in someone’s life. At school, I support creating an environment where students feel comfortable talking about what they’re going through. Whether that means encouraging people to reach out to counselors, promoting kindness, or simply being someone others can trust, I believe small actions can lead to meaningful change. At home, I’ve learned to be patient and understanding, especially knowing that mental health struggles are often complex and ongoing. Overall, my experiences have taught me resilience, empathy, and the importance of mental health awareness. Even though my childhood was difficult, it has motivated me to be a better student, friend, and advocate. I want to help create a world where people feel supported, understood, and not judged for what they are going through. Mental health matters to me because I’ve seen what happens when it’s ignored—and I’ve also seen the strength it takes to keep going despite it all.

Throughout my high school basketball journey, I faced one of the most discouraging challenges an athlete can experience: favoritism. Despite my dedication, long hours in the gym, and commitment to improving every aspect of my game, I often found myself overlooked. Playing time and opportunities were not always earned they were sometimes given based on preference rather than performance and being the coaches daughters. At first, this was frustrating and disheartening. I questioned whether my effort truly mattered. I was hoping my coach would change but he did not. But instead of allowing that situation to define me, I used it as motivation. I made the difficult decision to transfer schools, leaving behind what was familiar in pursuit of a fair opportunity. This was not an easy choice. It meant adapting to a new environment, building new relationships with teammates and coaches, and proving myself all over again and through WIAA I had to sit 40% of my varsity season as a senior. However, I was determined to show what I was capable of when given an equal chance. At my new school, everything changed. I embraced every practice, every game, and every moment as an opportunity to grow. My hard work began to pay off, not only in my performance, but in the trust I earned from my coaches and teammates, I earned a starting spot. That season, we achieved something special: we made it to the state tournament. Competing at that level was a dream come true, but even more meaningful was how I got there through resilience, perseverance, and belief in myself. One of the proudest moments of my journey was receiving the sportsmanship award at state. This honor meant more to me than any statistic or highlight. It recognized my character, my respect for the game, and the way I carried myself through both adversity and success. It showed that even when facing challenges like favoritism, I remained focused, positive, and committed to doing things the right way. My experiences ultimately opened the door for me to continue my basketball career at the college level. Earning the opportunity to play college basketball is something I once only dreamed about. I received offers from NCAA D3 and JUCO. It represents not only my athletic growth, but also my personal development learning how to overcome obstacles, adapt to change, and stay dedicated to my goals. As for where I am going to go and my plans for my ball career, im going to play at Highline college and save money as highline being the cheapest offer and than transfer out to a university. Receiving this scholarship would play a crucial role in supporting my journey. College athletics come with many expenses, especially when it comes to basketball gear and equipment. This scholarship would help ease that financial burden, allowing me to focus more on my performance in the classroom and on the court. It would also serve as a reminder of how far I have come from being overlooked to earning an opportunity to compete at the next level. My story is one of perseverance. I did not let unfair circumstances stop me. Instead, I used them as fuel to push forward, improve, and ultimately succeed. As I prepare to take the next step in my basketball career, I carry with me the lessons I’ve learned: work hard, stay humble, and never let obstacles define your future.

option 3: Growing up, I always thought having a boyfriend was cringey or weird—until I met mine. We started dating my sophomore year of high school when he was a senior. We met through track and field, and at first I was completely in denial about liking him. I tried to convince myself I didn’t feel anything, but deep down I knew there was something different about him. When I finally gave him a chance, he quickly became one of the best things that has ever happened to me. In the beginning, our relationship wasn’t easy. He came from a difficult and not very loving background, while I grew up in a very supportive and affectionate family. That difference showed up in how we handled emotions, conflict, and communication. There were moments when we didn’t understand each other at all. But we were also each other’s first real relationship, so we were learning everything for the first time—how to communicate, how to be patient, and how to love someone the right way. It felt like a rollercoaster with highs and lows, but no matter how hard it got, we both chose to stay and figure it out together. Later that year, he graduated, and I cried so hard watching him walk across the stage. I was so proud of him, but I also knew things were about to change. He went off to college on a full-ride wrestling scholarship, and long distance became our new reality. Going from seeing each other every single day to once every two weeks was heartbreaking. During the off-season, he would drive four hours just to spend the weekend with me, even if it meant being exhausted. During wrestling season, though, weeks would pass without seeing each other, and that was one of the hardest parts. There were nights we both felt lonely and overwhelmed, but we never stopped choosing each other. We made it through that first year stronger than before. Over the summer, life took an unexpected turn, and he ended up coming back home. Now he’s working and continuing to support me while I chase my dreams. Two more school years have passed, and we’re now going on our third year together. We’ve faced arguments, misunderstandings, growing pains, and moments where walking away might have seemed easier—but we didn’t. We learned how to fight for each other instead of against each other. Now, we’ve found a sense of peace and stability. We’ve grown up together. As I work toward playing college basketball, he has become one of my biggest motivators. He pushes me to train harder, lift heavier, and believe in myself even when I doubt my abilities. He comes to all my games and cheers louder than anyone, sometimes losing his voice. After our first loss this season, I broke down in his arms, and he held me close so no one else could see me cry. He told me, “Don’t let them see that they got to you,” and in that moment, I felt protected and understood. Now I’m sitting with multiple offers ranging from Division II to JUCO schools, and I truly believe his support has played a huge role in that. Outside of sports, we’ve grown in simple ways too—finding new hobbies like going to the sauna twice a week, talking about our future, and dreaming about what life after college might look like. He has made me stronger, more confident, and more understanding. I’ve watched him grow into a hardworking, supportive, and loving man, and I’m so proud of who he’s becoming. We continue to push each other to be better every day, not just in sports but in life. I couldn’t have chosen a better first boyfriend. He’s my best friend, my biggest supporter, and someone who has shaped me in so many positive ways. No matter what the future holds, I know we’ll continue striving to grow together, always having each other’s backs. And hopefully, after college and everything life brings, we’ll keep building our story—maybe even as husband and wife, living happily ever after.

While growing up I had my mom and dad in the picture, but it was not all happy memories. In my younger years my dad had been using and had addiction to many different drugs and it made him think there where people in our home. He would accuse my mom of hiding men in the mattress of their bed and he said he herd voices below our house and I watched my dad being taken away by the police. There were many nights my mom and I had to go to a store and sleep in the parking lot in the car, due to his addiction and mom not wanting me around him while using. My dad's use increased and he ended up in an accident that resulted in him being charged with vehicular homicide, due to the death of his brother in law in that wreck. My dad was intoxicated and under the influence of drugs when he wrecked and was sentenced to 4 years in prison. I would cry to my mom and ask why I was never enough for him to sober up and that it took prison to have him be sober. All of this was very traumatic for me and even after he sobered up and served his time in prison, he still herd the voices and we found out that he had drug induced schizophrenia and that's why he had been hearing the voices. These experiences have made a strong impact on me and have directed my interest in pursing my higher education in psychology. My mother is also a mental health therapist, so she kind of had an influence with my decision as well. Learning at a young age, that by using drugs and alcohol for a long period of time kills brains cells and can induce mental health symptoms that could have caused my dads schizophrenia. As time went by, my mom would teach me things about mental health and what it meant to live with someone who has a mental health diagnoses. Teaching me different types of therapy skills to help calm myself down or to help me with anxiety and stress. My trauma lead me to the decision of wanting to be a psychologist and has helped me to strong clean and sober 17 year old teenage girl. Regardless of the pressures or the loss of friend, I have stuck to these promises I made to myself to never put myself in an unsafe or unhealthy situation by using drugs or alcohol and to go into the psychology filed to help people like my dad.

My name is Tejawny Kreis-Huereca and I'm a Native American/ Hispanic minority female. I'm a 17 year old senior in high school and a college student in the Running Start Program through the Yakima Valley Collage. In high school I am a multi sport varsity athlete in volleyball, track and basketball. Outside of school activities I have also competed in the DECA strong competitions in both the teen and adult divisions, that consists of different lifting competitions. and boys played in a boys lacrosse team for four years. Out of high school, I want to continue playing basketball at the college level as well as obtain my Master's degree in psychology and hopefully earn my doctorate degree soon after that. If I had the opportunity to start my own charity, I would want to provide more mental health services for our active duty and veteran service members. My grandpa is a retired Marine and he would talk about how some of his brothers needed the support and mental health services for their traumas experienced in Vietnam , but were limited due to location, cost or denial of needing the help. Negatively impacting their lives once out of the military and living civilian lives. Knowing first hand that our troops and veterans lack many support services including mental health services. I would want to help those people who have fought, sacrificed and presently keep us safe from harm. I don't think people realize how much our soldiers endure while serving in the military and being away from their loved ones. We need to provide our veterans with more high quality professional services with adequate discounts or at free of cost. Our soldiers in active duty and our veterans put their lives on the line for us, the least we can do as a nation is provide those services to them. One day, I want to be an outlet for those veterans to receive help and provide them with the resources and or services they need. After I earn my degrees in the Psychology field, my goal is to one day be financially stable enough to own my own business and provide those mental health services and grow the business to employee more psychologists who are also wanting to help raise awareness of the disparities and hardships our services members experience once they return home from the war. Such as homelessness, suicide, depression, post-traumatic stress disorder, physical disabilities and drug and or alcohol addictions. Having multiple family members and my grandfather who served in the military and my field of study being in psychology. I feel this charity would give me the best of both worlds and allow me to do something in honor of grandfather and my family, as well as be in a field of study that I am interested in working in as an adult.

My name is Tejawny Kreis-Huereca, I am a Native American/ Hispanic minority and I am a senior in high school and a Running Start college student. I started playing basketball at the age of three years old and with the same head coach since the 3rd grade. My freshman year, I made varsity as a swinger, which was not successful personally, due to only playing two quarters on jv and two quarters on varsity, and not seeing any court time on varsity. As a sophomore, I received limited court time as a full time varsity player, due to changes in the plays that year to focus on the shooting guards. I played through the changes and challenges of transitioning into the post position, regardless of my strength in attacking the paint. I made this change in order to be coachable and to earn my minutes on the court. Unfortunately, my efforts to adjust and to be a team player only appeared to benefit his daughter's stats, and not utilizing my skills under the basket. The focus instead was on getting the rebounds and kicking the ball out to his daughter to shoot the three's and not going back up strong for the shot. Basketball seemed to get worse for me mentally and emotionally, when seeing his true plans for the team and I had hoped that things would change for both the team and I. Therefore chose to stay with the program and with the team for another year. My choice to stay, changed my love for the game and became the worst part of my day. I stopped eating, I would cry with my mom, I felt defeated and depression hit. During a requested meeting, he told me I was a "role player", meaning I was a bench player and he expected me to cheer hard and do the job on the court asked of me ,when asked. Not happy with his response, I asked "How do I earn minutes on the court ?" and he told me, " I need you to be a rebounder and be more physical in the paint." and I replied with "I will do that." With extra workouts and shots outside of practices and playing in open gyms to improve myself. The following year I was hopeful and ready to fulfill his want of me as a player . By the end of my junior year, I realized the circumstances would not change and I made the hard decision to transfer schools in order to gain new experiences from both a new team and a coach. I had to sit out my 40% of the varsity season this year, due to the requirements for the transfer portal through WIAA. This transfer was a very difficult decision for me as a Senior for many reasons, but mentally and emotionally it was for the best. I love the game again and I'm pushed to be a leader and contributor to my team as a valued player. Change was hard, but needed. Now, I have had four campus tours at D3 and community colleges. Not because of a coach, but because I never quit and I worked on my mental health to continue forward when feeling defeated. The hardest thing learned over the years is, you will always experience adversity and challenges anywhere you go whether it's in work, school or sports. But with a strong support system, healthy mindset and the motivation to succeed and the will to never quit , even when you want to, YOU KEEP GOING! There is always a way!

my name is Tejawny kreis-huereca. somethings that make me unique is how kind i am. growing up I've always been kind. everyone tells me that. i also thought i was selfish but over time i realized i was both. my family always gives money to homeless and people in need. we always donate to toys for tots and so forth, but me i have been to kind, people like to take advantage of you're kindness and that has happen to me a lot . and what makes me so unique is i always forgive. and keep sharing my kindness. even if i don't get it back "always be kind. it don't take anything to be kind." is something i catch myself saying although most of the time i just have sympathy and do anything to help. now we are not rich but "we have more than others and less then some, that means sense we have more then some we always help however we can". my mom installed that in me growing up and its been with me for so long. but she's never taught me how to have a good heart, I've always had that. I've helped so many people in life, i seen a homeless person i always ask if they want food or water or anything. i would make food bags and make sandwiches for them with a water and made my mom and dad take me cause i cried seeing people that low. sometimes its not even their fault. what makes me so special is I have a good heart and i will always help.

One problem I have encountered is helping my significant other calm down when they are crying and overwhelmed by something happening at home. In moments like these, emotions are high, logic is low, and the person often feels unheard or unsafe. Using basic Psychology 101 principles, I created a simple emotional-support approach for myself that focuses on validation, active listening, and emotional regulation to help calm them down in the The main psychological concept I relied on is emotional validation, which is the idea that acknowledging someone’s feelings helps reduce emotional intensity. Instead of trying to fix the problem or give advice right away, I focused on listening closely and reflecting their feelings back to them. For example, I would say things like, “That sounds really stressful,” or “It makes sense that you’d feel upset about that.” Psychology teaches that feeling understood activates a sense of safety and reduces the brain’s fight-or-flight response. I also practiced active listening, maintaining eye contact, nodding, and avoiding interruptions, which helped them feel supported rather than Another concept I used was co-regulation, where one calm person helps regulate another person’s emotions. I consciously slowed my breathing, spoke in a calm tone, and encouraged them to take slow breaths with me. This aligns with what psychology explains about the nervous system: calm behavior can help shift someone from emotional overload back to a more regulated state. I avoided minimizing their feelings or rushing them to “calm down,” knowing that invalidation can increase If I had the money and resources, I would expand this approach into a structured solution: a guided emotional-support system designed for couples. This could take the form of a mobile app or wearable-connected platform that provides real-time prompts during emotional moments. The app would recognize elevated stress (through self-report or biometric signals like heart rate) and guide the supportive partner through steps such as validation phrases, grounding techniques, and breathing exercises. It would also offer short psychology-based explanations so users understand why these techniques Additionally, the system could include training modules that teach basic Psychology 101 skills like emotional intelligence, attachment styles, and stress responses. Couples could practice scenarios together when calm, so they are better prepared during real emotional situations. Over time, the app could adapt to individual emotional triggers and preferred calming Overall, this solution builds on simple psychology principles I already use instinctively but turns them into a structured, teachable system. By combining emotional validation, active listening, and co-regulation, the approach helps reduce emotional distress and strengthens communication. With enough resources, this system could help many couples navigate emotional moments in a healthier and more supportive way.