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I was born in Chicago, Illinois on Christmas morning along with my twin sister.

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I was raised by two amazing, hardworking parents -- a nurse and an architect who each gave me some of my most prominent qualities. My mother, an extremely dedicated and passionate pediatric oncology nurse, gave me my empathy and genuine curiosity in the human body and mind. My father, an intuitive and artistic architect, gave me my observant mind and love for creative expression.

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As one of the youngest of 5 children, I grew up around a lot of personalities. Life was often chaotic but there was always a sibling around to hang out with or talk to. I explored a lot of hobbies and interests, from art classes and dancing to video games and soccer. While I always leaned towards quieter, more creative activities, I was ever willing to try something new and often quickly switched off between different interests. Due to my catholic upbringing, I began to volunteer a lot throughout middle school, which was my first introduction into helping others and really helped me in developing my strong sense of empathy and compassion that would later lead me to this career path.

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During my first year of high school, I attended a peer-led retreat called Operation Snowball that focused on empowering and encouraging young people to find healthy ways to express themselves and their emotions through peer support, positive coping skills, and leadership development.

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After attending the Snowball retreat twice and becoming so moved and inspired by the strength and leadership I saw in the peer leaders of the group, I decided to apply to be a leader myself. I had very little self-confidence and was extremely shy; however, the leaders of the group saw something in me and I was chosen to join the team as a sophomore in high school. My first year as a peer leader was very difficult and I often doubted myself and questioned why I had been chosen in the first place. Nevertheless, I stuck with it and learned so much from my fellow leaders along the way and, after receiving an encouraging note from one of the older leaders on my team, I decided to come back for a second year as a peer leader.

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After two years as a peer leader on Operation Snowball, I felt like I had finally found my place. I was constantly empowered and inspired by the people around me and I found so much joy in spreading the positivity to the rest of my classmates and peers. By my senior year, I became one of the student directors of the program -- something which freshman-year me would never have imagined for myself. Little did I know I would one day be using the coping and interpersonal skills I learned throughout my experience with Snowball in my future profession. In fact, counseling was not yet even on my radar or list of career paths at this time. I graduated high school with no idea what I wanted to do with my life and entered into college with an undecided major, feeling very lost and directionless.

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My undergrad was an extremely confusing time for me filled with lots of change. During my four years of undergrad, I changed my major four times -- from Marketing, to Art History, to Nutrition Science, and finally Psychology, I was constantly changing my mind about what I wanted to do and where I felt my purpose was in life. Although I was initially embarrassed about my frequent changes in major, the words of a professor from my freshman year of college always stuck with me -- the only way we can truly find what we are passionate about is if we allow ourselves to change our minds and try everything at least once. Each course of study taught me skills that I still use to this day and I genuinely don't believe I would have found my true passion if I had not allowed myself to change my mind throughout my college experience.

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In my final semester of college, I began to consider what my next steps would be. After my own struggles throughout college with mental illness and a lot of hard work in therapy, I had finally decided that I wanted to become a mental health counselor and make an impact on the lives of people just like myself. I made the decision to take a year off of school to work and make money so that I could pursue my advanced degree and eventually become a counselor, but I often questioned if this was the right decision the farther and farther I began to feel from my ultimate goal. I was working retail at this time and once again felt directionless when it came to my career path. My friends and family were especially important supports during this time and, as the year came to a close, I decided to officially join a masters in counseling program in order to move closer to my goal of becoming a counselor.

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Early in the year, I came across a job position in community mental health at a local non-profit mental health agency. I had just decided that I would be pursuing my master's degree and was intrigued at the possibility of working in a position that allowed me to gain experience in my field of interest without requiring licensure. I was eventually hired and began working with a population of adults with severe mental illness throughout Chicago, providing both case management and emotional support services for them and ultimately was able to begin practicing the skills and techniques I was learning in my new master's program while at work. This only solidified my interest in counseling and increased my passion for creating accessible mental health services.

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Thresholds is fighting to transform the lives of people living with serious mental illnesses and substance use disorders. We break cycles of poverty and unemployment. We are path breaking in our innovative research and advocacy.

We also make opportunities. Opportunities for housing, employment, and recovery. Opportunities for families to reconnect.

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PROGRAMS & SERVICES Thresholds provides a comprehensive array of clinical services for people with severe mental illness. Our clients have access to case management, psychiatric care, group and individual therapy, as well as the evidence-based practices of Wellness Management and Recovery and Integrated Dual Disorders Treatment.

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I am working towards my goal of becoming an LPC both through higher education at Bradley and experience in the mental health field at my job as a Community Support Specialist at Thresholds.