"People." Point. Blank. Period. by Isabel

"People." Point. Blank. Period. by Isabel - April 2025 Scholarship Essay

I would put glue on my hands as a child and slowly peel it off, creating a snake-skin-like patch. I would rub my eraser until I had a neat pile of eraser shavings on my desk. I would smell Sharpies. In short, I was a weird kid.

However, I always knew what I wanted to do. Ever since I was 10 years old, I knew I wanted to work in Psychology. That has always been the subject for me.

I remember coaching friends when they were lost about what they wanted to do with their careers and thinking empathetically, “How? How do you not know what you want to do?”

The reason is that Psychology has always been this bright, shining light—like there’s a rope tied around my body pulling me toward it with every passing school year, getting closer and closer to college, when I can finally study it properly.

So, why Psychology? In a word: people.

I love people. I always have. I get overwhelmed sometimes by what it means to be human. We are constantly feeling, experiencing, and living. It’s beautiful that some cry when they see a truly beautiful painting, or that a mother protects her kids even at the cost of her own emotional well-being. When we sacrifice things in our lives for the ones we love, that is truly fascinating to me.

Moreover, I admire when people have the courage to open up about their own struggles. The bravery of that can’t be overstated. Luckily, I’ve been someone that many people have confided in throughout their lives. That moment is the greatest feeling for me—that someone feels safe enough with me to share their most private thoughts. I’m so grateful for it.

I relish those quiet moments when I’m spending time with someone, and I ask a question about themselves. When they open up, it’s like watching a coil slowly unwind. I can feel them letting go of the weight on their shoulders. It’s the feeling that I’m truly helping them. That I can be the person who says, “It’s alright, you can fall now. I’ll catch you.”

All of this to say: it’s the connection and relationships between people that drive my passion for Psychology.

In high school, I furthered this pursuit. I took AP Psychology, and it truly was the final push that solidified my path. I would gladly do this for the rest of my life. In that class, I came to admire parts of Psychology I had never considered before—especially the science behind it. I was afraid I might not love those parts as much, but I found so much joy in learning about different parts of the brain and the scientific explanations behind certain human behaviors.

On a personal level, I have struggled in my life. I’ve lost close family members, one being my uncle Kevin. On January 25, 2022, he lost his life to suicide. He had been living with my family for two years at that point, along with his two youngest children. I remember being thrust into a pit of grief with no shovel to dig myself out. What consumed me was the idea that someone, who was under the same roof as me, had been struggling so deeply—and I had no idea. He laughed and smiled. His last words to me were a joke. There weren’t any signs.

I want to help people who feel like this—who feel like they are all alone in the world—and make them realize they aren’t.

Suicide is such a taboo subject. Reading that word probably sent shivers down your spine. That’s good. It’s uncomfortable to talk about, but that’s exactly why we need to talk about it. To address the suicide crisis impacting the U.S., I feel called to help those who suffer. It’s my duty to do everything I can to support others, and I’m ready to dedicate my life to it.

I am going to the University of California, Santa Cruz, with a major in Psychology. There, I will reach my fullest potential, learning about the subject that drives all my passion. I have constantly set high goals for myself. I have a 4.1 GPA, taken 7 AP classes, 3 honors classes, and completed over 125 hours of volunteer service. And that was just high school. Imagine what I will accomplish in college.