In 10 years I hope to have completed my education and have started my career. Whether I become a teacher, counselor, or have taken on a different profession, I hope to be continuing to assist others. Regardless of the route I end up taking, I know that I will end up in the right place and be able to positively impact the lives of others for as long as I possibly can. I hope that within these next 10 years I will reach a point in life where I can feel stability in all areas of life, not just financially. I strive to have built myself a community of loving family, friends, and colleagues that I can rely on.

Throughout my college years I hope to expand my world knowledge by taking courses on diverse topics. Whether it’s challenging my thinking, coming to new conclusions, or pushing myself to express my opinion in a discussion, I am excited to open the door to new opportunities for personal growth.

One of my biggest motivators towards accomplishing goals would have to be my mom. Although she has passed, I believe that she is alongside me in this journey, guiding me towards where I am meant to be. Through my life I carry on hers and I hope to become someone she can be proud of.

The best advice I could give to other students facing similar circumstances is to build your own community that you can call family. This is especially important for students who are facing or have experienced forms of abuse, neglect, and/or mistreatment within their households.

Substance Use Disorder (SUD) is complex because in most cases it doesn’t exist on its own and instead, rather coexists with trauma and mental health struggles. Whether it is you or someone close to you experiencing SUD, I encourage you to find individuals and resources near you that can help you understand and navigate your situation. Relationships on their own are complex, and with the added factor of SUD it can create barriers in navigating relationships which is why it is crucial to seek out support. It is important to know that support does exist and that it is already ready for you to access!

10 years from now I hope to be living a life that consists of no chaos. I spent years of my life in a very chaotic household due to addiction and as time passes, the chaos has subsided and I hope it stays that way. I also see myself either working in a clinical setting, helping adolescents who may be dealing with addiction or abuse or I can also see myself doing a lot of research into how the brain transforms while dealing with trauma and addiction. I hope to be living the life I dreamed of when I was younger which consists of helping others and continuing to help myself. I hope to be able to connect with others who may be in the same career field that I am wanting to be a part of- learning from them professionally and personally.

During my time in college I hope to meet new people. I want to be a part of something and create relationships with people that will last a lifetime. I want to be a part of a community and learn from my peers and not just my professors. I also want to learn how to build a community- not just join one. I hope to learn more about myself through my college journey. I feel like I am still trying to figure out who I am and who I want to be. I want to engage with diverse perspectives so that I can understand what my purpose is!

Reclaiming my power is something that motivates me to continue working towards accomplishing my goals. With the hardships that I faced growing up, I think a lot of people expected me to be the “problem child’. People expected me to fail and struggle and that type of thinking seeped into my own thinking. I want to be able to show people that just because you are dealt a bad hand, that does not mean that you have to suffer forever. My motivation is also helping me free myself from my past as well. I am no longer the girl I used to be and I will move mountains to be the person I needed when I was younger. I refuse to fall back into bad patterns and the thought of achieving my goals and dreams is something that truly keeps me going and keeps me alive.

My advice to other students who may be dealing with similar circumstances that I went through is to keep going. Dealing with abuse and addiction is very scary and very uncertain, but the only way you can get out of it, is to go through it. It is also important to be gentle with yourself as well. You have to be kind to yourself and you have to advocate for yourself in order for things to change. Healing is possible and healing is a very beautiful thing and I really just urge others to ask for help when needed. You do not have to deal with everything alone. There are people out there who want to help you and who want to see you succeed and just because you meet a few bad people does not mean the whole world is like that. Please just keep going and celebrate yourself. Celebrate where you are at right now because with each passing day, you are making an effort to change. We can be sitting in answered prayers and not even realize it. Things do get better but it may take some time and I promise that when you move through everything and the fog gets cleared, you will be proud of making it out.