For as long as I can remember, college has been something I knew I would one day attend. My mom has continually pushed and encouraged me into getting a higher education, and I do not intend to step away from that plan anytime soon. While yes, my mental issues have given me big obstacles to overcome, I have gained unique and important qualities that have made me the person I am today. Mental health is a big struggle for many; sharing stories about the struggles can make others feel less alone. Growing up, I struggled a lot with depression and intrusive thoughts, especially during my middle years and the pandemic. Growing up, my dad was an abusive alcoholic and never cared to support my brother and me. This means my mom had to step up and work hard to take care of us with the little education experience she had. She always supported and urged me to become the successful person she could not be. When entering the school system, I followed those ambitions and maintained a good academic career. This all fell apart when the pandemic hit. During my junior year, I slipped into my on-and-off depression due to the mass periods of isolation. This caused my health and grades to fall to rock bottom. I had no motivation to do simple tasks in life like eating or showering. Sadly, this struggle was not new to me. During my middle school years, life became very hard at home. My parents were splitting and my friend group had become very toxic. This caused me to slip into 2 years of self-harm and suicidal tendencies. It was the first time I experienced my depression. Thankfully, it did not get as far as it did years ago. I ended up reaching out to my grandmother who sympathized with me and helped get myself the aid that I needed. Since being in therapy again, I have taken better care of my well-being and can proudly say I am still five-plus years clean from self-harm. While I may still struggle with these ongoing issues, I fight and take care of myself, knowing the beautiful life I have ahead of me. Experiencing the hardships with mental illness, it has made me realize its importance and influence on oneself and the people around us. With this in mind, my goal is to one day open a mental health center, hoping I can help and educate others on the effects. Many individuals struggle with the symptoms but are scared to talk with a profession due to the stereotypes surrounding mentally ill people. The mental health center could help those issues and make sure people get the treatment they deserve. In summary, life has been very troublesome for me. It has led to almost ending my life and missing out on the happiest moments that I hope to experience. Because of those situations, I was shaped into the person I am today and can now advocate for not only my own, but the mental health of others. Mental stability is just as important as and everyone should not be afraid to speak on mental troubles, especially when they can become life-threatening.

The medical field is not something I have always been interested in. When first wanting to enter a career field, I was destined to go into culinary arts. That was until I discovered a middle school club called Science Olympiad. During this time, I discovered my love for healthcare. I always had trouble deciding what field to go into since there are so many, but during the summer of my 11th-grade year, I was set on going into radiology. Radiology opened my eyes to medical technology, the opportunity to help people, and not worry financially. Radiology is fascinating and I am willing to strive to the top to become an amazing radiologist for so many people. Firstly, radiology intrigued me due to medical technology and imagery, so I looked more into it. At first, I was very worried about how many years of college and hard work I had to do to earn a good degree, but I have learned so much about the job of a radiologist that I am now tracking my way into becoming one. I love analytical thinking, and the idea of reading x-ray imagery to help complete a diagnosis or further a path to a diagnosis. While specific radiology classes are not offered at my school, I have taken many medical classes to help prepare for my medical school life. This field has caught me in its grip and I am glad it did. Secondly, whenever discussing radiology, not only is the use of technology and analytic reading interesting, but I also genuinely love helping and working with people. Helping others is what I have always loved doing. I enjoy seeing people smile and it warms my heart to know how my job can help so many people and their loved ones. Assisting others is what I am best at and what I always strive to do. Not only am I helping others, but I am also impacting their lives greatly in such a positive way. I would be making their lives healthier in such an unclean world, whether it is in a drastic or minor way. Lastly, radiology rids me of the stress of losing my job and going through financial struggles. When building a career in Radiology, I know I will be relieved of the stress of financial struggles and potentially losing my job. Coming from a financially poor family, I have always wanted to make sure that I had a stable income in the future. Radiology fulfills that need and I am thankful. I know when working in radiology, I am not going to have to worry about the thoughts of “Can I pay my bills?” or “When is a better candidate going to take my place?”. Radiology offers me less pressure and more time to focus on my career and furthering my education. All things considered, Radiology is my passion. This career gave me the chance to be involved in using medical technology, the opportunity to help people, and ridding myself of financial stress. Being able to win this scholarship will help me guarantee a promising future in the medical field and pursue the dream I have wanted to come true for so long. I want nothing more than to work in this field and nothing is going to stop me from doing so, but sometimes, everyone needs a bit of help. It is going to be difficult and at times I may want to give up, but that is not going to stop me from pursuing my dreams.