I am pursuing a degree in the mental health field because I dealt with my mental health my whole life. It was like a roller coaster. It felt like nobody could understand where I was coming from because all they would say was that I had to worry about school. But that wasn't the case. I didn't know how to open up to people and tell them how I was feeling. There was a feeling that I needed to bottle everything up until I started to explode, and I would start to spill out ever since thing that I had bottled up until I couldn't keep it inside. My parents decided to get me a therapist. They believed that it would be a fresh setting for me to talk to someone that I didn't know and express my feelings instead of having someone that I know and have them judge me every second. Just from the first day of talking, it felt like so much weight was lifted off my shoulders. My therapist was more of a friend to me instead of someone who was doing their job and telling me what she needed to tell me based on her work-study. She always gave me the advice I needed to hear because most of my friends/ family couldn't give it to me. If I didn't get the help that I needed, then I don't think I would be here today. I had many ideas and thoughts that were in my head that weren't healthy for my well-being. I knew I had to change those thoughts, and my therapist helped me with that. She made me see the brighter side and helped me realize that if I want to help teenagers my age with the problems that they are dealing with, then I need to help myself first and get better with my self-love. Pursuing a degree in the mental field is a big deal for me because we teenagers are going through stuff that we shouldn't be going through at our age. We have so much gone on in our lives that on top of all of that, we have to make sure that we are doing good in school and even sports if we participate in them. I will try to make an impact in the lives of others by letting them talk about how they feel about certain situations because all we need is one person who will just listen to what we are talking about and not judge us. I want to make a club for the school that I join when I get a job because I want it to be a safe place for the students that attend the school, and I want them to see that they aren't alone in the stuff that they have to face every day. So many teens suffer in silence, and it is not ok because then it results in them killing themselves and leaving everything that they had to go through. There have been times that I've listened to my friends tell me about the times they almost killed themselves and they said that they didn't like the feeling because it felt like they were failing their parents. I want everyone that I work with to know that they could never fail their parents but if they feel like they are failing someone, I want them to know that they are not failing me. I want the students and teenagers to trust me and come to me when they feel like they can't take it anymore.

Hi, my name is Faith Barron and I am 16 years old. When I go to college I want to major in Psychology. My potential career will make a positive impact on the world because I've always been a helping hand to others. I always put my friend's needs before mine because that's how much I value a person. I want to work with high schoolers because we deal with a lot nowadays. I believe that teens suffer a lot when they are attending school because they are always worrying about things that they shouldn't be worrying about at this age. I am passionate about continuing my education because I believe that I could make a big impact in teenagers' lives with the advice I would give and how to give them my shoulder when they need to cry or my ears when they need someone to talk to. I want teens to understand that psychologists aren't social workers but more as someone who is just trying to understand the students better and see if they can help them with anything that they are dealing with. My experience with mental health influenced my career aspirations because I always struggled with my mental health and I never went to my psychologist because I thought I could never trust them when I was in elementary school anything you told the psychologist, she would tell your parents automatically. Nobody in my school could believe anything she would say to us because we never thought it was a safe space with her when we were in her office. When covid hit, my mental health was down the drain because I was stuck in the house with my family and it felt like a lot because I wasn't used to having everyone home during the day and trying to get through each day. I fell into a deep depression and I never thought I could get out but I got a therapist and she helped me see that not everyone who works in this type of field would make it not safe for you to talk about your feelings. She made me realize that I wanted to be a therapist at first but when I looked more into it, I started to have a change of heart. I began to see that I wanted to make sure that teens understood where I was coming from and I wanted to make a club for them so that they could create a better environment for themselves and their peers. That's what made me choose the career path of becoming a school psychologist.

Hi, my name is Faith Barron and I am 16 years old. When I go to college I want to major in Psychology. My potential career will make a positive impact on the world because I've always been a helping hand to others. I would always put my friend's needs before mine because that's how much I value a person. I want to work with high schoolers because I believe that we deal with a lot nowadays. I believe that teens suffer a lot when they are attending school because they are always worrying about things that they shouldn't be worrying about at this age. I am passionate about continuing my education because I believe that I could make a big impact in teenagers' lives with the advice I would give and how to give them my shoulder when they need to cry or my ears when they need someone to talk to. I want teens to understand that psychologists aren't social workers but more as someone who are just trying to understand the students better and see if they can help them with anything that they are dealing with. My experience with mental health influenced my career aspirations because I always struggled with my mental health and I never went to my psychologist because I thought I could never trust them when I was in elementary school anything you told the psychologist, she would tell your parents automatically. Nobody in my school could believe anything she would say to us because we never thought it was a safe space with her when we were in her office. When covid hit, my mental health was down the drain because I was stuck in the house with my family and it felt like a lot because I wasn't used to having everyone home during the day and trying to get through each day. I fell into a deep depression and I never thought I could get out but I got a therapist and she helped me see that not everyone who works in this type of field would make it not safe for you to talk about your feelings. She made me realize that I wanted to be a therapist at first but when I looked more into it, I started to have a change of heart. I started to see that I wanted to make sure that teens understood where I was coming from and I wanted to make a club for them so that they could create a better environment for themselves and their peers. That's what made me choose the career path of becoming a school psychologist.

I am pursuing a degree in the mental health field because I dealt with my mental health my whole life. It was like a roller coaster. I felt like nobody could understand where I was coming from because all they would say was that I had to worry about school and passing all my classes. But that wasn't the case. I didn't know how to open up to people and tell them how I was feeling until my parents got me a therapist because I wasn't talking to them so they thought that I would talk to someone who wasn't them and they were right. Just from the first day of talking, I felt like some much stuff was lifted off my shoulders. It felt like she was a friend to me instead of someone that was my therapist. She always gave me the advice that I needed because most of my friends/ family couldn't give it to me. If I didn't get the help that I needed, then I wouldn't be here today because there was so much that I was going through that I didn't know how to tell people what I was thinking. Pursuing a degree in the mental field is a big deal for me because I feel like we teenagers are going through stuff that we shouldn't be going through at our age. We have so much going on in our lives that on top of all of that, we have to make sure that we are doing good in school and even sports if we participate in them. I will try to make an impact in the lives of others by letting them talk about how they feel about certain situations because all we need is that one person who will just listen to what we are talking about and not judge us. I want to make a club for the school that I join when I get a job because I want it to be a safe place for the students that attend the school and I want them to see that they aren't alone in the stuff that they have to face every day. So many teens suffer in silence, and it is not ok because then it results in them killing themselves and leaving everything that they had to go through. There have been times that I've listened to my friends tell me about the times they almost killed themselves and they said that they didn't like the feeling because it felt like they were failing their parents. I want everyone that I work with to know that they could never fail their parents but if they feel like they are failing someone, I want them to know that they are not failing me, and I know where they are coming from. I want the students and teenagers to trust me and come to me when they feel like they can't take it anymore. I want them to stay and see that I care for them. This is why I want to pursue a degree in the mental health field.

My mental health influenced my beliefs because it helped me move more towards God and it opened my eyes because I always said that everything happens for a reason and God will help you through your struggles but when I was going through my hard times, all I could say was "why god. why are you putting me through all of this? I don't deserve this." I could hear him say these words to me over and over again. "Just pray, just pray". When I heard him say that to me, it just made me open my eyes and realize that I shouldn't be crying over the fact that all of this is happening but thank God that he is putting me through all of the tides and tribulations because he sees me as a strong warrior who can get through anything. Every day I prayed to God and made sure that I took time out of my day to read the bible so that I could understand him more and I wrote down how I felt about my mental health and how I was coping with it every day. God has shown me that all things are possible through Christ who has strengthened me. My mental health has influenced my career aspirations towards entrepreneurship because I started a business called F.A.B. Slime and I make slime for kids and adults. My mental health helped me realize that I could put kindness back out into the world instead of staying inside my room all day and being depressed. Having my slime business helped me move around put myself out there and show off my skills. Entrepreneurship helped me illustrate the things I want to become in life. My major in college will be psychology but my minor will be business because I want to put my slime business out there more and start to make slime at kids' birthday parties and travel around. My mental health has put me through a lot and made me lose friends, but it showed me how much people could be my support system and show me how I need to learn how to get up on my own and work hard towards my goals. I never want to go back to the episodes that I went through because if I went back to them, I don't think I'd be able to bounce back. This is how my mental health influenced my beliefs and career aspirations towards entrepreneurship.

I am pursuing a degree in the mental health field because I dealt with my mental health my whole life. It was like a roller coaster. I felt like nobody could understand where I was coming from because all they would say was that I had to worry about school and passing all my classes. But that wasn't the case. I didn't know how to open up to people and tell them how I was feeling until my parents got me a therapist because I wasn't talking to them so they thought that I would speak to someone who wasn't them and they were right. Just from the first day of talking, I felt like so much stuff was lifted off my shoulders. It felt like she was a friend to me instead of someone that was my therapist. She always gave me the advice I needed because most of my friends/ family couldn't give it to me. If I didn't get the help that I needed, then I wouldn't be here today because there was so much that I was going through that I didn't know how to tell people what I was thinking. Pursuing a degree in the mental field is a big deal for me because I feel like we teenagers are going through stuff that we shouldn't be going through at our age. We have so much going on in our lives that on top of all of that, we have to make sure that we are doing good in school and even sports if we participate in them. I will try to make an impact in the lives of others by letting them talk about how they feel about certain situations because all we need is that one person who will just listen to what we are talking about and not judge us. I want to make a club for the school that I join when I get a job because I want it to be a safe place for the students that attend the school and I want them to see that they aren't alone in the stuff that they have to face every day. So many teens suffer in silence, and it is not ok because then it results in them killing themselves and leaving everything that they had to go through. There have been times that I've listened to my friends tell me about the times they almost killed themselves and they said that they didn't like the feeling because it felt like they were failing their parents. I want everyone that I work with to know that they could never fail their parents but if they feel like they are failing someone, I want them to know that they are not failing me, and I know where they are coming from. I want the students and teenagers to trust me and come to me when they feel like they can't take it anymore.

Taraji P. Henson has inspired me because she has been through a lot throughout her lifetime. She suffers from depression, anxiety, and suicidal ideation. I experience the same stuff she is going through. I always suffered from anxiety especially when it comes to talking to big crowds or talking to people I've known for years. Taraji has talked to multiple news people. She has told the news that she started to put therapy pods in HBCUs so that college students could go to someone and talk to them about anything that is bothering them. She also said that she wanted to do this because it was hard for her to find a therapist when she was going through her healing process. She inspires me because she shows us black people that we need to start speaking up because a lot of us are dealing with a lot but because of how we grew up, our parents told us that there is nothing wrong with us and we need to suck it up. I want to help out my community especially educate the young folks because it's hard to deal with the stuff we see and/ or hear in our everyday lives. She was a part of the reason why I wanted to become a school child psychologist. Taraji has always made me want to do more for myself and for the people around me. She opened my eyes to a whole different view of life and society in general. She taught me that if I want something in life, I just go for it, don't look back, and don't regret it. When I become a school child psychologist, I want the teens to not just look at me as another staff member but as someone they could cry to when they aren't feeling their best, giving them my ears to listen to them vent about things that are bothering them or the stuff they are stressing about. I know that if they tell me something that could relate to self-harm that I would have to report I would but I rather them come talk it out and find solutions to their problems than think that hurting themselves or stressing themselves out is the right and only answer. Taraji has also taught me that it's ok to get help and that you don't have to suffer in silence. Looking up to her has made a big impact on my life.

The person who has been the greatest driving force in my life is myself. I have been the greatest driving force in my life because I have pushed myself to the max. In middle school I used to be the type of person who would just say "As long as I'm passing, I'm good" or "It is what it is". now that I'm in high school I started to say, "I need to get an 85% or above". I rather celebrate with my classmates than sit in the back wishing that I did better. Ever since my parents let go of my hand and told me that I had to fight this journey by myself, it was difficult at first until I started to focus more on school and really care more about my grades instead of worrying about what I was going to do after school or what I was going to do over the weekend. I was tuning out the distraction that was around me including dropping some of my friends. Those friends couldn't see that I was trying to take my education more seriously and that I wanted to graduate high school with a good GPA and a good head on my shoulders. High school taught me that if you put in the work then you will get positive aspects back in life and so far, that has been working. The more I push myself to keep trying and never give up, the more positive results I see in my schoolwork. Has it been hard to put my phone down and study for hours to make sure I was good in my classes? Yes, it was hard but if I hadn't put my phone down then I would have been failing some of my classes and I wouldn't have a good GPA. There are times when I have to give myself a break so I don't overwork myself but just knowing that I am going to make it far makes me thankful because I know that I couldn't have done it all if I kept going down the path of not trying and saying that I couldn't do something that the teacher gave us. Most importantly if I wasn't there for myself and I kept putting myself down and not understanding why I had to push myself then I wouldn't be the person that I have become today. Today I am a changed person because of one small act that I committed to.

My mental health influenced my beliefs because it helped me move more towards God and it opened my eyes because I always said that everything happens for a reason and God will help you through your struggles but when I was going through my hard times, all I could say was "why god. why are you putting me through all of this? I don't deserve this." I could hear him say these words to me over and over again. "Just pray, just pray". When I heard him say that to me, it just made me open my eyes and realize that I shouldn't be crying over the fact that all of this is happening but thank God that he is putting me through all of the tides and tribulations because he sees me as a strong warrior who can get through anything. Every day I prayed to God and made sure that I took time out of my day to read the bible so that I could understand him more and I wrote down how I felt about my mental health and how I was coping with it every day. God has shown me that all things are possible through Christ who has strengthened me. My mental health has influenced my career aspirations towards entrepreneurship because I started a business called F.A.B. Slime and I make slime for kids and adults. My mental health helped me realize that I could put kindness back out into the world instead of staying inside my room all day and being depressed. Having my slime business helped me move around put myself out there and show off my skills. Entrepreneurship helped me illustrate the things I want to become in life. My major in college will be psychology but my minor will be business because I want to put my slime business out there more and start to make slime at kids' birthday parties and travel around. My mental health has put me through a lot and made me lose friends, but it showed me how much people could be my support system and show me how I need to learn how to get up on my own and work hard towards my goals. I never want to go back to the episodes that I went through because if I went back to them, I don't think I'd be able to bounce back. This is how my mental health influenced my beliefs and career aspirations towards entrepreneurship.

My experience with mental health has influenced my beliefs because I thought that God wasn't on my side and that he wasn't helping me with what I was going through. Before my mental health, I knew that everything would happen for a reason but when I was struggling with my mental health, I just couldn't believe it. I thought that everything would come crashing down on me and I thought I wouldn't survive. My mental health influenced my relationships. After all, I would shut everyone out and not talk to anyone because I thought I couldn't trust anyone and that I had to keep to myself. I started to bottle all my problems up and not say anything to my parents, friends, or family members. my family all knew that something was wrong but when they asked me, I would just tell them that "I'm fine or nothing was wrong". I would try to open up and tell people what I am dealing with but every adult I go to just tells me that I'm too young to be dealing with this kind of stuff or I don't know what I am talking about and should just focus on school. when they would tell me that, I would just remember telling myself that I should have just kept quiet and should have never said anything. My mental health influenced my career aspirations because I want to become a school child psychologist and if I wanted to become that then I had to start thinking about how I was going to become a whole psychologist and help kids in need but I couldn't help myself and tell people what was going on with me. I had to start opening up about the things that I kept bottled up inside of me so that I could understand what people my age are going through and how to help them get through what they were going through. once I started to open up it felt like everything was weighted off my shoulders because it felt so good just to talk about everything I went through and I coped with it. I loved that I got the support that I did because it helped a lot knowing that I had a support system to back me up whenever I needed them. I want teens to be able to talk to me not as a school psychologist but as a friend and someone they could come to because if they come to me as a friend they could tell me more and if there is anything that needs to be reported, I will make sure their parents understand where they are coming from and make sure they get the help they need. I don't nobody to suffer alone like how I did. I want to open up more about what I deal with and make sure that I have a better understanding of what I deal with. My mental health has shaped me into the person I am today and has opened my eyes to see the bigger picture. it made me realize that I need to start asking for help instead of just blocking out everyone and thinking that I can't say anything to any adults that are in my life.

Hi, my name is Faith Barron and I am 16 years old. When I go to college I want to major in Psychology. My potential career will make a positive impact on the world because I've always been a helping hand to others. I would always put my friend's needs before mine because that's how much I value a person. I want to work with high schoolers because I believe that we deal with a lot nowadays. I believe that teens suffer a lot when they are attending school because they are always worrying about things that they shouldn't be worrying about at this age. I am passionate about continuing my education because I believe that I could make a big impact in teenagers' lives with the advice I would give and how to give them my shoulder when they need to cry or my ears when they need someone to talk to. I want teens to understand that psychologists aren't social workers but more as someone who are just trying to understand the students better and see if they can help them with anything that they are dealing with. My experience with mental health influenced my career aspirations because I always struggled with my mental health and I never went to my psychologist because I thought I could never trust them when I was in elementary school anything you told the psychologist, she would tell your parents automatically. Nobody in my school could believe anything she would say to us because we never thought it was a safe space with her when we were in her office. When covid hit, my mental health was down the drain because I was stuck in the house with my family and it felt like a lot because I wasn't used to having everyone home during the day and trying to get through each day. I fell into a deep depression and I never thought I could get out but I got a therapist and she helped me see that not everyone who works in this type of field would make it not safe for you to talk about your feelings. She made me realize that I wanted to be a therapist at first but when I looked more into it, I started to have a change of heart. I started to see that I wanted to make sure that teens understood where I was coming from and I wanted to make a club for them so that they could create a better environment for themselves and their peers. That's what made me choose the career path of becoming a school psychologist.

A time I've faced adversity was when I was trying to find the true me in High School. High School was something different for me because I was going to a new school, and I still had my friends but so many people were coming from different backgrounds that I didn't know what it would be like. I thought High School would be terrifying, but it was the opposite for me. When I stepped into high school, I thought of it as a new beginning. Everybody had their own style but I was still trying to find mine. I thought that if I just started to act like everyone else and be someone that isn't me then I would be able to fit in and wouldn't be looked at differently. But I was in for a rude awakening. My friends could tell that I wasn't acting like myself because I am an outgoing person, I love talking about different topics and I am always there for people that need me or need me to help them. I wouldn't say that I stopped all of that but when it came to certain things, I just stopped giving my opinion or I would just stop talking. I felt like I couldn't be myself anymore and it was hopeless. Everyone told me that I wouldn't be happy with myself if I wasn't true to myself and I can finally say that they were right. I found myself in 10th grade and I was being the true me. Always laughing, making people laugh, talking about my favorite topics, helping everyone who may need help, and give my opinion even if someone didn't ask for it. This adversity shaped me because being myself was a personal growth and fulfillment if I must say. It was good to finally find myself and connect with everyone for appreciated me for who I am. It helped me be honest with myself, to start to understand myself and why I am the type of person I am to this day. The advice I would give someone if they were going through the same thing is to be you. You shouldn't change the type of person you are because of your friends or the type of environment that you are in. You shouldn't lie to yourself like how I lied to myself just because I was going to a new school. If people don't like you because of the type of person you are then they aren't your friend. They would be missing out on so many great things that would happen to you. Always stay true to yourself no matter what anybody says.

Hi, my name is Faith Barron and i’ve never had sickle cell disease but i believe that it has influenced me to learn all about it because at any certain moment i could get it and not even realize it. Sickle cell disease is a serious illness and should be taken seriously. It should be talked about more often in school so teenagers could have a better understanding of what it is and if you have it how it shouldn’t define on how you live your life. You should be able to live your life no matter what you have or what you are dealing with. Disease’s don’t define who you are and it doesn’t have a control on what you want to achieve in life. If an individual is dealing with sickle cell disease, they should have a support system with them to guide them and help them with fighting this disease every step of the way. Nobody should have to go through this process alone. Individual’s who are helping people deal with their disease should always check up on them everyday and help them with a healthy lifestyle so they aren’t just giving up on theirselves but instead thinking about the future and how they are going to beat the disease and live a long life. It’s also necessary to have open communication to make sure that person doesn’t bottle what they are feeling up. Talking about what you are going through is a good thing because it helps other people try to understand what you are going through. They may not have what you have or dealing what you are dealing with but if you help them try to understand then they with help you with giving you encouragement and advice to make sure that you know that they have your back no matter what. Everyone should be able to understand what people have to go through when dealing with sickle cell disease and they should get educated on it so that when someone is dealing with it they can talk to them on how they can get through it and how they should take action upon this. Sickle cell disease should be taught in all schools so that everyone can see how someone could get it and how they can act when they start to see any symptoms that might happen when they come across it.