FINAL DRAFT

Evaluate a significant experience, risk you have taken, or ethical dilemma you have faced and its impact on you.
That night, like any other weekend, my mother had another cup of wine. That’s usually how it is around my family. They all get very intoxicated, have fun, and open up way too many issues and truths that some can’t always handle. Of course not every weekend we have these wild family parties where most of our treasured memories are made...

I grew up around that kind of behavior, but I can say that what I got out of their experiences has opened my eyes greatly to the new or old wounds words can open.
That night opened up a whole cacophony of drama that opened all our eyes. My mother, with her opinionated demeanor and somewhat open-mindedness quality that comes much to my benefit, seems to never be able to keep her mouth shut. My mother decided to lecture my twenty-three-year-old cousin, who by the way, doesn’t have a job, doesn’t pay rent, and doesn’t exactly stay fit. We used to joke about how he was “the loser” in our family. He cracked under the pressure of the truth and broke down. I knew he lacked confidence and determination. Even I, a highly intuitive fifteen-year-old, notices when people who are highly capable of doing so many things lack the willpower. But sometimes, even the most perceptive person can see right past the reality of something.
The eye opener was that we learned my cousin had an illness. Not a physical illness, but a forbidding and exceedingly feared mental illness. What we failed to see was that my cousin was mutilating himself since high school. This sent him to the hospital where he spent the night in the psych ward. I remember him saying “I was doing it since high school, and not one of you noticed.” In a way, it's kind of a shameful thing on the family. We were in denial that something was wrong, we ignored the truth of the situation, and we just let things fly by unnoticed. It showed that we lacked in some part.

People with these kinds of illnesses need help. I always knew I wanted to do something where it involves me helping people or children. I love listening to people talk about their sadness and happiness's and pondering about why people think and do the things they do. I want to understand people on their level. We sometimes are too busy to think about others and all we do is complain and mope around. I want to learn how to help effectively. This was one of the main experiences that made me want to pursue the psychology and sociology field.
Through my years I have faced so many tribulations that opened my eyes to this one reality. I learned from church that it’s one thing to say you’re a Catholic, and it’s another to live like it. This goes for so many things. I have learned to accept those who are different, and help those who need my help. This discovery has helped shape me. I just need to figure out the best methods to help. I understood that I wanted to be psychology major and hopefully help those who need help understanding themselves and others. I strive to be on top no matter how long it takes me.