As a Latina of Mexican descent, I witnessed several cultural stressors and mental health-related concerns within my community. I found that those around me were reluctant to discuss topics related to mental health. My interest in behavioral health was inevitable after my older brother was diagnosed with bipolar disorder at fifteen. Latine communities often view mental health concerns as taboo, which made it challenging to find proper care for my brother, and obtaining efficacious treatment took nearly six years. Had treatment been more accessible for my brother, he would have been diagnosed and treated much sooner and could have enjoyed his early adolescent years. Destigmatizing mental health conditions can make treatment more accessible to the public and encourage help-seeking behavior. During my undergraduate career at Texas Tech University (TTU), I sought opportunities to learn about the science behind mental health conditions and healthcare. I took a variety of psychology courses for my major and courses for my minor in addictive disorders and recovery studies (ADRS). I was a Latinx Mental Health and Resiliency (LMHR) lab member and worked closely with Dr. Brandy Piña-Watson. Through my involvement in the LMHR lab, I learned about the mental health disparities among Mexican descent college students and adolescents, such as anxiety, depression, suicidal ideation, and alcohol use issues. In 2019, I began my Ph.D. program in counseling psychology at TTU. While working toward my Ph.D., I have participated in eight clinical externships that have set an excellent foundation for me to provide efficacious treatment as a future psychologist. Through my externships, I have worked with historically underrepresented racial and ethnic groups, individuals with SMI diagnoses, low socioeconomic populations, individuals experiencing homelessness, clients with intellectual disabilities, elderly adults, and individuals from rural areas. Through my externship experiences and graduate courses, I have learned that cultural competence is not a destination that one can arrive at. It is a lifelong process to make a good clinician. Practicing cultural humility is not simply a therapeutic “tool,” but a lens clinicians use for an individualized and integrative approach. My experience with my older brother and his mental health journey impacted how I view healthcare services. It is imperative to broaden access to mental health services with the aim of recovery and improving the lives of those who need our help. I am committed to expanding access to mental healthcare. I plan to do this with advocacy, research, and utilizing cultural humility in clinical practice. I hope to become a counseling psychologist in a hospital or integrative primary care setting. I believe a career within a healthcare setting will allow me to provide mental health services to underserved populations. Ultimately, I aim to work as a director of mental health services, which would allow me to create opportunities to increase equitable healthcare access. By attending TTU, I have access to several impactful clinical training and educational experiences. The research I am a part of has contributed to the de-stigmatization of mental health in the Latine community. I plan to seek opportunities where I can learn more about mental health and integrated healthcare. In graduate school, I am faced with financial challenges in pursuing a doctoral degree. Due to the rigor of the program, I am not able to hold external employment. Receiving the Amplifying Latinx Voices will greatly assist in my future goal to become a culturally sensitive psychologist who provides evidence-based care within an integrative healthcare setting. I would be extraordinarily grateful and honored to receive the Amplifying Latinx Voices as it would help ameliorate the financial stress related to attending graduate school.

My name is Aundrea Garcia, and I am a fifth-year Counseling Psychology doctoral candidate at Texas Tech University (TTU). My interest in mental health began at a young age when my brother was diagnosed with bipolar disorder. In my community, mental health concerns are viewed as taboo, which made it challenging to find proper care for my brother, and obtaining efficacious treatment took nearly six years. Had treatment been more accessible for my brother, he would have been diagnosed and treated much sooner and could have enjoyed his adolescent and early adulthood years. It was at this point that I felt that change is needed to work toward the destigmatization of mental health services. When considering my personal and professional goals, I aspire to provide high-quality and equitable mental healthcare. I am committed to expanding the accessibility of mental health services. I have gained experience providing psychological services within various mental health settings throughout my professional career. Working within these settings has allowed me to aid a range of clientele, such as individuals with intellectual disabilities, low socioeconomic status, and historically underrepresented populations. As I work toward my doctoral degree, I have actively sought opportunities that allow me to provide accessibility to equitable healthcare. For example, I have provided mental health services at seven externship settings, including hospitals, community health clinics, and a university counseling center. Within my externships, it is a goal to provide culturally sensitive treatments, participate in outreach activities, and expand my knowledge about resiliency factors within historically underrepresented racial and ethnic populations. In the future, I hope to become a counseling psychologist in a hospital or integrative primary care setting. I believe a career within a healthcare setting will allow me to provide mental health services to underserved populations. I aim to work as a director of mental health services, which would allow me to create opportunities to increase equitable healthcare access. While in graduate school, I have faced several challenges. A challenging aspect of pursuing a graduate degree is the rigor of the program. The workload of pursuing a doctoral degree takes an immense amount of time and focus. I am also faced with financial challenges in pursuing a doctoral degree. I will not hold a fellowship or scholarship next year to assist with paying for tuition. Due to the rigor of the program, I am also not able to hold external employment as it will interfere with my assistantship stipend. I am faced with using the limited amount of funding that I have through savings and my assistantship stipend. The graduate student stipend I receive does not sufficiently cover my financial obligations and often leads to added stress in my daily life. Overall, there are workload, timing, and financial challenges that I have faced while pursuing my doctoral degree. I would be extraordinarily grateful and honored to receive The VonDerek Casteel Being There Counts Scholarship as it would help ameliorate the financial stress related to attending graduate school and allow me to continue to stay in my program.