As a child I once told my mother that I wanted to be the manager of Burger King as well as the President of the United States. I wanted to run the country and manage Burger King to make the drive through line move more quickly. While I was mostly motivated by my desire for chicken nuggets at the time, my goal to make change has remained the same. I have since decided to change my career path to become a therapist. I want to improve lives on a more personal level and give people the tools they need to be able to manage their mental health and live happier lives. To do this I need to earn my Master’s degree.
My freshman year of college was very difficult for me academically, and I am still trying to make up for it. I am constantly striving for the high grade point average I will need to get into a good graduate school. Since the University of Delaware transitioned to online learning in March of 2020 I have been thriving. The work has not gotten easier, but I am working harder. I have gone out of my way to form study groups and group chats with my classmates which has helped greatly. I have always been a good student, but since online learning began I have taken on even more responsibility due to the difficult circumstances. I took a lifespan development class, but there was no instruction, not even a pre-recorded lecture. All I had to help me was my textbook, so I taught myself the material. I created a group chat with my fellow students, I read every single day and worked hard on every assignment, no matter how emotionally, physically, and mentally drained I felt. I ended the class with an A and I could not be more proud of myself. I made the Dean’s List the past two semesters with a term grade point average of 3.6 each time. I have been pulling my cumulative grade point average up with each semester, my hard work is paying off. So far I am on track to achieve my goal of earning high grades and getting into a good graduate school.
As for my personal goal, I would simply like to become a better person. I consider myself to be a good person right now, but I can always improve. I recently took a course called “the art of happiness,” and it has opened my eyes to what a good person really is. It is someone who finds happiness in being kind to others, someone who enjoys the little things in life, it is someone who is able to let go of what upsets them and is able to find peace. I believe that I am slowly becoming this person that I want to be. For example, if I see someone in public wearing a “Black Lives Matter” mask I will compliment him or her because I can tell that it is something they are passionate about and it is nice to be acknowledged. I had different assignments in that class that taught me how to improve as a person and find happiness. As long as I keep practicing what I have learned I think I will become a better person. We once learned about forgiveness, and how it only hurts us not to forgive those who have wronged us. That unit could not have come at a better time for me. At the time I had not yet moved in to my apartment, but my roommates (who I did not know very well) had been there for months. I found out that for months they were letting a man I did not know sleep in my bed that I had moved in earlier, three of them had the coronavirus and did not tell me, and that man gave them money when he finally left but it was not offered to me, as it should have been because I was paying rent. At first I was livid. I quickly came to realize that being angry was making me feel miserable and holding on to that anger was not going to change what happened. I forgave those roommates that apologized and I moved on. I am no longer upset about it, in fact I am quite at peace. If I keep this mindset I will have no problem becoming a greater, happier person.
A fun fact about me is that I am the President of the Epilepsy Awareness Club at the University of Delaware. I joined as the Vice President during the spring semester of my freshman year, and I have enjoyed it very much. While the club is small, I see it as a wonderful opportunity to raise awareness for a cause close to my heart. I have epilepsy myself, and it has been so rewarding to have the chance to raise awareness and money to find a cure. Since joining the club I have accomplished this in several ways. I attended the Fusion for a Cause 5K on behalf of the Epilepsy Foundation to hand out informational pamphlets and little papers I made about seizure first aid. I sat at a table in a freezing cold barn for the entire 5K, but I was able to raise awareness and that made it all worth it. The former president and I also helped the Epilepsy Foundation at the Barn Bash gala last winter. We set up a game for the attendees and donors where they paid to play a ring toss. We collected their money and taught them the rules. Everyone had a great time and we raised a lot of money for the foundation. It has been an honor to work so closely with the foundation and to get my fellow students involved, I want them to know that they can make a difference. Being a board member of this club has been an amazing experience, and it is something I will remember long after I graduate.
I believe I am improving greatly as a student and as a person, and I look forward to continuing to grow. I am confident that I will achieve my goals and I will one day become a therapist. I am on the road to becoming a happier person and I will do anything to help others do the same. I know I have a bright future ahead of me, I just have to keep up the hard work.