I've seen hopelessness turn into hope, anxiety turn into peace, and depression turn into joy. I've seen this in my life and share my story to inspire others to not give up. During the global pandemic, when I was a freshman in high school, my parents and I decided that I would be virtual for the year and would stay at home to the best of my ability. This turned into a dark period of isolation and depression that took me a year to fully address and recover from. During this period, I was scared to talk to my parents or teachers about what I was feeling. I didn't want to be judged or for people to worry about me. I turned to a couple of friends who were also struggling with similar things, which ended up making everything worse. We existed in a small bubble of negativity and hatred for ourselves and the world. I turned farther away from my family and friends and struggled with suicidal thoughts and things such as self-harm for a year until my mom finally figured out what was going on which led to an attempt at suicide. I stayed in a hospital for a week and decided to leave with a fresh start. I started therapy and medication to assist me in my recovery process. I also took a break from my phone and ended negative friendships. My mom helped me decide what things were causing the most anxiety and depression and we made practical plans to combat those things. I returned to the friendships that encouraged me to pursue God and healthy life practices. This time in my life was painful and left some strong scars, but the insight, compassion, and communication skills I gained helped me heal and move on over time. I went through and learned many things through this experience and plan to help and encourage others with them. I learned that it's important to be open with how you're feeling, and not just with your peers, but with adults who can help provide solutions. Now, I can encourage friends who come to me to talk to their parents or trusted adults in their lives. I also learned that there is nothing wrong with therapy and medication that helps you heal, as long as it's used healthily. With this knowledge, I kindly correct peers who talk down on people who take anxiety or depression medicine and attend therapy. I learned to be curious and not judgemental, as spoken in the words of the poet Walt Whitman. You can never know what someone is going through, so instead of passing judgment on others, it is necessary to have genuinely concerned curiosity for others. I learned that when people are exhibiting strange actions, instead of turning to judgment and gossip, it is extremely important to ask them what they might be going through. Most importantly, I learned that a struggle with mental health is not my identity. I don't need to be ashamed of what I went through, because my identity is in Christ alone and not in my struggles and hard times. This realization brought me freedom, redemption, and joy, and I plan to encourage and help others with my story as long as it is possible for me to.

Most of us have an advocate. A person who is watching out for us. Someone who is always on our side. For most of us, this person would be our parent. Maybe a grandparent, or another member of the family. For some people this doesn't even exist. Children are one of the most vulnerable groups of people and yet many of them don't have parents or guardians who want the best for them or who can take care of them. Many of them are taken away from their families and put into unthinkable situations that most of us have only seen in movies. This was a realization that changed my life. I do understand that this is quite an obvious observation, and it doesn’t take a genius to realize that some kids are less privileged than others. However, my realization was sparked by seeing this unfair situation play out in real life, making it substantially more powerful. My views on this subject went from a head knowledge about something to a passion that led to a heart change. This ultimately led to a time of personal growth and a change in how I see and understand others. Earlier this year, a friend asked me to fill in for her as a volunteer at a place that aids with foster, adoption, and family services. I had the opportunity to work with kids who have had unimaginable trauma happen to them. I saw kids who longed to be loved, paid attention to, noticed, etc. Kids who just wanted to be treated like they mattered. I continued to volunteer at this place, spending time with the kids and getting to know them. They helped pull me out of a state of pride and indifference and brought me back down to a place of humility and kindness. The realization that not every child is treated like they are important and loved brought growth within me. This personal growth led to a change in the way I see and understand others. Some people desperately need someone to show care towards them. This is why I plan to make my community a better place after I graduate college. I am currently volunteering and interning at a place where they already do this by giving kids who are taken away from their families a comfortable transition. I plan to work at a place like this after college and eventually start my own to make sure that the most vulnerable in the community are taken care of and that as a result families are formed who can pour out the support and help they have received back into the community. I also plan to continue to volunteer for any nonprofits that have integrity and a desire to give back to the community, such as my local homeless shelter and women's outreach center. I will forever be grateful for what my time volunteering has done in my life and the realization it brought into my mind and then into my heart. I plan to work with kids in the foster care system for the rest of my life and continually grow in the way I treat and see people.

Hello, my name is Campbell Thomas and I am planning on having a career in social work. Growing up, I never knew what I wanted to be. I went back and forth from being a teacher to a veterinarian to the President like every normal kid would. However these past couple of years of getting closer to college I realized I needed to decide what I wanted to do. At the beginning of this year, my boyfriend's mom invited me to volunteer at a place called Restoration Rome. Restoration Rome helps families that have children that are in foster care and works to help every child have a home, especially with their parents if possible. Volunteering there, I get to watch the kids while the parents attend classes and establish connections with each of the families. This has changed my life. It changed the way I see people, interact with people, etc. It created a string that has tugged on my heart, telling me to go into social work and advocate for the people who are the most vulnerable and have nobody left to advocate for them. This is why I am going to college for social work and plan to work locally and strive for my community to become the best that it can be. Not only do I volunteer at Restoration Rome, but I volunteer at other places in the community and it's normally the best part of my day. I love people and creating intentional, meaningful relationships, as God has called me to do. I love seeing people's faces light up when they see that someone cares about them. Along with volunteering, this love for people makes me very active in my church and at my school. At my school, I am part of a community service club and an art club. Art is one of my passions, and I spend a lot of time on my back porch painting away. At my church, I am part of a leadership team that helps with community outreach, events, etc. I am also very close with my family. My parents are divorced so I have two homes, which just means the love is spread out. I have three sisters whom I love very much, and my mom inspires me to do the next right thing on a day to day basis. All of these people and hobbies are reasons why I am going into this field. I am so excited to learn more about social work. Next semester I am going to have an internship at Restoration Rome where I can learn more about the field and start the work in my community as early as possible. I plan to work in the field of foster care and make sure that no child is left unseen. I am in love with the idea of being in love with my job. Thank you for reading this and for your consideration!