Joel Sands

I’ve always been a thinker, an observer, and a passionate individual. When these three aspects have become out of balance, or misdirected, problems have ensued. When I dropped out of high school, my friends asked me what I did with my time. I answered, “I think. I think a lot.” I spent most of the next 25 years dealing with mental health and chemical dependency issues. I wish that I could say that it was psychological diagnoses and corresponding treatments that turned things around for me, but I cannot. It was a spiritual experience that settled the base of my Jenga-tower mind. The tower is by no means complete, but it is better.

Studying psychology at Normandale this fall has been challenging. I’ve had to think critically about the relative importance of my personal experiences. I’ve had to observe how my biases can lead me away from growth. Through this process, I believe that I have become more in tune with my passions and where they might lead me for future studies. I will continue to study psychology, sociology and religion at Augsburg University.

^{All info expressed here represent the student’s personal story and perspective.}