Mental Health Profession Scholarship

I have dealt with many mental health challenges throughout my teenage years. I struggled with severe depression and an eating disorder. I have worked on myself and my mental health immensely since then. I was hospitalized several times and it took a long time for me to gain the motivation to put full effort into my recovery, but eventually I got there. I still struggle every day, but I have gotten through all of my most difficult days, and I feel a lot better than I used to. When I first started dealing with mental health issues, I kept it a secret. However, that led to intense loneliness and hopelessness. It took a few years, but I got to the point where I was finally able to be fully honest with my parents and treatment providers. I was frustrated with the many months of simply waiting for a bed in a hospital years ago, so I wrote an essay about the difficulty finding care and beds in mental health facilities during the pandemic. I was able to express my struggles in a productive way, and I submitted it to the National Association of Mental Illness. They published it in May of 2022, titled “Surviving the Bed Shortage: A Teenager’s Experience.” I now write poetry as a release and coping skill for my emotions, and have published a book as well as won several contests. I read excerpts of my book to a group of people at a local library, and was told by some people that I inspired them and helped them put thoughts into words that they had difficulty doing. That is one of my main goals in writing and sharing my poetry, and it makes me happy to hear that I helped even one person. Moving forward, I plan to share my gained experiences and knowledge with others, spreading kindness and compassion. I aim to become a psychiatrist in the future. I want to help others in a way I often was not helped. I want to be a psychiatrist, rather than a psychologist or other career in the psychology field, because I like the combination of medication and therapy for treatment. I want to do both, most likely with teenagers and young adults. I also know that medical school is tedious and difficult, and many people do not have the determination and willpower to get through it. Because of this, as well as the increase in need for mental health services, there is a shortage of psychiatrists in the country. I know I have the motivation, personal experiences, empathy, and the intelligence to push myself through medical school. I am looking forward to my future - being able to help others, improve their lives, and bring happiness to people who struggle to feel that.