Personal Best

Where:
      Past: I am the oldest of three children. My sisters are 5 and 6 years younger than me. This has taught me the importance of sharing and how to care about others in a helpful way. My parents got divorced when I was about 8 and that shifted the way my life was. It taught me responsibility because I had to watch my sisters a lot and be the mediator between my mother and father. This contributed to many of the values I held close thoroughout childhood and adolescence.
       Present: I now have a part-time job at a restaurant, where everyone relies on me. I have a fellowship in the Honors College working on a new initiative to get more commuter students involved. Both of my parents got remarried and that has changed my family dynamic once again. I am having a conflict with many of my values due to my mothers illness and seeing her life deteriorate slowly. This has connected me to my passion of therapy more and connected me to the importance of family and friends, as well as positive psychology traits like hope and faith.
     Future: I plan to make my mother proud of me and go on with my education, to get a Masters degree in Clinical Psychology. I would like to travel and possibly go to graduate school out of state to expand my network. I see myself getting licensed in the state of Michigan and starting my own practice. I would like to work with children and teens because that is a time in our lives where we need continued support and someone to talk to. I would also like to get married and have my own children that I can love and support.

What:
       I would define success as knowing that I am doing all I can to help others. Being financial stable and not having to worry about any of that. Continuing to gain knowledge and make connections with family and friends, great memories to hold onto. My ultimate goal is to be happy, which seems like such an easy thing but sometimes life can make that difficult.

Why: 
       I think that a lot of my passion comes from times in my life where I think I would have benefited from a third party to talk to. That makes me want to be a family therapist and having two younger sisters also influenced this. I see them dealing with difficult life events, like my mom's cancer, and it is much harder at a  young age. The commuter initiative is close to my heart, since I have been one, and I think that getting involved in college is what makes it "the best years of your life". I want people to feel connected to something, to be able to find what their purpose is and move towards that.

Which:
      I think that I could decide to go to school out of state which would help me mature in many ways because it would be a new place and I would be alone but I would also be missing parts of my family's life. I could continue the fellowship and commuter initiative which would allow me to see it grow but could hold me back from possibly doing other things like volunteering with children. I could quit my job at Red Lobster to focus on my academic goals but that could make me lose money and parts of my life that I have now.

Who:
     The faculty in the Honors College (John Feldkamp, Lacey Hoffman, etc.) could allow me to connect with other people on campus who could give me new opportunities or places to present my research or projects such as study abroad or conferences. Some of my Psychology professors (Amanda Ellis, Elliot Bonem, etc.) could tell me ways to get more involved or possibly even sponsor my senior thesis which could connect to my future career goals. My family and friends are always there to support me and give me any information they might see that they would think I am interested in.

How: 
      My first goal is to start getting more involved with children in the Psychology field. I could ask my professors and use the internet to find summer internships or positions and apply for those. I would like to continue getting high grades to help me when applying to a school or positions, as well as to make sure I learn the information for myself. I could start studying and practicing for the graduate school test (GRE) to ensure that I get into a good program. I could get more involved with other clubs on campus, such as Psi Chi and the Psychology Club and get more leadership experience in these areas. I can start slowing on the amount of hours I work at Red Lobster and spend more time with my family and on campus as the semesters pass and ensure I take any opportunity available.

When:
     I would like to be able to quit Red Lobster around my senior year of college to ensure I focus on that year the most and can make decisions for my future, so the next year and a half. This summer I plan on getting more experience volunteering in my field of study and continuing to do that throughout the rest of my education. I want to continuing working with the Honors College in some capacity until I graduate with highest honors, ensuring the success of the commuter initiative. I hope to graduate from Eastern Michigan University with my Bachelor's degree in April 2017 and start graduate school that fall. I would like to be licensed in the state and practicing therapy by 2020. This would also be the year that I would like to get married. Timing is one of those things that is hard to plan because sometimes life takes you in another direction.