Who I am:I am a graduate student trainee and I have worked in the field of behavioral health for over three years, primarily in the adult inpatient psychiatry setting. My circumstances:I am currently a doctoral student of clinical psychology at Alliant International University, Emeryville. My academic background is in clinical neuroscience, and thus, most of my research and occupational interests align with the topics of neurophysiology, neuropsychological assessment, neuroimaging, and neuromodulation. I am motivated by a strong passion to make the world a more hospitable place for individuals with serious mental illness and traumatic brain injury by developing (or helping to develop) focused, concrete, metric diagnostic assessment strategies and treatments. I am a proud student member of APA Division 40 (Society for Clinical Neuropsychology).My hopes and dreams:10 years from now, I see myself practicing as a clinical neuropsychologist and working with a wide variety of individuals administering diagnostic tests. I anticipate that psychosis, cognitive processing deficits, impulsiveness, memory deficits, affective dysregulation, and catatonia will all still have their place in my heart. I have been clinically working with individuals afflicted by these conditions since 2021, and it seems as though everyday, as I continue to learn, my passion to help them only gets stronger. My history and motivations:My interest in psychology is heavily inspired by my mother, who was a registered nurse in a psychiatric unit while I was in high school. In college, I conducted a small scale research project that involved interviewing members of the unhoused population. I was shocked to find that most of the people I interviewed had a diagnosis of serious mental illness, and yet, none of them seemed to be getting the help they needed. Although many providers throughout my academic career have staunchly blamed the patient ("they don't want the help"), my question of "is there a better way" started there. The question has not left my mind, and has become a driving force in my professional pursuit of psychology. I believe it all starts with attention to detail: thorough and non-judgmental assessment, followed by thorough and comprehensive referral.