Where my anxiety has gotten me. by Rylan

Where my anxiety has gotten me. by Rylan - January 2026 Scholarship Essay

In my junior year of high school, I started seeing a therapist, and I was diagnosed with OCD, ADHD, and anxiety. This has been a struggle for me my whole life. I was diagnosed, and it made sense for me. In my senior year of high school, I began taking action and getting help in my classes when needed. My whole life, I just remember it was harder for me to do certain tasks because I was actually too nervous to do them. Over the years, I have tried to come out of my shell, make new experiences, and push myself to do what I wouldn’t normally do. Mental illnesses significantly impact people's daily lives. I think they make us better and help us learn from what we did wrong. This sparked my interest in psychology, and I started looking into it more.

I first knew I wanted to go into psychology in my freshman year of high school. Over the years, I have developed an interest in sex psychology. This path will be interesting for me because not many people are into this field, and I could study and learn more. I don’t know exactly what I will do with this yet, but I might study sex education, gender, and sexual habits, or even just be a sex therapist. I am excited to see where this interest might take me in the future, and I’m excited to see what I will do with it. Either way, I think I will do something that I am happy with. Psychology will be a good path for me, and whatever I plan to do with it.