Living in a small conservative town in the South of the United States has made social issues seem irrelevant. People would negatively label you if you wanted to address these issues or even believe in them. This environment was never hard to grow in, but being socially mature was difficult. The social problems presented in 2020 helped tremendously. I learned about the injustices in our country and how it affects everyone in some aspect, even my family. Since then, I have tried to find ways to help these situations while sticking to my Christian values, which has been very difficult because our society believes Christian values and social issues are opposite forces. I am now a high school graduate and thrilled to see what the future holds. I love a good book, but I also love to spend time with friends and family. Growing up in a small town has allowed me to form many deep relationships within my community, school, and church. These relationships have pushed me to volunteer within my community to make it better than ever before. Serving food to those in need and leading worship in my church have allowed me to meet many people and find my love for helping them. I plan on attending Missouri State University to study psychology and mental health counseling. I am passionate about mental health because I watched my mom struggle with depression and grieving. Nobody should suffer alone, so I want to be there for others. Having a positive impact on the mental health world will come through leadership. I would say that I have had multiple leadership roles throughout my high school career, but I will have to take on more to do more. Being a leader is vital for people to put their trust in you. There is no feasible way to change the world without people's trust. With their trust, I want people to come to me with their mental issues to receive the help they need. I will be able to change lives and positively change the world. If I want to change the world, I must start within my community. I have been active in my community by volunteering at a local food provider and my home church, but I will have a new community in college. I look forward to finding a church and a food pantry non-profit. A growing community is necessary for people to grow and help one another. I love to impact my community positively because it will help others in the long run. People should not have to struggle through life alone. A community should be something they can lean on in times of trouble. One way to positively impact my community has been to address social issues. There have been few chances to address these issues, but that has not stopped me. I love to volunteer with a local food pantry non-profit that provides meals for families once a week. Poverty is a big issue throughout our country, but providing them with food gives these people hope. Also, I am not silent about the racial injustices happening in our country. We live in a world of comfort; I have found that the first step in addressing social issues is to make people uncomfortable. When people are uncomfortable, they are more likely to change the situation. This is how we put a stop to the injustice in our country!

High school has been a time of extraordinary growth, academically and mentally. I would have never anticipated this time to change me in this many ways. Without these experiences, I would not be the student or the person I am today. I hate to say I have overcome a lot because I know others have had a more difficult time than I have, but I have overcome a lot. In 2020, I lost two older cousins. One passed due to unknown reasons. My other cousin died in a car collision. I looked up to these young men as brothers my whole life. They represented what it meant to be successful in college. With them gone, I felt lost and confused about the future. Everything seemed hopeless because I was grieving. I believed I needed to hide this pain from my family because I did not want to appear weak, but my mom was doing the same thing. My mom helped raise my cousins from a young age because their parents were not very involved. My mom considered them her first children, but now they were gone. She fell into a deep depression but did not receive help because she did not want our family to think she was weak. Plus, no one in our family understood mental health, so we all believed the negative stigmas about it. It was not until 2022 that my mother and I became vocal about our struggles. We were still grieving and needed help. She sought therapy while I looked for outlets to express my emotions. I grew my love of music by diving into piano lessons and songs, which became therapeutic. Both the outlets and therapy benefitted us in unimaginable ways. We are doing much better now, but we both struggle with depressive periods and anxiety. Even though we still wrestle with our mental health, we know that we have each other to rely on. This time of pain and learning that my mom was deep in her depression has pushed me to pursue a career in mental health. I want to help people in their hardships because not everyone can do it alone. Talking to a person about your mental health, so I want to be someone people can come to. One of my great goals is to help reverse the negative stigma of mental health, but I can see our society has already begun to do that. I believe I can still help in their field. I push for this goal but also strive for better mental health daily. Plus, I have learned to put my mind first and have become more in tune with my emotions and thought processes.

Mental health is something I have had to learn a lot about during my high school career. I have dealt with it firsthand, but I also watched my mother struggle with no end in sight. These experiences have shaped me into the person I am today, along with the relationships around me, my beliefs, and my career goals. In 2020, I lost multiple family members due to car collisions and another due to unknown reasons. Being forced to quarantine through two funerals and many memorials took a tremendous toll on my mental health and my mother's. She helped raise my cousins. Now that they were gone, she began to struggle with depression. She did not realize how intense her depression was until I began to notice and vocalize it. She was in pain, but I knew she did not want to get help. I looked up to my cousins while they were alive, and I still do, but it is not the same without them. Without these role models in my life, I felt lost. I thought I would never escape the grip of grief, but I have proven myself wrong. I was able to overcome the pain. That struggle has morphed me into who I am. My mom and I have always been close, but this time brought us closer. We are now much more open about our struggles with mental health because we thought we had to hide it from each other before. I tell my mom all my feelings and thoughts now because I know she will not judge me or look down upon me. Everyone should have this type of environment. For a while, I thought mental disorders were something only weak people dealt with, but I have been proven wrong. People with these struggles are more capable than most people know. Our society likes to label these people and call them "weak" and "attention seekers." I want to enter the mental health field to help break these stigmas and create healthy environments for struggling people. Before these losses and new experiences with mental health, I dreamed of attending culinary school and becoming a world-renowned chef. Now, my dreams are much more different and not so self-centered. I want to be a mental health therapist and help people with grief, depression, addiction, and everything imaginable. Starting in the fall of 2023, I plan to earn my master's in psychology at Missouri State University. While pursuing my degree, I would love to intern at a counseling center, then work at one after graduation. I have not thought much past that point, but I have many years until then. I would love to open a center one day, but that will be far into the future. My mother and I's struggle with mental health has changed my goals from money to helping others. I no longer care if I "make it big" or "make the big buck." I want to help people with their pains and struggles, no matter the paycheck. People have told me I am crazy for wanting to help others regardless of the salary, but I always tell them, "People over profit."

Depression, anxiety, and various other mental health issues are all too familiar to me. The peak of the Coronavirus pandemic in 2020 was a particularly challenging time for my family. My mother's isolation caused her to suffer from numerous mental health issues, and the loss of many young family members only made the pain worse. My cousin Jake was just 28 years old when he was killed in a car accident, and my other cousin Kane was only 24 years old when he passed away due to unknown causes. As the oldest children, they played a crucial part in my parents' upbringing, so their loss was a significant blow. I was also in pain at this time. They were my role models for being the best possible version of myself. When they were gone, I felt completely lost, adrift in grief, confusion, and the chaos of family and funerals. I knew this was not a healthy place to be, so I worked hard to get out of it. Ever since then, I knew I wanted to help people with their struggles and pain. No one should have to suffer alone as my mother did, and everyone should have someone to lean on and someone to help them work through their emotions. My mother regrets not getting help sooner, and I wish that more people didn't feel like they had to go through it alone, that asking for help is a sign of weakness. A mental illness should be treated like a physical one, with help from an expert. After high school, I plan to attend Missouri State University in Springfield, Missouri, to study psychology and earn a Masters in either clinical psychology or mental health counseling. Both of these paths will lead me toward my ultimate goal of helping people. I have taken several required General Education courses and have even gone beyond that to take courses specific to my degree. I hope to be on the fast track toward my degree to gain more experience in the field. After college, I want to work in a counseling center to gain experience and ultimately open my practice. Therapists and counselors are in great need in our society, and opening my practice would allow me to work with other like-minded people to help as many people as possible. I know that this career path will not be all sunshine and rainbows. I will encounter pain and trauma that will be difficult to overcome. I will encounter people struggling with suicidal thoughts and behavior, but the pain I will feel and see will be worth it. I am willing to put myself in these tough situations if it means that I get to help or save just one person. I have become familiar with loss too early in life, but I believe that I can use my past experiences to help others succeed in their futures. I will not let the pain my mother felt or Jake and Kane's passing be in vain. I will use them to help others in ways that I cannot yet imagine. Throughout my life, I have had to overcome numerous challenges. These struggles have taught me the importance of seeking help and the value of having someone to lean on. I am determined to help others who are facing similar challenges. I know that it will be challenging, but I am ready and willing to face those challenges head-on to help others overcome their pain and struggles. I am excited about the opportunity to learn, grow, and ultimately make a difference in the lives of others.

Depression, anxiety, and a variety of other mental health issues are something I am all too familiar with. In 2020, during the peak of the Coronavirus Pandemic, I watched my mother suffer through isolation, which caused many mental health issues. But, we lost many young family members during this time, causing our pain to worsen. My cousin Jake was only 28 years old when he was killed in a car collision and my other cousin Kane was only 24 years old when he passed due to unknown causes. My parents considered them to be their oldest children because they played a crucial part in their upbringing. This was a time of great loneliness and I had to watch my mother struggle through pain worse than I could have imagined. I was hurting at this time as well. They were my role models of how to be the best possible me. They were strong in all their ways and I wanted to be just like them. Once they were gone, I felt so lost. Lost in grief, confusion, and the chaos of family and funerals. I knew this was not a healthy place to be, so I worked to get out of it even though it was hard. There were many long nights cry to my mom about this pain, but I needed real help. Ever since that time, I knew I wanted to help people with their struggles and pain. People should not have to suffer alone as my mother did. People should be able to have a person to lean on and someone to help them work through their emotions. That is the one thing my mom regrets: not getting help sooner. I wish more people did not feel like they must go through it alone otherwise they will appear weak. People should never feel weak due to their emotions or mental state. We should treat a mental illness like we treat a physical one: which help from an expert. My plan after high school is to attend Missouri State University in Springfield, Missouri, study psychology, and earn a Masters in either clinical psychology or mental health counseling. Both of these paths will lead me to my ultimate goal: helping people. I have taken multiple of the required courses for my General Education classes and have even surpassed that to take courses specific to my degree. I hope to be on the fast track toward my degree to have more experience in the field. After college, I want to work in a counseling center to earn experience and I plan to open my practice in the long run. Therapists and counselors are a great need for our society and opening my practice would allow me to work with other like-minded people to help as many people as possible. I know this career plan will not be all sunshine and rainbows. There will be hurt that I encounter and help overcome. There will be trauma that will pain me deep down. I will encounter people who struggle with suicidal thoughts and behavior, but the pain I will feel and see will be worth it. I am willing to put myself in these tough situations if I get to help or save just one person. I have become familiar with loss too early in life, but I believe I can use my past experiences to help others succeed in their futures. I will not let the pain my mother felt and Jake and Kane's passing be in vain. I will use them to help others in ways I cannot imagine now.

Depression, anxiety, and a variety of other mental health issues are something I am all too familiar with. In 2020, during the peak of the Coronavirus Pandemic, I watched my mother suffer through isolation, which caused many mental health issues. But, we lost many young family members during this time, causing our pain to worsen. My cousin Jake was only 28 years old when he was killed in a car collision and my other cousin Kane was only 24 years old when he passed due to unknown causes. My parents considered them to be their oldest children because they played a crucial part in their upbringing. This was a time of great loneliness and I had to watch my mother struggle through pain worse than I could have imagined. I was hurting at this time as well. They were my role models of how to be the best possible me. They were strong in all their ways and I wanted to be just like them. Once they were gone, I felt so lost. Lost in grief, confusion, and the chaos of family and funerals. I knew this was not a healthy place to be, so I worked to get out of it even though it was hard. There were many long nights cry to my mom about this pain, but I needed real help. Ever since that time, I knew I wanted to help people with their struggles and pain. People should not have to suffer alone as my mother did. People should be able to have a person to lean on and someone to help them work through their emotions. That is the one thing my mom regrets: not getting help sooner. I wish more people did not feel like they must go through it alone otherwise they will appear weak. People should never feel weak due to their emotions or mental state. We should treat a mental illness like we treat a physical one: which help from an expert. My plan after high school is to attend Missouri State University in Springfield, Missouri, study psychology, and earn a Masters in either clinical psychology or mental health counseling. Both of these paths will lead me to my ultimate goal: helping people. I have taken multiple of the required courses for my General Education classes and have even surpassed that to take courses specific to my degree. I hope to be on the fast track toward my degree to have more experience in the field. After college, I want to work in a counseling center to earn experience and I plan to open my practice in the long run. Therapists and counselors are a great need for our society and opening my practice would allow me to work with other like-minded people to help as many people as possible. I know this career plan will not be all sunshine and rainbows. There will be hurt that I encounter and help overcome. There will be trauma that will pain me deep down. I will encounter people who struggle with suicidal thoughts and behavior, but the pain I will feel and see will be worth it. I am willing to put myself in these tough situations if I get to help or save just one person. I have become familiar with loss too early in life, but I believe I can use my past experiences to help others succeed in their futures. I will not let the pain my mother felt and Jake and Kane's passing be in vain. I will use them to help others in ways I cannot imagine now.

Depression, anxiety, and a plethora of other mental health struggles are something I am all too familiar with. In 2020, during the peak of the Coronavirus Pandemic, I watched my mother suffer through isolation, which caused many mental health issues. But, we lost many young family members during this time, causing our pain to worsen. My cousin Jake was only 28 years old when he was killed in a car collision and my other cousin Kane was only 24 years old when he passed due to unknown causes. My parents considered them to be their oldest children because they played a crucial part in their upbringing. This was a time of great loneliness and I had to watch my mother struggle through pain worse than I thought imaginable. Ever since that time, I knew I wanted to help people with their struggles and pain. People should not have to suffer alone as my mother did. People should be able to have a person to lean on and someone to help them work through their emotions. That is the one thing my mom regrets: not getting help sooner. I wish more people did not feel like they have to go through it alone otherwise they will appear weak. People should never feel weak due to their emotions or mental state. We should treat a mental illness like we treat a physical one: which help from an expert. My plan after high school is to attend Missouri State University in Springfield, Missouri, and study psychology and earn a Masters in either clinical psychology or mental health counseling. Both of these paths will lead me to my ultimate goal: helping people. I have taken multiple of the required courses for my General Education classes and have even surpassed that to take courses specific to my degree. I hope to be on the fast track toward my degree to have more experience in the field. After college, I want to work in a counseling center to earn experience and I plan to open my practice in the long run. Therapists and counselors are a great need for our society and opening my practice would allow me to work with other like-minded people to help as many people as possible. I know this career plan will not be all sunshine and rainbows. There will be hurt that I encounter and help overcome. There will be trauma that will pain me deep down. I will encounter people who struggle with suicidal thoughts and behavior, but the pain I will feel and see will be worth it. I am willing to put myself in these tough situations if it means I get to help or save just one person. I have become familiar with loss too early in life, but I believe I can use my past experiences to help others succeed in their futures. I will not let the pain my mother felt and Jake and Kane's passing be in vain. I will use them to help others in ways that I can not even imagine now.

I have not always had a community to get involved with or be influenced by, but now, due to many trials and tribulations, I do. A community should be something people can rely on when they need it and something we can be involved in to better ourselves and others. I have tried in many different ways to be involved in my community and I have seen the positive impact in my life, as well as the lives of others. It was hard to start getting involved at first, but I had many experiences and people to push me and inspire me to be who I am and have an impact. I have seen many people not have a community to rely on and how hard it was for them. I was blessed enough to have a community to rely on in the trials of life. In 2020, during the peak of the coronavirus pandemic, I lost two cousins unexpectedly. It was a really tough time for my family and me, but our community came together to provide meals for us and show how loved we are. After that day, I knew I needed to get more involved to show others that they are loved and cared for. Another instance that showed me I needed to become more involved was when I was taken to the emergency room. In 2021, I was at work and had a severe allergic reaction to the Christmas trees we were working with. I couldn’t breathe, eat, or even swallow. I was rushed to the ER and was treated and everything ended positively. It was terrifying, but my community showed how loved I was by checking in on me, gifts, and praying. I have lost some of those people, but I still know that I need to be involved in my community. To show people that they are loved. Now, I volunteer at church weekly, playing piano for the Sunday and Wednesday worship teams. I also spend time with the children during the summer to teach them the love of Christ. Plus, I am president of the National Honors Society as well as President of the Family, Career, and Community Leaders of America. I volunteer with them to reach my community by picking up trash on the highway, hosting cookie decorating events for the primary school, and writing letters to our senior citizen’s homes in our small town. I want my community to be better because there is always room for improvement. I try to do my best to be a good role model for younger people to be active within the community. I might not do the most extraordinary things in my community, but I love to be in the background helping others. I might not always be recognized for what I do for my community, but that does not matter in the long run. What matters is that the community is becoming the best version that it can be. I must admit, it can be hard to put my community first, but I can see how families and lives are being affected by the community. Seeing this change inspires me to do more for the people in my community, even when putting the community first is tough. In the end, the community is valuable and needs people to help, and I want to be one of those people.