I was fourteen years old when my love for human-centered and unity-based advocacy was cultivated. It was at fourteen when my passion was born for eradicating the stigma surrounding mental health and suicidality began during my work in high school at Teen Line, a youth crisis and suicide hotline in Los Angeles, as a hotline listener, outreach presenter, and intern. There, I receivied comprehensive psychoeducational training by mental health professionals on pertinent, life-saving mental health topics. I was then equipped to support peers in crisis and talk to individuals across the world about mental health. It is because of these unparalleled experiences at Teen Line at fourteen that I am now a crisis counselor for the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline–988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline–at twenty one. At the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline, I have spoken to individuals from the age of four to the age of ninety-two. It is because of these experiences of meeting people where they are at that I decided to pursue Psy. D in clinical psychology, and I have since spent the past eight years of my life working in realms of education, legislation, nonprofit work, crisis intervention, and activism within mental health. Teen Line was the reason I began my own journey of pursuing professional help for mental health and suicidality. Entering this space brought me a purpose that was unmatched. I was nineteen years old when I found out that youth would for the first time be being uplifted on the nation’s stage, a stage where youth are often disregarded. Being a youth mental health advocate chosen for the nation’s first White House Youth Mental Health Action Forum changed me. It was here where I understood that my existence matters, my voice matters, my presence in the youth community matters, and my advocacy matters. I am now 21 years old. I am an Iranian-American woman whose passion for hope is built on the legacy of my cultural community, a community who epitomizes hope because our livelihood depends on it. Collectivism is ingrained in me: walking alongside others as we lean into human connection remains central to my personal advocacy journey both in individual and systemic contexts. I am now a first-year clinical psychology doctoral student, and my goal is to create a world where people feel that their lives have meaning and value, where no lives are lost to suicide. My greatest passion is not being a magic "problem-solver" but to support others in supporting themselves and those around them so that we can create a community of care and transformation. As a graduate student, I am continually seeking resources and support so I can make this a reality.

I was fourteen years old when my love for therapy was cultivated. My passion for eradicating the stigma surrounding mental health and suicidality began through my work in high school at Teen Line, a youth crisis hotline in Los Angeles. There, I received comprehensive psychoeducational training from therapists on pertinent, life-saving mental health topics. I was equipped to support peers in crisis and talk to individuals across the world about mental health. It is because of these unparalleled experiences that I am now a hotline counselor for the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline at twenty years old. I was nineteen years old when I learned that I would be one of 30 youth chosen nationally to advocate for mental health, informing future creative public health campaigns among media and technology professionals, government officials, and nonprofit executives. The nation’s first White House Youth Mental Health Action Forum in Washington D.C, in coordination with Selena Gomez and the Biden-Harris Administration, reinforced my "why." It was there that I understood that my existence matters, my voice matters, my presence in the youth community matters, and my advocacy matters. I am now 20 years old. I am an Iranian-American woman whose passion for hope--personified through an aspiring career in therapy--is built on the legacy of my cultural community, a community that epitomizes hope because our livelihood depends on it. I navigate many titles. I am currently a suicide crisis counselor for the 988 Crisis and Suicide Lifeline and speak publicly on suicide prevention with Didi Hirsch Suicide Prevention Center. I engage in public policy advocacy with AFSP and travel to advocate among legislators for pieces of suicide prevention legislation. I am an Advisory Council Member with Lady Gaga's Born This Way Foundation, a Mental Health Youth Ambassador with Rare Beauty by Selena Gomez's Rare Impact Fund, and a Youth Council Member with the National Domestic Violence Hotline's 'Love is Respect' Campaign. I have worked in student-led, school-based mental health education with the organizations Active Minds and Bring Change to Mind. I have been an Advisory Board Member with the American Association of Suicidology's youth sector. Most importantly, I hold the title of being human. I am a human being who desires authenticity and imperfection, craving a better, more vulnerable society. I am honored by these titles, but they are important to me because of how they allow me to tap into my humanity and the humanity of others. I will soon begin my journey into the clinical psychology world. I aspire to become a clinical psychologist, earning my doctorate (Psy.D), specializing in youth mental illness and suicide prevention. I hope to continue doing work in suicidology, psychoeducation, crisis intervention, public policy work, and nonprofit advocacy work. I am adamant about utilizing the invaluable lessons of higher education to help create a world where no one is lost to suicide and no one lacks adequate mental health treatment access. I hope to cultivate spaces and communities where individuals are empowered to advocate for themselves. It is through this boundless passion and action-informed work that I hope to walk alongside others in their darkest spaces. There is freedom in leaning into human connection & having relationships with others premised on authenticity & healthy conversations on mental health. There is no other way I would rather spend my life than by spending it as a clinician.

I was fourteen when my passion for mental health was cultivated through my work at Teen Line, a youth crisis and suicide hotline in Los Angeles, as a hotline listener. There, I received comprehensive psychoeducational training from mental health professionals on pertinent, life-saving mental health topics. I was equipped to support peers in crisis and talk to individuals across the world about mental health. It is because of these unparalleled experiences at Teen Line at fourteen that I am now a crisis counselor for the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline at twenty. I was nineteen years old when I was one of 30 youth chosen nationally to advocate for mental health by informing future creative public health campaigns among media and technology professionals, government officials, and nonprofit executives. The nation’s first White House Youth Mental Health Action Forum in Washington D.C.--in coordination with Selena Gomez and the Biden-Harris Administration–changed me. It was there that I understood that my existence matters, my voice matters, my presence in the youth community matters, and my advocacy matters. I am now 20 years old. I am an Iranian-American woman whose passion for hope is built on the legacy of my cultural community, a community that epitomizes hope because our livelihood depends on it. Within mental health, I aim to advocate for Middle-Eastern mental health and the mental health of all people with intersectional and marginalized identities. Mental health advocacy has to be at the forefront of inclusivity, necessitating and encouraging all to have involvement and hold a seat at the table. Individuals affected by mental health issues have historically and systemically been stripped of their voice, deemed unequal amongst the rest of society, and shamed through pernicious stigma. It is here where inclusivity and culturally competent support must be prioritized: these lenses are the ones in which I view this work. I navigate many titles. I speak publicly on suicide prevention with Didi Hirsch Suicide Prevention Center and the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention (AFSP). I engage in public policy advocacy with AFSP and travel to the California state capitol and Washington D.C. often to advocate for pieces of suicide prevention legislation. I am a Mental Health Youth Leader with leadership from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) and the U.S. Surgeon General. I am a Mental Health Youth Advisory Council Member with Lady Gaga's Born This Way Foundation, a Mental Health Youth Ambassador with Rare Beauty by Selena Gomez's Rare Impact Fund, and a Youth Council Member with the National Domestic Violence Hotline's 'Love is Respect' Campaign. I have worked in student-led, school-based mental health support with the organizations Active Minds and Bring Change to Mind and spent my past summer as a Nonprofit Resource Development Intern with Bring Change to Mind. I aspire to become a clinical psychologist, earning my doctorate (Psy.D) and specializing in youth mental illness and suicide prevention. I hope to continue doing work in suicidology, psychoeducation, crisis intervention, public policy work, and nonprofit advocacy work. I am adamant about utilizing the invaluable lessons of higher education to help create a world where no one is lost to suicide and no one lacks adequate treatment for mental health care. I love this sector of higher education because it does not confine me to a career but rather allows for credibility and a professional degree I can bring into the diverse spaces I comprise. It is by this boundless passion and action-informed work that I hope to change the world to become actionably equitable, radically inclusive, and intentionally diverse.

I was fourteen years old when my love for human-centered and unity-based advocacy was cultivated. It was at fourteen that my passion was born for eradicating the stigma surrounding mental health and suicidality, beginning through my work in high school at Teen Line, a youth crisis and suicide hotline in Los Angeles, as a hotline listener, outreach presenter, and intern. Here, I received comprehensive psychoeducational training from mental health professionals on pertinent, life-saving mental health topics. I was equipped to support peers in crisis and talk to individuals across the world about mental health. It is because of these unparalleled experiences that I am now a crisis counselor for the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline at twenty. I was nineteen years old when I learned that I would be one of 30 youth chosen nationally to advocate for mental health by informing future creative public health campaigns among media and technology professionals, government officials, and nonprofit executives. The nation’s first White House Youth Mental Health Action Forum in Washington D.C, in coordination with Selena Gomez and the Biden-Harris Administration, The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), and the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), hosted by MTV Entertainment and Viacom CBS, changed me. It was here that I understood that my existence matters, my voice matters, my presence in the youth community matters, and my advocacy matters. I am now 20 years old. I am an Iranian-American woman whose passion for hope is built on the legacy of my cultural community, a community that epitomizes hope because our livelihood depends on it. Collectivism is ingrained in me: walking alongside others as we lean into human connection remains central to my community advocacy journey in both individual and systemic contexts. I navigate many titles. I am currently a suicide crisis counselor for the 988 Crisis and Suicide Lifeline and speak publicly on suicide prevention with Didi Hirsch Suicide Prevention Center and the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention (AFSP). I engage in public policy advocacy with AFSP and travel to the California state capitol and Washington D.C. often to advocate among legislators for pieces of suicide prevention legislation. I am a Mental Health Youth Leader with leadership from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) and the U.S. Surgeon General. Alongside these opportunities, I am a Mental Health Youth Advisory Council Member with Lady Gaga's Born This Way Foundation, a Mental Health Youth Ambassador with Rare Beauty by Selena Gomez's Rare Impact Fund, and a Youth Council Member with the National Domestic Violence Hotline's 'Love is Respect' Campaign. I have worked in student-led, school-based mental health support with the organizations Active Minds and Bring Change to Mind and spent my past summer as a Nonprofit Resource Development Intern with Bring Change to Mind. In previous years, I have been an Advisory Board Member with the American Association of Suicidology's youth sector and a Mental Health Peer Educator Intern at Azusa Pacific University's Counseling Center. Most importantly, I hold the title of being human. I am a human being who desires authenticity and imperfection, craving a better, more vulnerable society. I am honored by these titles, but they are important to me because of how they allow me to tap into my humanity and the humanity of others. They are important to me because of the opportunities they place for me to do what I love. I aspire to become a clinical psychologist, earning my doctorate (Psy.D) and specializing in youth mental illness and suicide prevention. I hope to continue doing work in suicidology, psychoeducation, crisis intervention, public policy work, and nonprofit advocacy work. It is ultimately because of community service that I am taking this route. I am adamant about utilizing the invaluable lessons of community service to help create a world where no one is lost to suicide and no one lacks adequate treatment for mental health care. I hope to perpetually bring about the power of human connection whether it is speaking to someone on the hotline who is in a suicidal crisis or whether it is by validating a friend amidst their mental health struggles. It is by this boundless passion and action-informed work that I hope to change the world. There is freedom in leaning into human connection & having relationships with others premised on authenticity & healthy conversations on mental health. There is no other way I would rather spend my life than by spending it on suicide prevention.

I was fourteen when my passion for mental health was cultivated through my work at Teen Line, a youth crisis and suicide hotline in Los Angeles, as a hotline listener. There, I received comprehensive psychoeducational training from mental health professionals on pertinent, life-saving mental health topics. I was equipped to support peers in crisis and talk to individuals across the world about mental health. It is because of these unparalleled experiences at Teen Line at fourteen that I am now a crisis counselor for the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline at twenty. I was nineteen years old when I was one of 30 youth chosen nationally to advocate for mental health by informing future creative public health campaigns among media and technology professionals, government officials, and nonprofit executives. The nation’s first White House Youth Mental Health Action Forum in Washington D.C., in coordination with the Biden-Harris Administration, changed me. It was there that I understood that my existence matters, my voice matters, my presence in the youth community matters, and my advocacy matters. I am now 20 years old. I am an Iranian-American woman whose passion for hope is built on the legacy of my cultural community, a community that epitomizes hope because our livelihood depends on it. Within mental health, I aim to advocate for Middle-Eastern mental health and the mental health of all people with intersectional and marginalized identities. Mental health advocacy has to be at the forefront of inclusivity, necessitating and encouraging all to have involvement and hold a seat at the table. Individuals affected by mental health issues have historically and systemically been stripped of their voice, deemed unequal amongst the rest of society, and shamed through pernicious stigma. It is here where inclusivity and culturally competent support must be prioritized: these lenses are the ones in which I view this work. I navigate many titles. I speak publicly on suicide prevention with Didi Hirsch Suicide Prevention Center and the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention (AFSP). I engage in public policy advocacy with AFSP and travel to the California state capitol and Washington D.C. often to advocate for pieces of suicide prevention legislation. I am a Mental Health Youth Leader with leadership from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) and the U.S. Surgeon General. I am a Mental Health Youth Advisory Council Member with Lady Gaga's Born This Way Foundation, a Mental Health Youth Ambassador with Rare Beauty by Selena Gomez's Rare Impact Fund, and a Youth Council Member with the National Domestic Violence Hotline's 'Love is Respect' Campaign. I have worked in student-led, school-based mental health support with the organizations Active Minds and Bring Change to Mind and spent my past summer as a Nonprofit Resource Development Intern with Bring Change to Mind. I aspire to become a clinical psychologist, earning my doctorate (Psy.D) and specializing in youth mental illness and suicide prevention. I hope to continue doing work in suicidology, psychoeducation, crisis intervention, public policy work, and nonprofit advocacy work. I am adamant about utilizing the invaluable lessons of higher education to help create a world where no one is lost to suicide and no one lacks adequate treatment for mental health care. There is no other way I would rather spend my life than by spending it in the mental health space.

I was fourteen when my passion for mental health and understanding of its importance was cultivated through my work at Teen Line, a youth crisis and suicide hotline in Los Angeles, as a hotline listener. There, I received comprehensive psychoeducational training from mental health professionals on pertinent, life-saving mental health topics. I was equipped to support peers in crisis and talk to individuals across the world about mental health. It is because of these unparalleled experiences at Teen Line at fourteen that I am now a crisis counselor for the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline at twenty. In addition to journaling, going to therapy, and practicing self-care, I maintain my mental wellness by advocating for my mental health and by pursuing a career into the mental health space. I was nineteen years old when I was one of 30 youth chosen nationally to advocate for mental health by informing future creative public health campaigns among media and technology professionals, government officials, and nonprofit executives. The nation’s first White House Youth Mental Health Action Forum in Washington D.C.--in coordination with Selena Gomez and the Biden-Harris Administration–changed me. It was there that I understood that my existence matters, my voice matters, my presence in the youth community matters, and my advocacy matters. I am now 20 years old. I am an Iranian-American woman whose passion for hope is built on the legacy of my cultural community, a community that epitomizes hope because our livelihood depends on it. Within mental health, I aim to advocate for Middle-Eastern mental health and the mental health of all people with intersectional and marginalized identities. Mental health advocacy has to be at the forefront of inclusivity, necessitating and encouraging all to have involvement and hold a seat at the table. Individuals affected by mental health issues have historically and systemically been stripped of their voice, deemed unequal amongst the rest of society, and shamed through pernicious stigma. I navigate many titles. I speak publicly on suicide prevention with Didi Hirsch Suicide Prevention Center and the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention (AFSP). I engage in public policy advocacy with AFSP and travel to the California state capitol and Washington D.C. often to advocate for pieces of suicide prevention legislation. I am a Mental Health Youth Leader with leadership from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) and the U.S. Surgeon General. I am a Mental Health Youth Advisory Council Member with Lady Gaga's Born This Way Foundation, a Mental Health Youth Ambassador with Rare Beauty by Selena Gomez's Rare Impact Fund, and a Youth Council Member with the National Domestic Violence Hotline's 'Love is Respect' Campaign. I have worked in student-led, school-based mental health support with the organizations Active Minds and Bring Change to Mind and spent my past summer as a Nonprofit Resource Development Intern with Bring Change to Mind. I aspire to become a clinical psychologist, earning my doctorate (Psy.D) and specializing in youth mental illness and suicide prevention. I hope to continue doing work in suicidology, psychoeducation, crisis intervention, public policy work, and nonprofit advocacy work. I am adamant about utilizing the invaluable lessons of higher education to help create a world where no one is lost to suicide and no one lacks adequate treatment for mental health care. It is by this boundless passion and action-informed work that I hope to change the world to become actionably equitable, radically inclusive, and intentionally diverse.

I was fourteen years old when my love for human-centered and unity-based advocacy was cultivated. It was at fourteen that my passion was born for eradicating the stigma surrounding mental health and suicidality, beginning through my work in high school at Teen Line, a youth crisis and suicide hotline in Los Angeles, as a hotline listener, outreach presenter, and intern. Here, I was receiving comprehensive psychoeducational training by mental health professionals on pertinent, life-saving mental health topics. I was then equipped to support peers in crisis and talk to individuals across the world about mental health. It is because of these unparalleled experiences at Teen Line at fourteen that I am now a crisis counselor for the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline–988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline–at twenty. Higher education has served as a pathway to my service, innovation, and change-inducing career, informing me academically of the topics I care deeply about. I now enter my senior year of college knowing my time in academia has only begun, and I will soon begin my journey into the clinical psychology world. I aspire to become a clinical psychologist, earning my doctorate (Psy.D) and specializing in youth mental illness and suicide prevention. I hope to continue doing work in suicidology, psychoeducation, crisis intervention, public policy work, and nonprofit advocacy work. I was nineteen years old when I found out that youth would for the first time be being uplifted on the nation’s stage, a stage where youth are often disregarded. I was nineteen years old when I learned that I would be one of those 30 youth chosen nationally to advocate for mental health by informing future creative public health campaigns among media and technology professionals, government officials, and nonprofit executives. The nation’s first White House Youth Mental Health Action Forum in Washington D.C, in coordination with Selena Gomez and the Biden-Harris Administration, The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), and the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), hosted by MTV Entertainment and Viacom CBS, changed me. It was here that I understood that my existence matters, my voice matters, my presence in the youth community matters, and my advocacy matters. I am now 20 years old. I am an Iranian-American woman whose passion for hope is built on the legacy of my cultural community, a community that epitomizes hope because our livelihood depends on it. Collectivism is ingrained in me: walking alongside others as we lean into human connection remains central to my advocacy journey in both individual and systemic contexts. Middle-Eastern communities have been discriminated against in the form of invisibility: space is often not held for people such as myself. Within mental health, I aim to advocate for Middle-Eastern mental health and the mental health of all people with intersectional and marginalized identities. The realm of mental health advocacy has always been at the forefront of inclusivity, necessitating and encouraging all to have involvement and hold a seat at the table. Individuals affected by mental health issues have historically and systemically been stripped of their voice, deemed as unequal amongst the rest of society, and shamed through pernicious stigma. It is here where inclusivity and culturally competent support must be prioritized, and these lenses are the ones in which I view this work. I navigate many titles. I am currently a suicide crisis counselor for the 988 Crisis and Suicide Lifeline and speak publicly on suicide prevention with Didi Hirsch Suicide Prevention Center and the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention (AFSP). I engage in public policy advocacy with AFSP and travel to the California state capitol and Washington D.C. often to advocate among legislators for pieces of suicide prevention legislation. I am a Mental Health Youth Leader with leadership from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) and the U.S. Surgeon General. Alongside these opportunities, I am a Mental Health Youth Advisory Council Member with Lady Gaga's Born This Way Foundation, a Mental Health Youth Ambassador with Rare Beauty by Selena Gomez's Rare Impact Fund, and a Youth Council Member with the National Domestic Violence Hotline's 'Love is Respect' Campaign. I have worked in student-led, school-based mental health support with the organizations Active Minds and Bring Change to Mind and spent my past summer as a Nonprofit Resource Development Intern with Bring Change to Mind. In previous years, I have been an Advisory Board Member with the American Association of Suicidology's youth sector and a Mental Health Peer Educator Intern at Azusa Pacific University's Counseling Center. I am honored by these titles, but they are important to me not for their names but because of how they allow me to tap into my humanity and the humanity of others. They are important to me because of the opportunities they place for me to do what I love. I am adamant about utilizing the invaluable lessons of higher education to help create a world where no one is lost to suicide and no one lacks adequate treatment for mental health care. I hope to perpetually bring about the power of human connection whether it is speaking to someone on the hotline who is in a suicidal crisis or whether it is by validating a friend amidst their mental health struggles. I love this sector of higher education because it does not confine me to a career but rather allows for credibility and a professional degree I can bring into the diverse spaces I comprise. I hope to cultivate spaces and communities where individuals are empowered to express themselves authentically, seeking further to remove the stigma of mental health and suicide by helping break down barriers to education and treatment access. It is by this boundless passion and action-informed work that I hope to change the world to become actionably equitable, radically inclusive, and intentionally diverse. There is no other way I would rather spend my life than by spending it in the mental health space.

I was fourteen when my passion for mental health was cultivated through my work at Teen Line, a youth crisis and suicide hotline in Los Angeles, as a hotline listener. There, I received comprehensive psychoeducational training from mental health professionals on pertinent, life-saving mental health topics. I was equipped to support peers in crisis and talk to individuals across the world about mental health. It is because of these unparalleled experiences at Teen Line at fourteen that I am now a crisis counselor for the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline at twenty. I was nineteen years old when I was one of 30 youth chosen nationally to advocate for mental health by informing future creative public health campaigns among media and technology professionals, government officials, and nonprofit executives. The nation’s first White House Youth Mental Health Action Forum in Washington D.C.--in coordination with Selena Gomez and the Biden-Harris Administration–changed me. It was there that I understood that my existence matters, my voice matters, my presence in the youth community matters, and my advocacy matters. I am now 20 years old. I am an Iranian-American woman whose passion for hope is built on the legacy of my cultural community, a community that epitomizes hope because our livelihood depends on it. Within mental health, I aim to advocate for Middle-Eastern mental health and the mental health of all people with intersectional and marginalized identities. Mental health advocacy has to be at the forefront of inclusivity, necessitating and encouraging all to have involvement and hold a seat at the table. Individuals affected by mental health issues have historically and systemically been stripped of their voice, deemed unequal amongst the rest of society, and shamed through pernicious stigma. It is here where inclusivity and culturally competent support must be prioritized: these lenses are the ones in which I view this work. I navigate many titles. I speak publicly on suicide prevention with Didi Hirsch Suicide Prevention Center and the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention (AFSP). I engage in public policy advocacy with AFSP and travel to the California state capitol and Washington D.C. often to advocate for pieces of suicide prevention legislation. I am a Mental Health Youth Leader with leadership from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) and the U.S. Surgeon General. I am a Mental Health Youth Advisory Council Member with Lady Gaga's Born This Way Foundation, a Mental Health Youth Ambassador with Rare Beauty by Selena Gomez's Rare Impact Fund, and a Youth Council Member with the National Domestic Violence Hotline's 'Love is Respect' Campaign. I have worked in student-led, school-based mental health support with the organizations Active Minds and Bring Change to Mind and spent my past summer as a Nonprofit Resource Development Intern with Bring Change to Mind. I aspire to become a clinical psychologist, earning my doctorate (Psy.D) and specializing in youth mental illness and suicide prevention. I hope to continue doing work in suicidology, psychoeducation, crisis intervention, public policy work, and nonprofit advocacy work. I am adamant about utilizing the invaluable lessons of higher education to help create a world where no one is lost to suicide and no one lacks adequate treatment for mental health care. I love this sector of higher education because it does not confine me to a career but rather allows for credibility and a professional degree I can bring into the diverse spaces I comprise. It is by this boundless passion and action-informed work that I hope to change the world to become actionably equitable, radically inclusive, and intentionally diverse.

I was fourteen when my passion for mental health was cultivated through my work at Teen Line, a youth crisis and suicide hotline in Los Angeles, as a hotline listener. There, I received comprehensive psychoeducational training from mental health professionals on pertinent, life-saving mental health topics. I was equipped to support peers in crisis and talk to individuals across the world about mental health. It is because of these unparalleled experiences at Teen Line at fourteen that I am now a crisis counselor for the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline at twenty. I was nineteen years old when I was one of 30 youth chosen nationally to advocate for mental health by informing future creative public health campaigns among media and technology professionals, government officials, and nonprofit executives. The nation’s first White House Youth Mental Health Action Forum in Washington D.C.--in coordination with Selena Gomez and the Biden-Harris Administration–changed me. It was there that I understood that my existence matters, my voice matters, my presence in the youth community matters, and my advocacy matters. I am now 20 years old. I am an Iranian-American woman whose passion for hope is built on the legacy of my cultural community, a community that epitomizes hope because our livelihood depends on it. Within mental health, I aim to advocate for Middle-Eastern mental health and the mental health of all people with intersectional and marginalized identities. Mental health advocacy has to be at the forefront of inclusivity, necessitating and encouraging all to have involvement and hold a seat at the table. Individuals affected by mental health issues have historically and systemically been stripped of their voice, deemed unequal amongst the rest of society, and shamed through pernicious stigma. It is here where inclusivity and culturally competent support must be prioritized: these lenses are the ones in which I view this work. I navigate many titles. I speak publicly on suicide prevention with Didi Hirsch Suicide Prevention Center and the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention (AFSP). I engage in public policy advocacy with AFSP and travel to the California state capitol and Washington D.C. often to advocate for pieces of suicide prevention legislation. I am a Mental Health Youth Leader with leadership from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) and the U.S. Surgeon General. I am a Mental Health Youth Advisory Council Member with Lady Gaga's Born This Way Foundation, a Mental Health Youth Ambassador with Rare Beauty by Selena Gomez's Rare Impact Fund, and a Youth Council Member with the National Domestic Violence Hotline's 'Love is Respect' Campaign. I have worked in student-led, school-based mental health support with the organizations Active Minds and Bring Change to Mind and spent my past summer as a Nonprofit Resource Development Intern with Bring Change to Mind. I aspire to become a clinical psychologist, earning my doctorate (Psy.D) and specializing in youth mental illness and suicide prevention. I hope to continue doing work in suicidology, psychoeducation, crisis intervention, public policy work, and nonprofit advocacy work. I am adamant about utilizing the invaluable lessons of higher education to help create a world where no one is lost to suicide and no one lacks adequate treatment for mental health care. I love this sector of higher education because it does not confine me to a career but rather allows for credibility and a professional degree I can bring into the diverse spaces I comprise. It is by this boundless passion and action-informed work that I hope to change the world to become actionably equitable, radically inclusive, and intentionally diverse.