My pursuit of an advanced degree stems from a commitment to transforming systems that have failed marginalized communities. Graduate study will give me the clinical acumen and therapeutic precision to help build mental health care that reaches people earlier and in ways they can trust. My experience in community mental health confirmed what I knew through lived experience: care can respond too late, focus narrowly on diagnosis, and overlook the cultural realities shaping how Black clients experience treatment. I am acutely aware of mistrust within the African American community because I carry that skepticism myself—a response rooted in generations of institutional neglect, exploitation, and exclusion. Rather than viewing mistrust as an obstacle, I see it as information about the relationship between communities and the institutions meant to serve them. My path has crystallized around challenging barriers to mental health equity and rebuilding trust through culturally responsive relationships. Too few clinicians bring perspectives shaped by marginalization into mental health care, creating blind spots that allow harm to persist. My commitment extends beyond therapy to promoting inclusion, strengthening trust, and restoring dignity to people whose experiences have been reduced to diagnoses. I bring intellectual humility, recognizing that lived experience is valuable but not a substitute for rigorous professional knowledge. My goal is to hold cultural humility and clinical precision in the same hand, helping create care people can access and trust.

• Treatment and Prevention Certification

  Mental Health Care · Department of Counseling and Human Services

  Jan 2019 – Present

• Qualified Mental Health Professional

  Mental Health Care · Virginia Board of Counseling, Department of Health Professions

  Jan 2025 – Present

• CEO and Formulator

  Health, Wellness, and Fitness · A’YIM Organically, LLC For Problematic Skin (Skin Food)

  Jan 2024 – Present

• Organization and Management in Health Management

  Hospital & Health Care · Peregrine Global

  Jan 2025 – Present

• Academic Excellence, Advocacy Work, Research, Philanthropy

  Philanthropy · Tau Upsilon Alpha Society

  Jan 2018 – Present

• Human Services Certification

  Mental Health Care · Department of Counseling and Human Services

  Jan 2017 – Present

• Advocacy
• Volunteering
• Philanthropy
• Entrepreneurship

• Kickboxing

  2008 – Present

• Research Intern: Conducted Studies on the Impact of TWP’s Programs on Youth Development, Community Involvement, and Social Change

  Teens With A Purpose · Community Organization and Advocacy

  2018 – Present

  Research topic:

  Youth Empowerment and Community Engagement

• Interviewer and Researcher: Investigating the Effects of NAMI Support Groups on Members’ Mental Health Outcomes, Social Connections, and Coping Strategies

  National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) · Educational Assessment, Evaluation, and Research

  2019 – 2019

  Research topic:

  Examining the Impact of Support Groups on Mental Health Recovery

• Observer/Researcher/Data Collection/Member Experiences

  Narcotic Anonymous (NA) · Educational Assessment, Evaluation, and Research

  2018 – 2018

  Research topic:

  Exploring the Topic of Narcotics Anonymous Meetings

• Objective Observation: Research Focus Areas: Ethical Considerations; Data Collection

  Obesity Anonymous (OA) · Educational Assessment, Evaluation, and Research

  2018 – 2018

  Research topic:

  Observing for Research Analysis

• Observer/Researcher: Collected Data on Meeting Dynamics, Member Experiences, and Program Outcomes

  Alcohol Anonymous (AA) · Educational Assessment, Evaluation, and Research

  2018 – 2018

  Research topic:

  Exploring the Effectiveness of AA Meetings

• Client Visitor

  Volunteering · Meals on Wheels of Chesapeake Inc.

  2014 – 2019

  Mission:

  Emphasizing Community and Social Impact

• Youth Coordinator

  Volunteering · Teens With A Purpose

  2018 – Present

  Mission:

  Understanding the complexities of human behavior and development, ecognizing the impact of systemic inequalities on marginalized communities, and building partnerships with community organizations and stakeholders.

• Demonstrates commitment by being prepared in emergency situations and potentially save lives.

  Public Service (Politics) · CPR Certification

  2025 – Present

  Mission:

  Trained to save individuals by responding effectively during cardiac emergencie.

• Quality Assurance

  Volunteering · Foodbank of Southeastern Virginia and the Eastern Shore

  2013 – Present

  Mission:

  Help Eliminate Hunger in My Community

• Intake Registration & Client Navigation

  Volunteering · Project Homeless Connect Norfolk, VA

  2014 – Present

  Mission:

  Provide compassionate support and advocacy