How I got here… Early in my career as a middle school teacher, I found myself interested in my students' personal lives. I was curious about what was happening that prevented some of them from succeeding in the classroom, and I refused to believe it was a lack of ability. At that time, school counselors were able to share essential information about a student, but once HIPAA laws were established I had no vital information regarding what makes a child who they are. During my last year of teaching, I had a student whose mom was in jail, another whose baby brother had just been diagnosed with leukemia, and another whose sister recently attempted suicide. These were only 3 of my 180 students who happened to share their stories. I was overwhelmed, thinking, “How many more stories like these are there?” That was when I knew it was time to retire from teaching and pursue my goal of becoming a therapist.