by Daphne Rodriguez
Not having a rough idea of what my future would be like was very puzzling to me.
Growing up I thought I could be many things such as a nurse, cook, dentist, and a school counselor. I knew that going to college was a dream of mine, but never knew what I would be attending for due to the fact that all of these fields required different studies.
As the years went on, I was given the opportunities to meet many people from different backgrounds with different stories. This gave me an insight into psychology.
For example, I remember being in class one day in elementary school in the playground after lunch and watching my friend have a panic attack. Like the other kids I was very confused, everything felt unreal, and I couldn't believe what was happening or why it was happening.
As much as I hate to admit it I started avoiding that little “strange” boy, I didn't have a clue on why I was avoiding him but it made me feel scared. I started asking my mom what had happened or why he was that way and she couldn't really answer it to the point where I would understand. She told me that not everyone had it as easy as I did growing up she opened me up to the idea that everyone's family was different. She also gave me amazing advice to not judge anyone because they seem “weird” or “different” she let me know that those were the best kinds of people.
The next day during lunch I went to sit with him, but my friends didn't follow me, I felt guilty for judging him and as it turned out he was actually very funny. To this day I am very close friends with him.
“I will say that if Chinquapin helped me realize one thing, it would be help realizing what I would be going into college to study."
This led me to want to do Mental Health Awareness as my project, I thought this could possibly be my passion and my career. I was wrong. I became aware that I wasn't really interested in writing long research papers or sitting in an office taking notes all day.
I also came to this conclusion by having shadowed a dentist at my orthodontist. I realized that I am more into hands-on work. Although it was a good experience to get to know all of the mental health information I know now, my project was a way for me to get to the next step in my life, figuring out what I wanted to do for a living.
I will say that if Chinquapin helped me realize one thing, it would be help realizing what I would be going into college to study by allowing me to have the opportunity to dip my toes into the psychology world.
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