Hi my name is Alyssa and I went to jail. Twice.

I know you are probably expecting to hear the stories now. That’s what usually comes next, and that’s what people want to hear, right? Those juicy stories are what draw in readers. It’s interesting, it’s gossip, and it’s kind of funny, externally observing other people’s dumb college mistakes.

However, you don’t get the stories. The stories don’t really matter, and can quite blatantly be unraveled through the grapevine (or other means, if we’re being honest). What matters more are the long term effects these events have; not just on me, but on anyone. As one can obviously imagine, having this sort of thing pop up on your criminal record brings nothing but anxiety. I often forget that they even happened, having been so long ago, until I think about graduation and job applications – then the panic sets in.

I drank underage in college (crazy, I know). Yet, so did many other people. Likely, many of those people did so even more than me. Some people get caught, some people don’t. Luck of the draw. Now of course, I screwed up. I broke the law. Consequences happen, and rightfully so. Yet, I have grown. I have changed. I have reflected on all the dumb things I did my freshman year of college – an abundance – and distanced myself from it all. After that year of trouble ended, I stacked up my course load, didn’t leave the library for a year, and almost forgot what alcohol was.

This inspiration behind this article comes from a normally not-so-inspiring show: "Shameless." I just finished my binge-watch of the entire show, and laid on my couch in that post-binge depressive state where you do not know what to do next. In my indent in the cushion, I contemplated Ian’s triumphant speech about mental illness, and how a diagnosis should never stop someone from getting a job, if they can do the job well. He knows he is a phenomenal EMT despite his bipolar disorder.

By no means do I wish to compare a criminal record and mental illness, but I believe the concept could potentially be applied to both. Not in all cases, of course. But, I know that once I graduate I am going to go out there and be one fantastic middle school teacher. I know it. I know it from my hours upon hours of classroom experience, where I have led a plethora of angsty teenagers towards a deeper understanding of the English language. I know I can do that, and I have demonstrated it on several occasions. I knew it the day I sat down next to a student with extreme ADHD and focused his attention on a book for an hour. I knew it the day I quieted the mean girls of the 8^th grade who were obviously not fond of me.

Point being: rehabilitation is absolutely possible. For anyone. And no past issue, whether it be an arrest or a mental illness, should stop someone from being able to do what they love. Whatever hiccups occur on an application should not automatically become a cause for rejection, but rather an opportunity to elaborate. I believe that with proper proof of some self-improvement and rehabilitation, no roadblock should have to remain a roadblock. People screw up, and people change.