I am currently an undergrad at Davenport University (DU), and I am studying Medical Case Management for my bachelors. I have been heavily involved in building community at DU through a Campus Life Assistance job, Resident Assistant job, being a mentor for incoming freshmen who are first generation college students, and initiating the development of the Multicultural Lounge at DU. The reason Medical Case Management was chosen is because I want to gain experience as a social worker to become a clinical therapist for marginalized populations to access affordable mental health services. I first began being interested in this field in high school when I took sociology. Sociology interested me because I loved learning about how humans interacted based on their cultural backgrounds. Sociology was not enough to resolve my curiosity about why people make certain decisions, so I then started learning many things about psychology, especially in college. I eventually felt very solid about the aspiration to become a therapist. I love to help people, analyze behavioral patterns, talk about mental health issues, and develop emotional intelligence. I have also been healing through my own mental health illnesses, so I empathize deeply with others going through the same. It is my passion to influence others in their healing process, and create resources that support them. With my bachelor’s in Medical Case Management, I plan to become a social worker for people with disabilities, living in poverty or having other unfortunate circumstances. This will provide the interpersonal skills, community development, experience in connecting people with resources, and allow me to find a specific focus for the demographic I am most passionate in helping. Then, I plan to continue my education by pursuing a master’s in psychology with a specialization in clinical mental health. This will allow me to be a licensed therapist. Once I am experienced and equipped enough, I will open a private practice that will allow me the opportunity to provide mental health services to the community. With all of the experiences I have already gained and plan to continue acquiring, I will be very competent on cultural issues for marginalized populations. Therefore, I will be very equipped to be very supportive and resourceful for the community I serve. Mental health is very important for individual development, and for the society at large. Providing culturally competent, affordable mental health services will improve the health of the population. I want to give people the opportunity to create better lives for themselves and others.

Communication is one of my best skills. I have been working in the community service industry since I began employment, so I have some experience in interacting with others. I have also been the oldest sibling, thus, the advocate for my siblings. I also love to talk to people. One way I am improving my communication skill is by listening to others talk publicly. It is important to actively listen, and I also make note to study presenters’ body language, tone choice, and word choice. This includes listening to audiobooks, and reading hard copy books to understand how English is modernly used to relay information. Another way I am currently improving my skill is by my job choice. I decided to become a Resident Assistant because I knew the role involved a lot of communication. Planning programs with other Resident Assistants, advertising those programs to students, emailing students about housing updates, and scheduling meetings with anyone all involve a lot of communication. There are many ways to improve communication skills, and another helpful resource is having an honest friend who served in the United States military. She is very honest, direct, and has great communication skills that I wish to obtain. She is one of the people I go to for conversation and it helps me develop my speaking communication. She always says, “Words mean things.” This was her way of telling me to be intentional about the words I choose when talking to others. I have internalized this advice and used it to improve every form of communication. Lastly, as a college student, it is easy to improve communication skills because there are always papers to write. There are also many available tutors to assist students with improving their writing skills, so I use this as a resource.

The significance of mental health is a lifelong journey of discovery, and I am proud to say that I have begun this journey in the year 2020. Quarantine was undoubtedly a life changing experience for many people, negatively and positively. It was an opportunity for many to have time to discover much about life, especially mental health. For me, it was a time I was challenged by being torn away from my biological family to be informally adopted into a new family. During this time, I had much to reflect on and grieve about from the unconventional childhood I went through. The grief was catalyzed from the devastation that came from the separation, while reflection was built by consistently going to therapy. I did not know this would later be a gift for the growing that was in store. I had much to discover about why I experience anxiety and depression. Luckily, I had the support of loving friends, mental health counseling, and much time to research about mental health. I learned that the generational patterns that my family endured and repeated had much influence on their mental health, and that I internalized those patterns that continued a cycle of inherited mental illness. I learned that the culture of avoiding conversations about mental health that I experienced was also an influence for mental illness. This changed so much for me. It caused a realization that I am responsible for my own healing process, as is everyone else of theirs. It helped me feel curious about my mind instead of afraid. I now know I can choose to love myself, and that will be the way I learn to heal. This was a big change from the belief that I was powerless against depression and anxiety. Learning the significance of mental health awareness also changed the belief that having mental illness is shameful. This realization allowed shame to shed from my heart and an attitude of openness to emerge. Undoubtedly, I can confess that I have learned so much about mental health that changed many of my beliefs. Learning about mental health also taught me much about society and relationships. Humans are social beings and rely on community for survival. Because we hold each other to high significance, we can easily be impacted by each other’s actions and emotions. This strengthened my relationships because I was able to understand that everyone else may have their own mental health illnesses that stem from events they could not control. It allowed honest conversations that built an understanding between myself and those closest to me. I know that changing the whole world is a big task, so creating a space for a healing community is what I aspire for. Mental health awareness also strengthens my aspirations to become a clinical mental health therapist. I realize that those conversations about how mental health influences behaviors and the healing process is something that drives passion in me. There is so much to learn about mental health, and so many people to advocate for. I want to help everyone that I can to heal from their trauma. Through understanding my emotions and growth, I can gain first hand experience at healing from trauma that will later be helpful to others. Mental health awareness is an important topic that has changed my understanding of the world, relationships and career aspirations.

The significance of mental health is a lifelong journey of discovery, and I am proud to say that I have begun this journey in the year 2020. Quarantine was undoubtedly a life changing experience for many people, negatively and positively. It was an opportunity for many to have time to discover much about life, especially mental health. For me, it was a time I was challenged by being torn away from my biological family to be informally adopted into a new family. During this time, I had much to reflect on and grieve about from the unconventional childhood I went through. The grief was catalyzed from the devastation that came from the separation, while reflection was built by consistently going to therapy. I did not know this would later be a gift for the growing that was in store. I had much to discover about why I experience anxiety and depression. Luckily, I had the support of loving friends, mental health counseling, and much time to research about mental health. I learned that the generational patterns that my family endured and repeated had much influence on their mental health, and that I internalized those patterns that continued a cycle of inherited mental illness. I learned that the culture of avoiding conversations about mental health that I experienced was also an influence for mental illness. This changed so much for me. It caused a realization that I am responsible for my own healing process, as is everyone else of theirs. It helped me feel curious about my mind instead of afraid. I now know I can choose to love myself, and that will be the way I learn to heal. This was a big change from the belief that I was powerless against depression and anxiety. Learning the significance of mental health awareness also changed the belief that having mental illness is shameful. This realization allowed shame to shed from my heart and an attitude of openness to emerge. Undoubtedly, I can confess that I have learned so much about mental health that changed many of my beliefs. Learning about mental health also taught me much about society and relationships. Humans are social beings and rely on community for survival. Because we hold each other to high significance, we can easily be impacted by each other’s actions and emotions. This strengthened my relationships because I was able to understand that everyone else may have their own mental health illnesses that stem from events they could not control. It allowed honest conversations that built an understanding between myself and those closest to me. I know that changing the whole world is a big task, so creating a space for a healing community is what I aspire for. Mental health awareness also strengthens my aspirations to become a clinical mental health therapist. I realize that those conversations about how mental health influences behaviors and the healing process is something that drives passion in me. There is so much to learn about mental health, and so many people to advocate for. I want to help everyone that I can to heal from their trauma. Through understanding my emotions and growth, I can gain first hand experience at healing from trauma that will later be helpful to others. Mental health awareness is an important topic that has changed my beliefs, relationships and career aspirations.

When I think about career goals I definitely see myself servicing marginalized communities. Currently, I am completing my Bachelors in Health Service Administration. Afterwards, I will be completing a Master of Science in Psychology with specialization in Clinical Health. With these credentials, I will gain the experience of operating health care facilities and delivering mental health services. My future career goal is private practice therapy. My services will be tailored to Black, Indigenous, people of color (BIPOC), and people who are disabled regardless of socioeconomic status. This practice will provide affordable or free, culturally competent mental health services. Through grant funding, insurance reimbursement, and sliding scale rates, the mental health services provided by me will not come with the burden of high cost. There will also be an app development that provides additional services such as local emergency services, financial resources, public health programs, mental health education, a library of books, etc. This will be available to the general public. There will be a premium subscription to the app at a low annual fee that gives access to exclusive services such as podcasts, personalized newsletters, tutorials, and more. I also want to eventually become a book writer and use the income to fund therapy sessions for people who are impoverished, disabled, and BIPOC. The mission with this career goal is to improve the mental health status of marginalized communities and decrease disparities in access to mental health services.

Empowerment, persistence, and evolution. These are the things that I learned through Captain Marvel that sparked a change in my self esteem. I related to the main character, Carol Danvers who transforms into Captain Marvel. She faced confinement from the controlling forces who sought to suppress her power and keep her unaware. She obtained the knowledge of their oppressive nature and looked to dismantle it, despite their efforts. This showed me that understanding systems of oppression will be the exact way I defeat it. Watching her use those discovered powers to liberate oppressed groups inspired me to continue pursuing the dismantling of systems of oppression with strategic methods and expertise. Although I am just one woman, as is Captain Marvel, our influence is undeniable. My beliefs and actions towards creating an inclusive and equitable society are validated through this movie. I am empowered to persist my efforts towards evolution.

Social Change Fund United Scholarship Due to many years of oppression, the scarcity of mental health services has had a strong impact on the Black community. This has included the underfunding of mental health resources, lack of education on mental health importance, clear discrimination in medical practices, and more. It is clear that in order to improve this cycle of detriment, our younger generation have to be advocates of mental health for the Black community and for other people of color. Because of this, I have decided to pursue a career in mental health to become a professional therapist. I am currently in my bachelors program studying Health Service Administration at Davenport University, and I plan to pursue a masters program after graduation in clinical health psychology. My vision for a utopian optimal mental health in the Black community includes having affordable mental health services, advocacy towards mental health education, and teaching other therapists how to be culturally competent practitioners. African Americans are more likely to be uninsured, which is a large factor into accessibility to mental health professionals. In order to combat this issue, it is important to provide services that are affordable for individuals who are uninsured, and develop programs dedicated to fund mental health resources for individuals with financial needs. This is the vision I have for pursuing a career in mental health. I am working toward opening a private practice that will have a grant program for individuals who are impoverished to have the opportunity to have their mental health services funded. This may significantly increase the amount of people in the Black community who are able to access mental health services. From personal experience, I have witnessed many people of color dismiss the importance of their own mental health, and the mental health of the people around them. This lead to them stigmatizing mental health, then choosing not to get help for their mental health illnesses. An individual’s willingness to participate in their own mental health, impacts their choice to pursue services necessary for improvement. The solution is simply to educate people in the Black community why mental health is important in ways that it is accessible to them. My vision for this is to have an app for all devices that is free and contains different functions such as mental health education, resources, quizzes, local practitioners, and financial resources for mental health. It is also important to have people who represent the target population explaining these subjects in an inclusive manner. There are disproportionate health outcomes for people of color. This is due to the lack of education about and representation of the Black community in the health care system. The way to improve this state is to education mental health professionals on culturally competent practices. Being in the mental health field means a dedicating yourself to continuous learning and development. Hence, educating and training therapists on approaching cultural differences is one of the best practices to prevent discrimination. It is also important to hold them accountable for discriminatory practices. Mental health care advocacy helps communities of color reach social justice in many ways. First, it helps give the communities hope that there are possibility of changing the system, leading to more proactive involvement. Next, advocacy includes education which helps unify communities of color with a common purpose of holistically dismantling systems of oppression. Additionally, it results in more resources allocated to communities of color. Lastly, it sets a foundation of leadership to be succeeded by members in communities of color to continue their advocacy towards social justice.

An interesting fact about an individual’s happiness is that it is created, not found. It is cultivated through past experiences, subjective in its many forms, and maintained with self acceptance. A moment where I experienced happiness was when I took a moment for mindfulness during my regular yoga routine. I realized that in this particular moment I was no longer resistant to my own happiness. I decided to reflect on how far I have come from my mental health issues, impoverished neighborhood, and past toxic environments. In this peace, I found happiness created through an open minded perspective.