Growing up my dad was in and out of my life, I had many issues once I got into high school and I wasn't even close to my best self. I began making poor choices and not having any repercussions for what i was doing wrong. Through all the things I have put myself through I learned that I need to not begin to follow in my dads footsteps but rather step back and look at how I can improve. I keep my growth mindset by continuing with the things I love like tarot, seeing my friends and being around my family. I also use my dad as a guide to steer me in the right direction of keeping a healthy and clean mindset so I don't get sucked into the same things he was. I continue everyday to ask myself, "how can I make myself better today?" I continue to live in the mindset that I need to always be evolving and finding new ways to not only help myself but others.

Through my mentorship, I intend to teach others about the mistakes I've made in hopes of them making better decisions. Not only do I want to teach them about my mistakes, but the ones that I've seen or my family has done as well. I want to teach people that mistakes are okay; you have to learn from them and put your best self forward. By teaching people about the mistakes we make and the way, we can fix the issue. I believe that more people will learn from the things they've done. One example from before I decided to turn my life around was when I heard a mutual friend had gotten caught shoplifting. Now for me, I was in the mindset of "okay, whatever," and moved past it. After I saw more people explain their troubles, it had caused them to begin getting caught. I knew that things weren't going to go right for those people if they continued the problem. I had gained the confidence to explain my story to many people and let them know that there's a more dependable path to take. Knowing that I helped even just one person out of the many I told was such an accomplishment for me. I want to show more people the influence of good decision-making and the way it can help.

My name is Jaylin Jones; I'm a senior at Berkley high school. My plans for after school are to be a forensic psychologist and try to reform the criminal justice system due to its many seen failures. Being a new student senior year can be challenging, but only if you let it. By studying the people around me and being observant, I made friends very quickly. Although, it was after getting past my anxiety and beginning my social life with my new start. Being a forensic psychologist very well fits my personality; I enjoy crime and looking into people's behaviors. Forensic psychology has interested me for about two years now. When I tried to figure out my plans, I wanted to be a psychologist but, it wasn't quite me. There are endless amounts of discrimination, prejudice, and terrible mindsets towards different groups of people. I intend to go to college for a career in forensic psychology. I will study the way prisoners and juveniles by trying to increase their chances by giving testimony. I believe that everyone should be open-minded about people's situations. I plan to talk to people with a clean slate and no judgment to offer a hopeful chance to explain everything and a place to vent. By trying to change inside the systems by reforming them towards the most ethical decisions, I will also be trying to persuade others on the outside not to judge based on media or stories. Giving the juveniles and prisoners credit for the good things they've done in the community could help not only their cases but their reputation. Obtaining my degree as a mental health professional, I believe, will help me but also the people I work to assist. While I can try to advocate in the courts, the only real power I'll have is to pick the jury, hopefully in favor of the truth. Selecting the jury is a substantial aspect of how forensic psychologists determine the possible aftereffect. When choosing the jury, you're looking for people who will have no bias and be able to maintain an open mind throughout the case. Jury choices are crucial because when you're looking for people who will choose the interest of the majority. With a short interview, it's hard to predict an outcome. Having the intent to reform the justice system is one of the reasons I believe I can impact the system positively.

Many people learn things from teachers or their parents about financial advice I have learned mine from my dad. For as long as I can remember, my father has told me to save my money. He encouraged me to spend what I felt was necessary. As I grew older, I was around my dad less and I had gotten a car with more freedoms which led to spending more money on gas and other miscellaneous things. Since I was a child, my dad has said, "If you can't afford to buy two of them then, you don't have the money to buy one." He means that if you can't afford to get something that expensive to think about, is it worth indulging. Also, it means people should reflect on how much money they're going to have after buying it. My worst experience with this was only a few months ago but has affected me greatly since I bought Michigan versus Ohio State football tickets for my boyfriend's birthday. While it seemed like a thoughtful six-hundred dollar purchase, it has shown me that the money comes and goes so fast that it's hard to control when you're spending it. Since buying the tickets, I only had a little money left after every paycheck. In the last month, however, I have changed my bad habits of money spending. I have saved $768, which I plan to help pay for a few of my many college expenses. My dad has been one of the biggest influencers in my life; that is why I believe his advice stuck with me so well.

This question can make people wonder. Do some people overthink what does make someone happy? Now, as my answer may be simple, it truly is my friends that make me happy. My friends, as much as they annoy me, they've been there for me through thick and thin for years on end. Even with dramatic falling outs and high school drama, I'm going to come through these last four years with some of the most amazing people I've ever met. Throughout high school, I've felt stuck going through crowds trying to find the right friends. Especially with going to a new school senior year. It took me every minute of those last four years to comprehend, that my happiness is from my friends. Although I do love my family, my friends have made me feel more joy in the last six months than I have in the past seventeen years of my life. Being able to spend time with them and feel like I can finally have my freedom made me feel independent and confident. I can find many things I love and makes me happy, but my friends make me the happiest with no comparison.

When you hear the word independent you sometimes relate it to the word alone or working by yourself. Being independent means, that you no longer let people have control over you. Many perks come with being an independent person, you're able to make your own decisions and do what you feel is best in your life as opposed to others doing it for you. Growing up as a child, my dad always told me I was independent. He said it not because I wasn't being controlled but because I was able to go off on my own and be left alone. I always had the wrong interpretation of independence but, once I moved out of my house with my mom and came to Berkley to live with my dad, I finally learned the freedom that comes with independence. Learning the way this affected me when I moved was critical to accepting that I could take control over my life.

While so many people focus on what others are thinking of them and what they can do to not be judged, they forget to look inside to find their already unique qualities. While it has taken me extensive amounts of time to grasp how to find these instead of dwelling on all the negatives in my life, I have finally gotten to the point of acceptance. I believe acceptance is the best quality within myself because I have overcome many situations to test my mental strength at a young age that has formed me into who I am today. I value this so dearly in my life because I didn't have it for a long time. Many people can struggle with it at any age but, I have figured out the way I process situations to help me better my self-understanding. I have forced myself to learn that acceptance is the first step in the right direction to a solution without it, you can't get very far. At times I take for granted the good in life as anyone does but acceptance allows you to process the good and bad in a healthy way. The most acute situation that I believe caused me to recognize that acceptance is prominent in my personality was when my father went to prison. I was struggling deeply to cope with my depression due to my father being away. I was unable to see my dad for eighteen of the twenty-four months that he was in prison which, was difficult because I was close to him growing up. Going through that situation and having to learn how to deal with my emotions gave me clarity. In the end, the feeling I had wasn't necessarily happy that he was released but acceptance that through one of the harshest times in my life, I was able to admit that my actions couldn't change his nor should I be focusing on the past when the tomorrow holds so much more for me. Many characteristics help you on the long journey to adulthood; I believe acceptance will help me the most because it affects all aspects of your life. Learning to accept situations can help improve not only your mood but change your perspective entirely by forcing you to realize that life happens without time for preparation. Many uncontrolled variables influence your decisions and the way you think. While there are many unique characteristics, acceptance is the one that I most value within myself.