I have decided that I want to study psychology, get my master’s degree in marriage, couples, and family counseling at Portland State University, then become a marriage and family therapist to help struggling couples work through difficult times as opposed to separating. This is because when I was two years old, my parents divorced which made many parts of growing up very hard for me and I want to help prevent other families from going through some of the things I experienced while growing up. When I was growing up, my parents struggled to take care of me and my brother due to some of the choices they made at the age they were when they had us. Before I was born, my parents had an unplanned pregnancy with my brother when my mom was eighteen and my father was nineteen then about two and a half years later when they were twenty and twenty-one they had me. Because they were both young and not well prepared to raise two children, my father left to live on his own meaning my mom had to take care of me and my brother without the help of a father figure. Because of my parent’s separation, growing up was not easy for me, my brother, or my family, and I’ve endured a fair amount of financial, social, and personal hardships because of it. For example, In the past, I struggled in different social situations, particularly regarding my relationship with my brother and my life at school. My brother being three years older than me meant that he was stronger and more developed, and since I was the younger brother he was able to project his frustrations onto me, and In school, I experienced social anxiety and insecurity which made it difficult for me to open up and make friends. There is a silver lining to my past experiences though. I am now a more mature person because of my past and can use the resilience I’ve gained and the lessons I’ve learned to do good for myself and others in the community, and this is the reason I want to pursue a career as a marriage and family therapist. Through my own journey with therapy, I have decided I want to be the first in my family to attain a college degree and help couples work through hard times to help prevent families from separating. I also believe helping families foster healthy relationships will help us all live better lives.

I have decided that I want to study psychology, get my master’s degree in marriage, couples, and family counseling at Portland State University, then become a marriage and family therapist to help struggling couples work through difficult times as opposed to separating. This is because when I was two years old, my parents divorced which made many parts of growing up very hard for me and I want to help prevent other families from going through some of the things I experienced while growing up. When I was growing up, my parents struggled to take care of me and my brother due to some of the choices they made at the age they were when they had us. Before I was born, my parents had an unplanned pregnancy with my brother when my mom was eighteen and my father was nineteen then about two and a half years later when they were twenty and twenty-one they had me. Because they were both young and not well prepared to raise two children, my father left to live on his own meaning my mom had to take care of me and my brother without the help of a father figure. Because of my parent’s separation, growing up was not easy for me, my brother, or my family, and I’ve endured a fair amount of financial, social, and personal hardships because of it. For example, In the past, I struggled in different social situations, particularly regarding my relationship with my brother and my life at school. My brother being three years older than me meant that he was stronger and more developed, and since I was the younger brother he was able to project his frustrations onto me, and In school, I experienced social anxiety and insecurity which made it difficult for me to open up and make friends. There is a silver lining to my past experiences though. I am now a more mature person because of my past and can use the resilience I’ve gained and the lessons I’ve learned to do good for myself and others in the community, and this is the reason I want to pursue a career as a marriage and family therapist. Through my own journey with therapy, I have decided I want to be the first in my family to attain a college degree and help couples work through hard times to help prevent families from separating. I also believe helping families foster healthy relationships will help us all live better lives.

I have decided that I want to study psychology, get my master’s degree in marriage, couples, and family counseling at Portland State University, then become a marriage and family therapist to help struggling couples work through difficult times as opposed to separating. This is because when I was two years old, my parents divorced which made many parts of growing up very hard for me and I want to help prevent other families from going through some of the things I experienced while growing up. When I was growing up, my parents struggled to take care of me and my brother due to some of the choices they made at the age they were when they had us. Before I was born, my parents had an unplanned pregnancy with my brother when my mom was eighteen and my father was nineteen then about two and a half years later when they were twenty and twenty-one they had me. Because they were both young and not well prepared to raise two children, my father left to live on his own meaning my mom had to take care of me and my brother without the help of a father figure. Because of my parent’s separation, growing up was not easy for me, my brother, or my family, and I’ve endured a fair amount of financial, social, and personal hardships because of it. For example, In the past, I struggled in different social situations, particularly regarding my relationship with my brother and my life at school. My brother being three years older than me meant that he was stronger and more developed, and since I was the younger brother he was able to project his frustrations onto me, and In school, I experienced social anxiety and insecurity which made it difficult for me to open up and make friends. There is a silver lining to my past experiences though. I am now a more mature person because of my past and can use the resilience I’ve gained and the lessons I’ve learned to do good for myself and others in the community, and this is the reason I want to pursue a career as a marriage and family therapist. Through my own journey with therapy, I have decided I want to be the first in my family to attain a college degree and help couples work through hard times to help prevent families from separating. I wish to obtain a job that will allow me to provide for myself and my family one day while also serving my community and helping others through situations that are similar to my past, and a degree in marriage and couples counseling will help me do these things. Through my education I will be able to develop the skills and knowledge necessary to provide families with skills, such as listening and communication, to build healthy relationships, and I believe doing so will help us all live better lives.

I have decided that I want to study psychology, get my master’s degree in marriage, couples, and family counseling at Portland State University, then become a marriage and family therapist to help struggling couples work through difficult times as opposed to separating. This is because when I was two years old, my parents divorced which made many parts of growing up very hard for me and I want to help prevent other families from going through some of the things I experienced while growing up. When I was growing up, my parents struggled taking care of me and my brother due to some of the choices they made at the age they were when they had us. Before I was born, my parents had an unplanned pregnancy with my brother when my mom was eighteen and my father was nineteen then about two and a half years later when they were twenty and twenty-one they had me. Because they were both young and not well prepared to raise two children, my father left to live on his own meaning my mom had to take care of me and my brother without the help of a father figure. Because of this, growing up was not easy for me, my brother, or my family, and I’ve endured a fair amount of financial, social, and personal hardships because of my parent’s separation. For example, In the past, I struggled in different social situations, particularly regarding my relationship with my brother and my life at school. My brother being three years older than me meant that he was stronger and more developed, and since I was the younger brother he was able to project his frustrations onto me, and In school, I experienced social anxiety and insecurity which made it difficult for me to open up and make friends. There is a silver lining to my past experiences though. I am now a more mature person because of my past and can use the resilience I’ve gained and the lessons I’ve learned to do good for myself and others in the community, and this is the reason I want to pursue a career as a marriage and family therapist. Through my own journey with therapy, I have decided I want to be the first in my family to attain a college degree and help couples work through hard times to help prevent families from separating. I also believe helping families foster healthy relationships will help us all live better lives.

I have decided that I want to study psychology, get my master’s degree in marriage, couples, and family counseling at Portland State University, then become a marriage and family therapist to help struggling couples work through difficult times as opposed to separating. This is because when I was two years old, my parents divorced which made many parts of growing up very hard for me and I want to help prevent other families from going through some of the things I experienced while growing up. When I was growing up, my parents struggled to take care of me and my brother due to some of the choices they made at the age they were when they had us. Before I was born, my parents had an unplanned pregnancy with my brother when my mom was eighteen and my father was nineteen then about two and a half years later when they were twenty and twenty-one they had me. Because they were both young and not well prepared to raise two children, my father left to live on his own meaning my mom had to take care of me and my brother without the help of a father figure. Thankfully, my father still made the effort to connect with me and my brother and we visited him every other weekend wherever he was staying, but still Because of their separation, growing up was not easy for me, my brother, or my family, and I’ve endured a fair amount of financial, social, and personal hardships because of it. In the past, I struggled in different social situations, particularly regarding my relationship with my brother and my life at school. My brother being three years older than me meant that he was stronger and more developed, and since I was the younger brother he was able to project his frustrations onto me, and In school, I experienced social anxiety and insecurity which made it difficult for me to open up and make friends. There is a silver lining to my past experiences though. I am now a more mature person because of my past and can use the resilience I’ve gained and the lessons I’ve learned to do good for myself and others in the community, and this is the reason I want to pursue a career as a marriage and family therapist. Through my own journey with therapy, I have decided I want to be the first in my family to attain a college degree and help couples work through hard times to help prevent families from separating. I wish to obtain a job that will allow me to provide for myself and my family one day while also serving my community and helping others through situations that are similar to my past, and a degree in marriage and couples counseling will help me do these things. Through my education I will be able to develop the skills and knowledge necessary to provide families with skills, such as listening and communication, to build healthy relationships, and I believe doing so will help us all live better lives.

I’ve always considered myself to be a strong leader in all of the different avenues of my life whether it be at work, school, in extracurriculars. In high school, I was elected as part of the student council and led multiple student projects dedicated for the student body, I was designated as section leader of both of my school’s top-performing choirs for both my junior and senior year, I acted and played multiple lead roles in different theatre and musical productions, I was even declared prom king my senior year, however, as I grow older I’m beginning to learn that being a leader is not always about being the front man, or having the loudest voice. I believe true leadership means doing what is best for whatever team or group you’re a part of whether that be taking the lead on a project, or helping out by doing the grunt work nobody wants to do. Now, after high school, as I continue to find myself in leadership roles this is what I attempt to embody everyday. Whenever I find myself working in a group with others I consider how I can use my work and efforts most effectively. Sometimes doing what is best for the group means doing tasks such as delegating work, taking the lead on projects, and speaking on behalf of the group. In group settings, I’ve found that when a chain of command is present, or there is a designated leader who can give instructions to others, the work done by the group is more organized and effective, and overall more gets done. Sometimes taking the lead when working on a team with others can be stressful, however, it is necessary for the greater good of the group’s efforts and is a role I will fill when it is needed. I’ve also noticed that as a leader in a team, it is important to know yourself and what your particular skills or limits are. For example, the manager or lead of the group is always a necessary role in a functional team, however, sometimes people will attempt to take on this role while they may not be able or qualified to do so. They may not have the skills necessary to accomplish the task at hand or the knowledge and understanding necessary to effectively delegate tasks and prepare a plan of action. I went through training to become a CNA and I remember something that was greatly emphasized during the training was that if somebody asks you to do something you haven’t been trained for or aren’t qualified to do, do not do it as something may go wrong and someone could get seriously hurt. I practice this lesson whenever I am working on a team with others. If I feel like I can’t manage the work on my plate or am not qualified for it, maybe it’s best for the group that I hand it off to someone else who is able to handle it successfully. As my educational journey continues to advance and I continue to take on more responsibility and leadership I will always continue to do my best to help myself and my team be successful and I think that’s whats most important in a leader. They are willing to do what is best for the team and I believe myself to be a strong leader because I embody this everyday.

I have decided that I want to study psychology, get my master’s degree in marriage, couples, and family counseling at Portland State University, then become a marriage and family therapist to help struggling couples work through difficult times as opposed to separating. This is because when I was two years old, my parents divorced which made many parts of growing up very hard for me and I want to help prevent other families from going through some of the things I experienced while growing up. When I was growing up, my parents struggled taking care of me and my brother due to some of the choices they made at the age they were when they had us. Before I was born, my parents had an unplanned pregnancy with my brother when my mom was eighteen and my father was nineteen then about two and a half years later when they were twenty and twenty-one they had me. Because they were both young and not well prepared to raise two children, my father left to live on his own meaning my mom had to take care of me and my brother without the help of a father figure. Because of this, growing up was not easy for me, my brother, or my family, and I’ve endured a fair amount of financial, social, and personal hardships because of my parent’s separation. For example, In the past, I struggled in different social situations, particularly regarding my relationship with my brother and my life at school. My brother being three years older than me meant that he was stronger and more developed, and since I was the younger brother he was able to project his frustrations onto me, and In school, I experienced social anxiety and insecurity which made it difficult for me to open up and make friends. There is a silver lining to my past experiences though. I am now a more mature person because of my past and can use the resilience I’ve gained and the lessons I’ve learned to do good for myself and others in the community, and this is the reason I want to pursue a career as a marriage and family therapist. Through my own journey with therapy, I have decided I want to be the first in my family to attain a college degree and help couples work through hard times to help prevent families from separating. I also believe helping families foster healthy relationships will help us all live better lives. The money from this scholarship will help me pay for the essential expenses of college like room and board which will allow me to work less during the school year and focus more on my studies. The 2023-2024 school year was particularly difficult for me because I hadn’t qualified for enough financial aid to pay for housing which meant I had to find a job to cover the rest of the funds necessary to live on campus as well as pay for other essential living expenses like food and transportation. While in school I was working about fifteen to twenty hours a week, and the money from this scholarship will help me be a more successful student and therapist one day as It will allow me to focus more on my time in college instead of working.

I have decided that I want to study psychology, get my master’s degree in marriage, couples, and family counseling at Portland State University, then become a marriage and family therapist to help struggling couples work through difficult times as opposed to separating. This is because when I was two years old, my parents divorced which made many parts of growing up very hard for me and I want to help prevent other families from going through some of the things I experienced while growing up. When I was growing up, my parents struggled taking care of me and my brother due to some of the choices they made at the age they were when they had us. Before I was born, my parents had an unplanned pregnancy with my brother when my mom was eighteen and my father was nineteen then about two and a half years later when they were twenty and twenty-one they had me. Because they were both young and not well prepared to raise two children, my father left to live on his own meaning my mom had to take care of me and my brother without the help of a father figure. Because of this, growing up was not easy for me, my brother, or my family, and I’ve endured a fair amount of financial, social, and personal hardships because of my parent’s separation. For example, In the past, I struggled in different social situations, particularly regarding my relationship with my brother and my life at school. My brother being three years older than me meant that he was stronger and more developed, and since I was the younger brother he was able to project his frustrations onto me, and In school, I experienced social anxiety and insecurity which made it difficult for me to open up and make friends. There is a silver lining to my past experiences though. I am now a more mature person because of my past and can use the resilience I’ve gained and the lessons I’ve learned to do good for myself and others in the community, and this is the reason I want to pursue a career as a marriage and family therapist. Through my own journey with therapy, I have decided I want to be the first in my family to attain a college degree and help couples work through hard times to help prevent families from separating. I also believe helping families foster healthy relationships will help us all live better lives. The money from this scholarship will help me pay for the essential expenses of college like room and board which will allow me to work less during the school year and focus more on my studies. The 2023-2024 school year was particularly difficult for me because I hadn’t qualified for enough financial aid to pay for housing which meant I had to find a job to cover the rest of the funds necessary to live on campus as well as pay for other essential living expenses like food and transportation. While in school I was working about fifteen to twenty hours a week, and the money from this scholarship will help me be a more successful student and therapist one day as It will allow me to focus more on my time in college instead of working.

I have decided that I want to study psychology, get my master’s degree in marriage, couples, and family counseling at Portland State University, then become a marriage and family therapist to help struggling couples work through difficult times as opposed to separating. This is because when I was two years old, my parents divorced which made many parts of growing up very hard for me and I want to help prevent other families from going through some of the things I experienced while growing up. When I was growing up, my parents struggled taking care of me and my brother due to some of the choices they made at the age they were when they had us. Before I was born, my parents had an unplanned pregnancy with my brother when my mom was eighteen and my father was nineteen then about two and a half years later when they were twenty and twenty-one they had me. Because they were both young and not well prepared to raise two children, my father left to live on his own meaning my mom had to take care of me and my brother without the help of a father figure. Because of this, growing up was not easy for me, my brother, or my family, and I’ve endured a fair amount of financial, social, and personal hardships because of my parent’s separation. For example, In the past, I struggled in different social situations, particularly regarding my relationship with my brother and my life at school. My brother being three years older than me meant that he was stronger and more developed, and since I was the younger brother he was able to project his frustrations onto me, and In school, I experienced social anxiety and insecurity which made it difficult for me to open up and make friends. There is a silver lining to my past experiences though. Through my own journey with therapy, I have decided my career goal is to be the first in my family to attain a college degree and help couples work through their trying times to help prevent families from separating and going through the same things I experienced while growing up, and the silver lining to my past experiences is that because of them, I am now a more mature person. I can use the resilience I’ve gained and the lessons I’ve learned to do good for myself and others in the community by making choices to help me be more successful on my educational journey. For example this summer I’ve taken the time to apply for scholarships so I can spend more time focusing on my studies as opposed to working while in school to pay for college, which is what I had been doing during the 2023-2024 school year. The 2023-2024 school year was particularly difficult for me because I hadn’t qualified for enough financial aid to pay for housing which meant I had to find a job to cover the rest of the funds necessary to live on campus as well as pay for other essential living expenses like food and transportation. While in school I was working about fifteen to twenty hours a week, and taking the time to apply for scholarships will help me be a more successful student and therapist one day as It will allow me to focus more on my time in college instead of working, and these are the types of choices I will continue to make to achieve my goals.

I have decided that I want to study psychology, get my master’s degree in marriage, couples, and family counseling at Portland State University, then become a marriage and family therapist to help struggling couples work through difficult times as opposed to separating. This is because when I was two years old, my parents divorced which made many parts of growing up very hard for me and I want to help prevent other families from going through some of the things I experienced while growing up. When I was growing up, my parents struggled taking care of me and my brother due to some of the choices they made at the age they were when they had us. Before I was born, my parents had an unplanned pregnancy with my brother when my mom was eighteen and my father was nineteen then about two and a half years later when they were twenty and twenty-one they had me. Because they were both young and not well prepared to raise two children, my father left to live on his own meaning my mom had to take care of me and my brother without the help of a father figure. Because of this, growing up was not easy for me, my brother, or my family, and I’ve endured a fair amount of financial, social, and personal hardships because of my parent’s separation. For example, In the past, I struggled in different social situations, particularly regarding my relationship with my brother and my life at school. My brother being three years older than me meant that he was stronger and more developed, and since I was the younger brother he was able to project his frustrations onto me, and In school, I experienced social anxiety and insecurity which made it difficult for me to open up and make friends. There is a silver lining to my past experiences though. I am now a more mature person because of my past and can use the resilience I’ve gained and the lessons I’ve learned to do good for myself and others in the community, and this is the reason I want to pursue a career as a marriage and family therapist. Through my own journey with therapy, I have decided I want to be the first in my family to attain a college degree and help couples work through hard times to help prevent families from separating. I also believe helping families foster healthy relationships will help us all live better lives. The money will help me pay for the essential expenses of college like room and board which will allow me to work less during the school year and focus more on my studies. The 2023-2024 school year was particularly difficult for me because I hadn’t qualified for enough financial aid to pay for housing which meant I had to find a job to cover the rest of the funds necessary to live on campus as well as pay for other essential living expenses like food and transportation. While in school I was working about twenty hours a week, and the money from this scholarship will help me be a more successful student and therapist one day as It will allow me to focus more on my time in college instead of working.

I have decided that I want to study psychology, get my master’s degree in marriage, couples, and family counseling at Portland State University, then become a marriage and family therapist to help struggling couples work through difficult times as opposed to separating. This is because when I was two years old, my parents divorced which made many parts of growing up very hard for me and I want to help prevent other families from going through some of the things I experienced while growing up. When I was growing up, my parents struggled taking care of me and my brother due to some of the choices they made at the age they were when they had us. Before I was born, my parents had an unplanned pregnancy with my brother when my mom was eighteen and my father was nineteen then about two and a half years later when they were twenty and twenty-one they had me. Because they were both young and not well prepared to raise two children, my father left to live on his own meaning my mom had to take care of me and my brother without the help of a father figure. Because of this, growing up was not easy for me, my brother, or my family, and I’ve endured a fair amount of financial, social, and personal hardships because of my parent’s separation. There is a silver lining to my past experiences though. I am now a more mature person because of my past and can use the resilience I’ve gained and the lessons I’ve learned to do good for myself and others in the community, and this is the reason I want to pursue a career as a marriage and family therapist. Through my own journey with therapy, I have decided I want to be the first in my family to attain a college degree and help couples work through hard times to help prevent families from separating. I also believe helping families foster healthy relationships will help us all live better lives. The money will help me pay for the essential expenses of college like room and board which will allow me to work less during the school year and focus more on my studies. The 2023-2024 school year was particularly difficult for me because I hadn’t qualified for enough financial aid to pay for housing which meant I had to find a job to cover the rest of the funds necessary to live on campus as well as pay for other essential living expenses like food and transportation. While in school I was working about fifteen to twenty hours a week, and the money from this scholarship will help me be a more successful student and therapist one day as It will allow me to focus more on my time in college instead of working.

I have decided that I want to study psychology, get my master’s degree in marriage, couples, and family counseling at Portland State University, then become a marriage and family therapist to help struggling couples work through difficult times as opposed to separating. This is because when I was two years old, my parents divorced which made many parts of growing up very hard for me and I want to help prevent other families from going through some of the things I experienced while growing up. When I was growing up, my parents struggled taking care of me and my brother due to some of the choices they made at the age they were when they had us. Before I was born, my parents had an unplanned pregnancy with my brother when my mom was eighteen and my father was nineteen then about two and a half years later when they were twenty and twenty-one they had me. Because they were both young and not well prepared to raise two children, my father left to live on his own meaning my mom had to take care of me and my brother without the help of a father figure. Growing up was not easy for me, my brother, or my family, and I’ve endured a fair amount of financial, social, and personal hardships because of my parent’s separation. In the past, I struggled in different social situations, particularly regarding my relationship with my brother and my life at school. My brother being three years older than me meant that he was stronger and more developed, and since I was the younger brother he was able to project his frustrations onto me, and In school, I experienced social anxiety and insecurity which made it difficult for me to open up and make friends. There is a silver lining to my past experiences though. I am now a more mature person because of them and can use the resilience I’ve gained and the lessons I’ve learned to do good for myself and others in the community. For example, in school, I have made friends through my favorite extracurricular activities, choir and drama, who struggle severely with their mental health, and I have helped them feel less alone and depressed by allowing them to share their traumatic experiences with me and supporting them through challenging times by being there for them. My past is also what has led me to choose the career I am currently pursuing. This is the reason I want to pursue a career as a marriage and family therapist. Through my own journey with therapy, I have decided I want to be the first in my family to attain a college degree and help couples work through hard times to help prevent families from separating. I also believe helping families foster healthy relationships will help us all live better lives.

I have decided that I want to study psychology, get my master’s degree in marriage, couples, and family counseling at Portland State University, then become a marriage and family therapist to help struggling couples work through difficult times as opposed to separating. This is because when I was two years old, my parents divorced which made many parts of growing up very hard for me and I want to help prevent other families from going through some of the things I experienced while growing up. When I was growing up, my parents struggled to take care of me and my brother due to some of the choices they made at the age they were when they had us. Before I was born, my parents had an unplanned pregnancy with my brother when my mom was eighteen and my father was nineteen then about two and a half years later when they were twenty and twenty-one they had me. Because they were both young and not well prepared to raise two children, my father left to live on his own meaning my mom had to take care of me and my brother without the help of a father figure. Thankfully, my father still made the effort to connect with me and my brother and we visited him every other weekend wherever he was staying, but still Because of their separation, growing up was not easy for me, my brother, or my family, and I’ve endured a fair amount of financial, social, and personal hardships because of it. In the past, I struggled in different social situations, particularly regarding my relationship with my brother and my life at school. My brother being three years older than me meant that he was stronger and more developed, and since I was the younger brother he was able to project his frustrations onto me, and In school, I experienced social anxiety and insecurity which made it difficult for me to open up and make friends. There is a silver lining to my past experiences though. I am now a more mature person because of my past and can use the resilience I’ve gained and the lessons I’ve learned to do good for myself and others in my community. For example, the 2023-2024 school year was a particularly difficult year for me for multiple reasons, however I was able to make it through that year and accomplish my goals because I knew how to continue moving through difficult times because of my past. That year I decided to move out of my mother’s house, and I transferred from Portland Community College to Portland State University. It was my first year living on my own, and I hadn’t qualified for enough financial aid to fully pay for room and board which meant I had to find a job to continue living on campus. I was challenged with having to quickly learn how to balance life as a full-time student while working 15-20 hours a week, how to manage my finances properly to cover the rest of the funds necessary to continue living on campus as well as pay for the other essential expenses of living like food and transportation, and how to manage my time efficiently so I was able to stay successful in the extracurriculars I had taken on. When it came to being a successful student that year, the odds were stacked against me, however, In my life, I’ve always been somebody who’s had to work hard to get to where I am now, and that’s not to say that at the time I didn’t think the task ahead was going to be easy, but I knew by working hard I could do it. Whenever I felt tired during the school year, above all else I kept moving forward because I knew eventually there would be an end to the year, and I can say now, having made it through the year and accomplished my goals, that the work was worth it. I ended the year having paid all my housing expenses at Portland State, I finished with A-’s or better in my classes as well as a 3.9 GPA, and I also impressed the music department and was awarded two scholarships to pay for school next year, which will make the following years easier for me as well. Now that the school year is finished I’ve started to apply for more scholarships because doing so will allow me to spend less time working during the school year and make college easier for myself because although writing scholarship essays can be a daunting task, the time and stress spent doing so turns out to be far less than if you were to spend your time working during the school year. I can also use my resilience and work ethic to help others in my communities, and this is the reason I want to pursue a career as a marriage and family therapist. Through my own journey with therapy, I have decided I want to be the first in my family to attain a college degree and help couples work through hard times to help prevent families from separating. In the future, I wish to obtain a job that will allow me to provide for myself and my family one day while also serving my community and helping others through situations that are similar to my past, and a degree in marriage and couples counseling will help me do these things. My education will help me develop the skills and knowledge necessary to provide families with skills, such as listening and communication, to build healthy relationships, and I believe doing so will help us all live better lives.

I have decided that I want to study psychology, get my master’s degree in marriage, couples, and family counseling at Portland State University, then become a marriage and family therapist to help struggling couples work through difficult times as opposed to separating. This is because when I was two years old, my parents divorced which made many parts of growing up very hard for me and I want to help prevent other families from going through some of the things I experienced while growing up. When I was growing up, my parents struggled to take care of me and my brother due to some of the choices they made at the age they were when they had us. Before I was born, my parents had an unplanned pregnancy with my brother when my mom was eighteen and my father was nineteen then about two and a half years later when they were twenty and twenty-one they had me. Because they were both young and not well prepared to raise two children, my father left to live on his own meaning my mom had to take care of me and my brother without the help of a father figure. Thankfully, my father still made the effort to connect with me and my brother and we visited him every other weekend wherever he was staying, but still Because of their separation, growing up was not easy for me, my brother, or my family, and I’ve endured a fair amount of financial, social, and personal hardships because of it. In the past, I struggled in different social situations, particularly regarding my relationship with my brother and my life at school. My brother being three years older than me meant that he was stronger and more developed, and since I was the younger brother he was able to project his frustrations onto me, and In school, I experienced social anxiety and insecurity which made it difficult for me to open up and make friends. There is a silver lining to my past experiences though. I am now a more mature person because of my past and can use the resilience I’ve gained and the lessons I’ve learned to do good for myself and others in the community, and this is the reason I want to pursue a career as a marriage and family therapist. Through my own journey with therapy, I have decided I want to be the first in my family to attain a college degree and help couples work through hard times to help prevent families from separating. I wish to obtain a job that will allow me to provide for myself and my family one day while also serving my community and helping others through situations that are similar to my past, and a degree in marriage and couples counseling will help me do these things. Through my education I will be able to develop the skills and knowledge necessary to provide families with skills, such as listening and communication, to build healthy relationships, and I believe doing so will help us all live better lives.

I have decided that I want to study psychology, get my master’s degree in marriage, couples, and family counseling at Portland State University, then become a marriage and family therapist to help struggling couples work through difficult times as opposed to separating. This is because when I was two years old, my parents divorced which made many parts of growing up very hard for me and I want to help prevent other families from going through some of the things I experienced while growing up. There is a silver lining to my past experiences. I am now a more mature person because of them and can use the resilience I’ve gained and the lessons I’ve learned to do good for myself and others in the community. For example, in school, I have made friends through my favorite extracurricular activities, choir and drama, who struggle severely with their mental health, and I have helped them feel less alone and depressed by allowing them to share their traumatic experiences with me and supporting them through challenging times by being there for them. My past is also what has led me to choose the career I am currently pursuing. When I was growing up, my parents struggled taking care of me and my brother due to some of the choices they made at the age they were when they had us. Before I was born, my parents had an unplanned pregnancy with my brother when my mom was eighteen and my father was nineteen then about two and a half years later when they were twenty and twenty-one they had me. Because they were both young and not well prepared to raise two children, my father left to live on his own meaning my mom had to take care of me and my brother without the help of a father figure. Growing up was not easy for me, my brother, or my family, and I’ve endured a fair amount of financial, social, and personal hardships because of my parent’s separation. In the past, I struggled in different social situations, particularly regarding my relationship with my brother and my life at school. My brother being three years older than me meant that he was stronger and more developed, and since I was the younger brother he was able to project his frustrations onto me, and In school, I experienced social anxiety and insecurity which made it difficult for me to open up and make friends. This is the reason I want to pursue a career as a marriage and family therapist. Through my own journey with therapy, I have decided I want to be the first in my family to attain a college degree and help couples work through hard times to help prevent families from separating. I also believe helping families foster healthy relationships will help us all live better lives.

I have decided that I want to study psychology, get my master’s degree in marriage, couples, and family counseling at Portland State University, then become a marriage and family therapist to help struggling couples work through difficult times as opposed to separating. This is because when I was two years old, my parents divorced which made many parts of growing up very hard for me and I want to help prevent other families from going through some of the things I experienced while growing up. There is a silver lining to my past experiences. I am now a more mature person because of them and can use the resilience I’ve gained and the lessons I’ve learned to do good for myself and others in the community. For example, in school, I have made friends through my favorite extracurricular activities, choir and drama, who struggle severely with their mental health, and I have helped them feel less alone and depressed by allowing them to share their traumatic experiences with me and supporting them through challenging times by being there for them. Growing up was not easy for me, my brother, or my family, and I’ve endured a fair amount of financial, social, and personal hardships because of my parent’s separation. In the past, I struggled in different social situations, particularly regarding my relationship with my brother and my life at school. My brother being three years older than me meant that he was stronger and more developed, and since I was the younger brother he was able to project his frustrations onto me, and In school, I experienced social anxiety and insecurity which made it difficult for me to open up and make friends. This is the reason I want to pursue a career as a marriage and family therapist. Through my own journey with therapy, I have decided I want to be the first in my family to attain a college degree and help couples work through hard times to help prevent families from separating. I also believe helping families foster healthy relationships will help us all live better lives.

When I was growing up, my parents struggled taking care of me and my brother due to some of the choices they made at the age they were when they had us. Before I was born, my parents had an unplanned pregnancy with my brother when my mom was eighteen and my father was nineteen then about two and a half years later when they were twenty and twenty-one they had me. Because they were both young and not well prepared to raise two children, my father left to live on his own meaning my mom had to take care of me and my brother without the help of a father figure. Because of this, growing up was not easy for me, my brother, or my family, and I’ve endured a fair amount of financial, social, and personal hardships because of my parent’s separation. In the past, I struggled in different social situations, particularly regarding my relationship with my brother and my life at school. My brother being three years older than me meant that he was stronger and more developed, and since I was the younger brother he was able to project his frustrations onto me, and In school, I experienced social anxiety and insecurity which made it difficult for me to open up and make friends. There is a silver lining to my past experiences though. I am now a more mature person because of my past and can use the resilience I’ve gained and the lessons I’ve learned to do good for myself and others in the community, and this is the reason I want to pursue a career as a marriage and family therapist. Through my own journey with therapy, I have decided I want to be the first in my family to attain a college degree and help couples work through hard times to help prevent families from separating. I also believe helping families foster healthy relationships will help us all live better lives. The money from this scholarship will help me pay for the essential expenses of college like room and board which will allow me to work less during the school year and focus more on my studies. The 2023-2024 school year was particularly difficult for me because I hadn’t qualified for enough financial aid to pay for housing which meant I had to find a job to cover the rest of the funds necessary to live on campus and continue attending school as well as pay for other essential living expenses like food and transportation. While in school I was working about fifteen to twenty hours a week to cover those expenses, and the money from this scholarship will help me be a more successful student and therapist one day as It will allow me to focus more on my time in college instead of working.