There's Always Something by Evagelia

There's Always Something by Evagelia - June 2022 Scholarship Essay

It is often thought that children’s books are simple and meant to be taken at face value, but it is apparent that there is more depth and meaning attributable to them than most are willing to give them credit for. While children’s books are comforting and informative, they are also the foundation for the development of critical reasoning skills, creativity, and morality. Whether it is actively rereading or even subconsciously acting on one of the lessons they have provided us, children’s books continue to stay with us and impact our interactions with the world and our character. No matter how many books I have read, I inevitably return to my favorites, A Series of Unfortunate Events. The messages that these books imparted to me in childhood are one reason I always return, but my greatest is to reunite with the fictional character that has impacted me more than any other: Violet Baudelaire.
Throughout the series, Violet and her siblings ascertain that because most of the authority figures in their lives are unwilling to aid them, they have to become capable enough to take care of themselves and fight for others. Reading about a girl who was interested in science, self-sufficient, and dedicated to protecting her younger siblings greatly impacted me in childhood. She provided me with many lessons, whether it is employing my knowledge to care for my younger siblings or utilizing the skills I possess to solve the problems that I or others I care for might experience. However, one of the greatest messages I received from her may be that whenever a problem arises, there is usually something that I can do about it, and if I wanted something to be done, I should do it myself as long as I am capable. In childhood, this lesson meant thinking of solutions quickly in complex or undesirable situations and tinkering around with various objects that I found interesting. As I have gotten older, however, this lesson became less focused on individual problems and more so on widespread issues.
I knew I wanted to pursue science, but I also knew I wanted to directly impact the lives of other people in a positive way, and I found myself becoming increasingly more interested in psychology. While this field tends to focus on more individualized issues concerning mental health, I began to realize that there were many societal factors being completely overlooked or ignored. I decided to pursue clinical child psychology, not only because I prefer working with children, but because I determined that societal impacts on pediatric mental health can be more detrimental. As the brain is still not fully matured, traumatic experiences can harm and prevent healthy development. I started out investigating the impacts of abuse and neglect on childhood mental health, but as I continued researching, I further unraveled the spool of juvenile social justice issues and saw that foster care maltreatment, youth homelessness, and juvenile incarceration are all connected. These remain social justice issues not because people have not tried fixing them; it is because there is still opposition to the solutions. There are times when people will actively stand in the way of your well-being and the well-being of others; it is necessary to take a stand against them and continue to fight through quick thinking and ingenuity. As a result, I plan on using scientific research to study and implement societal solutions such as greater access to mental health resources, improvements to Child Protective Services, and reforming the foster care system to actually focus on keeping families together and stable. I have already experienced pushback when discussing these issues and trying to encourage others to cooperate with me on finding solutions. However, because Violet continues to inspire me even now, I have learned to be self-motivated, continue to push for what is right even when those in positions of authority stand in my way, and use my inventiveness to initiate the changes I want to see in the world.