As a first-generation college student and soon to be the first in my family to obtain a graduate degree, education is extremely important to me. My parents have always emphasized that education would open up more doors for me in the future. As I've navigated through numerous doors and obstacles on my educational journey, these experiences have solidified my passion for school psychology and my drive to advocate for minority students. As a middle schooler moving from a diverse area to a conservative, predominantly white area, I experienced a level of culture shock that was pivotal in my pursuit of a career in school psychology. I quickly noticed that I was different than most people in my new community and that these differences impacted how I was treated. The area in which this impacted me the most was in the school system. It was difficult to learn in an environment where I didn't feel welcomed or safe. I was called slurs by my peers and belittled by some of my teachers. In an effort to better advocate for my fellow minorities, I helped start a minority student union. I ran into an obstacle when trying to start the union when I was called into the principal's office and told that it was "not fair" to have such an organization. Although those experiences were negative, they opened up some positive doors for me as they led me to pursue an undergraduate degree in psychology. I wanted to learn about why minorities are treated differently and how educators can help to make minorities feel included and welcomed in the classroom. It has further motivated me to pursue school psychology to enhance my knowledge of educational strategies, be a voice for children who are not able to use their own, serve diverse populations, and consult with the school community to improve upon school dynamics. In the future, I would like to conduct research focusing on the minority student population so that we as educators can understand how to assist minority students more effectively. This research is critical to the education of Black and Brown students because of the overidentification of minority students in special education and the disproportionate discipline practices being used on minority students in schools today. A door that opened up for me during the senior year of my undergraduate degree was an internship experience at a small Catholic school in Baltimore, Maryland. Being immersed in the school environment drew my attention to the different cultural and religious backgrounds of students and how that impacted the way I communicated with them. The internship helped me to develop my communication skills as well as fulfill my goal of being able to learn how to cater to students with special needs. I learned how to implement behavioral intervention plans (BIP) for students exhibiting distracting or unwanted behaviors in the classroom. While I learned so much during this experience, I noticed there are no special needs resources for students attending private institutions. Children who need help or guidance in the classroom are fully integrated within the regular curriculum and cultural differences that impacted learning were not being acknowledged. This reminded me of my own experience within the school system and not feeling like my needs for safety and respect were met. I believe that every student deserves to learn in an environment where they are advocated for and nurtured to their fullest potential. This scholarship will help me to advocate for students and ensure that diversity is prioritized in all the schools I work in.

As a middle schooler moving from a very diverse area to a conservative, predominantly white area, I experienced a level of culture shock that was pivotal in my pursuit of a career in school psychology. I quickly noticed that I was different from the majority of people in my community and that these differences impacted how I was treated. The area in which this impacted me the most was in the school system. It was difficult to learn in an environment where I didn't feel welcomed or safe. I was called slurs by other students while walking in the hallway to my next class and even belittled by one of my teachers because I asked for help. To better advocate for fellow minority students and white allies, my peers and I started a minority student union. This received pushback as I was told my union wasn't inclusive. I vividly remember how these experiences impacted my mental health as well. At such a sensitive age during development, my self-esteem suffered. I experienced my first encounters with racial discrimination. Not only was I different from my peers culturally, I looked different than they did too. I thought that if I conformed, I might be welcomed into their community, but those efforts did not work, I was still Black. With all of these obstacles I had to work through, I began to develop anxiety about school and was eventually diagnosed with depression and anxiety. Although those experiences were negative, they opened up some positive doors for me as they led me to pursue an undergraduate degree in psychology. I wanted to learn about why minorities are treated differently and how educators can help to make minorities feel included and welcomed within the classroom. It has further motivated me to pursue my current passion for school psychology at the master's level in order to enhance my knowledge of educational strategies; be a voice for children who are not able to use their own; serve diverse populations; and consult with faculty/staff, parents, and children to ensure that they feel welcomed in the schools. As defined by the National Association of School Psychologists (NASP), school psychologists are uniquely qualified individuals on school teams who support students' ability to learn and teachers' ability to teach. School psychologists hold expertise in mental health, learning, and behavior to help youth succeed academically, socially, and emotionally. Though the traditional role of the school psychologist has changed in recent years, one of the many roles of a school psychologist is to provide therapy to students with individualized education plans (IEP). An IEP describes the support and structure that a specific student needs in order for them to fairly access the curriculum. Nationally, Black students are twice as likely to be identified with Emotional Disturbance (ED)---one of the 13 special education disability categories. Students with ED are provided with emotional support and emotional goals/objectives which include therapy. In a predominantly white field, it is crucial that Black school psychologists are available to minoritized students. Black students are disproportionately suspended or punished in schools and misdiagnosed with learning disabilities and behavioral disorders. Minority students deserve to be able to build connections with educators of color and have a chance to be truly seen without stereotypes impacting how they are treated. Being available to minority students within an authoritative role has so many benefits, not only to myself but also to the students. I get to see students who were once like myself, feeling unwanted and unwelcome, thrive in the education system. For minority students to have access to minority school psychologists, means having someone who has shared experiences and who will better understand you. Students are given the benefit of the doubt, sharing their racialized experiences without being judged or penalized. Parents of color benefit from being able to speak to school psychologists who understand cultural differences as well. This is the reason I feel the need to succeed and go above and beyond in my school psychology program. Black people, systemically, have been prevented from succeeding in schools. Not only are Black students disproportionately disciplined and misdiagnosed, but Black students are also underestimated when it comes to vigorous coursework, pushed out of school due to suspension, and face racial barriers. All of these barriers narrow the number of Black students who are able to attend college and eventually become school psychologists which is a graduate-level profession. The more I succeed as a Black school psychologist, the more Black students will have the opportunity to succeed. I often think about how my experience in school would be different if I had school staff of color to look up to. It is a small change that we can make but makes a significant difference. I pledge to be sensitive to cultural diversity in the consultation and intervention process---being sensitive to cultural diversity means that you are sensitive to the values, beliefs, morals, and cultural background of everyone involved in the intervention process. Not only will I be sensitive to cultural diversity, but I will also strive to be understanding and respectful of diverse perspectives during the consultation and intervention process. The best practice is to embrace the differences of everyone in the schools we work at. We are here to create an inclusive environment where everyone feels safe, heard, and welcomed. By prioritizing cultural diversity, we are being respectful of culturally diverse students and the unique needs that they may have. I also pledge to understand teachers' perspectives on classroom problems. I will actively listen to teachers and their concerns or ideas, conduct interviews to gather their points of view, and go into the classroom to observe the classroom dynamic. Through these points of action, I can empathetically understand what the teacher goes through daily. With this information, I can provide my own input while collaborating with teachers to develop targeted interventions that align with the teacher's own goals for their classrooms. The best practice is to use this collaborative approach that has shared responsibility and ownership of the intervention process. If a teacher feels like they had no part in the intervention process, why would they feel compelled to carry the intervention out? Finally, I pledge to foster relationships with key participants in the intervention process. Fostering relationships with key participants involved in the intervention process is important for the success of interventions. Similar to how school psychologists must be empathetic and understanding towards the teachers' perspectives, I must do the same for other involved participants in the intervention process. Some of these other key participants in the intervention process include administration, parents, and school counselors. Building trust and rapport through frequent communication, sharing the progress of the students, and asking for feedback or recommendations from these key participants to help strengthen relationships with them. These acts of communication will help me in the intervention process because they will feel heard, seen, and like their opinion matters. When the key participants feel like their voices will be heard, they will actively contribute to the intervention in a positive and effective manner. It is important to receive multiple opinions and perspectives from multiple people to create the most effective intervention. These pledges that I have made, along with restorative justice practices, will ensure that students that I come across are given fair chances. That they are not misdiagnosed or overidentified due to a lack of cultural sensitivity. That they are not disciplined using punitive actions that lead to suspensions and learning time lost. Schools should be places that students are excited to go to, not scared. As school has opened up so many doors for me, school will open up doors for so many others. But to give students opportunities they need to be given the fair chances that students of the majority have. I believe that every student deserves to learn in an environment where they are advocated for and nurtured to their fullest potential. I want to be an advocate for students who are unable to speak up for themselves and I want to ensure that diversity is prioritized within the school system. Nothing is more rewarding than to see students succeed academically and socially. With this scholarship, I will be able to reach my goal of graduating from my school psychology master's program. As much as my parents have emphasized education and its importance, it has put a financial strain on my family. Being able to go to school using grants and scholarships allows me to pursue education to the fullest without worrying about tuition and how I am going to pay for it. Winning this scholarship will help me close my financial gap and allow me to continue down this path of supporting school systems through my passion.

As a middle schooler moving from a very diverse area to a conservative, predominantly white area, I experienced a level of culture shock that was pivotal in my pursuit of a career in school psychology. I quickly noticed that I was different from the majority of people in my community and that these differences impacted how I was treated. The area in which this impacted me the most was in the school system. It was difficult to learn in an environment where I didn't feel welcomed or safe. I was called slurs by other students while walking in the hallway to my next class and even belittled by one of my teachers because I asked for help. To better advocate for fellow minority students and white allies, my peers and I started a minority student union. This received pushback as I was told my union wasn't inclusive. Although those experiences were negative, they opened up some positive doors for me as they led me to pursue an undergraduate degree in psychology. I wanted to learn about why minorities are treated differently and how educators can help to make minorities feel included and welcomed within the classroom. It has further motivated me to pursue my current passion for school psychology at the master's level in order to enhance my knowledge of educational strategies; be a voice for children who are not able to use their own; serve diverse populations; and consult with faculty/staff, parents, and children to ensure that they feel welcomed in the schools. Though the traditional role of the school psychologist has changed in recent years, one of the many roles of a school psychologist is to provide therapy to students with individualized education plans (IEP). An IEP describes the support and structure that a specific student needs in order for them to fairly access the curriculum. Nationally, Black students are twice as likely to be identified with Emotional Disturbance (ED)---one of the 13 special education disability categories. Students with ED are provided with emotional supports and emotional goals/objectives which include therapy. In a predominantly white field, it is crucial that Black school psychologists are available to minoritized students. Black students are disproportionately suspended or punished in schools and misdiagnosed with learning disabilities and behavioral disorders. Minority students deserve to be able to build connections with educators of color and have a chance to be truly seen without stereotypes impacting how they are treated. I believe that every student deserves to learn in an environment where they are advocated for and nurtured to their fullest potential. I want to be an advocate for students who are unable to speak up for themselves and I want to ensure that diversity is prioritized within the school system. With this scholarship, I will be able to reach my goal of graduating from my school psychology master's program. As much as my parents have emphasized education and its importance, it has put a financial strain on my family. Being able to go to school using grants and scholarships allows me to pursue education to the fullest without worrying about tuition and how I am going to pay for it. Winning this scholarship will help me close my financial gap and allow me to continue down this path of supporting school systems through therapy.