Imagine your mind betraying you for a day, making every thought a battle. Now, imagine living this reality every single day of your life. Growing up with anxiety and clinical depression in a low-income, predominantly African American community on the outskirts of Atlanta, Georgia, I often felt like an outsider in my own life. To hide this insecurity, I wore an invisible mask, to conceal what I was going through and for those around me to assume that I was normal. Conversations about mental health where I am from were frowned upon, as those who sought help were deemed weak. Even within my family, mental health struggles were concealed due to fear of labeling from those around us, especially with me already identifying as an African American woman. From a young age, I felt the weight of society's expectations and the stigma surrounding mental health. To cope, I immersed myself in studies and extracurricular activities, yet my internal struggle continued to progress. My family's attitude towards mental health, rooted in fear and misunderstanding, only reinforced my need to hide my struggles. My breaking point for change happened after a close friend of mine confided to me about their struggles with self-harm and how they felt helpless because no one would take her seriously. These instances helped shape my views on the youth mental health crisis happening so close to home and made me realize the urgent need for open conversations and support systems. In my senior year of high school, I decided to put my aspirations into practice. I finally found the confidence to initiate a campaign to promote mental health awareness in my school. Aside from my dear friend’s struggle, I noticed the absence of mental health resources, limited to overworked school counselors. Students dealing with mental health issues, including myself, felt utterly isolated. To address this issue, I conducted thorough research and led a group of peers to gather student data regarding mental health awareness and treatment options through surveys and discussions. Starting the campaign was not easy. I faced initial resistance from some students and faculty who were skeptical about the need for such an initiative and feared that what they said privately would be used against them. However, my determination to make a difference fueled my efforts as I was able to calm their nerves by offering different alternatives. I organized activities such as workshops, guest speaker events, and mental health fairs. Gathering data involved creating anonymous surveys to ensure students felt safe sharing their experiences. Our findings were published in the school newsletter, emphasizing the urgent need for improved resources and awareness. Leading this campaign profoundly affected me, boosting my confidence, and interpersonal, and leadership skills. It sparked my interest in psychology and reinforced my commitment to advocate for mental health through pediatric counseling. Through my educational efforts, I aspire to inspire others to understand that mental health is as important as physical health and that seeking help is a sign of strength, not weakness.

Imagine your mind betraying you for a day, making every thought a battle. Now, imagine living this reality every single day of your life. Growing up with anxiety and clinical depression in a low-income, predominantly African American community on the outskirts of Atlanta, Georgia, I often felt like an outsider in my own life. To hide this insecurity, I wore an invisible mask, to conceal what I was going through and for those around me to assume that I was normal. Conversations about mental health where I am from were frowned upon, as those who sought help were deemed weak. Even within my family, mental health struggles were concealed due to fear of labeling from those around us, especially with me already identifying as an African American woman. From a young age, I felt the weight of society's expectations and the stigma surrounding mental health. To cope, I immersed myself in studies and extracurricular activities, yet my internal struggle continued to progress. My family's attitude towards mental health, rooted in fear and misunderstanding, only reinforced my need to hide my struggles. My breaking point for change happened after a close friend of mine confided to me about their struggles with self-harm and how they felt helpless because no one would take her seriously. These instances helped shape my views on the youth mental health crisis happening so close to home and made me realize the urgent need for open conversations and support systems. In my senior year of high school, I decided to put my aspirations into practice. I finally found the confidence to initiate a campaign to promote mental health awareness in my school. Aside from my dear friend’s struggle, I noticed the absence of mental health resources, limited to overworked school counselors. Students dealing with mental health issues, including myself, felt utterly isolated. To address this issue, I conducted thorough research and led a group of peers to gather student data regarding mental health awareness and treatment options through surveys and discussions. Starting the campaign was not easy. I faced initial resistance from some students and faculty who were skeptical about the need for such an initiative and feared that what they said privately would be used against them. However, my determination to make a difference fueled my efforts as I was able to calm their nerves by offering different alternatives. I organized activities such as workshops, guest speaker events, and mental health fairs. Gathering data involved creating anonymous surveys to ensure students felt safe sharing their experiences. Our findings were published in the school newsletter, emphasizing the urgent need for improved resources and awareness. The school and community's reaction to the campaign was mixed initially, but gradually, more people began to support our cause. Feedback from peers and faculty was encouraging, with many never realizing just how much the lack of mental health awareness was impacting the community. Leading this campaign profoundly affected me, boosting my confidence, and interpersonal, and leadership skills. It sparked my interest in psychology and reinforced my commitment to advocate for mental health, empowering adolescents to overcome their mental health challenges.. My plans include pursuing a master's degree in counseling and working towards creating accessible mental health resources in minority communities. Mainly, I aim to provide healthier outlets for low-income youth to use as coping mechanisms such as organizations pushing graphic design, creative writing, STEM workshops, and the performing arts. Through my efforts, I aspire to inspire others to understand that mental health is as important as physical health and that seeking help is a sign of strength, not weakness.

I was raised in an African American household in Atlanta, Georgia, part of the working class. My father, a hardworking man, had to take on more than one job to make ends meet. My mother has always supported our family and instilled in me the value of education. Both of my parents push for me to focus on obtaining my education first instead of taking on the baggage that is attached to working full-time while being a full-time student. Despite their desire for me to focus primarily on my studies, the financial strain of college has become increasingly stressful for everyone involved. This stress is compounded by my father’s health condition. Over the past few years, he has been managing a diabetes diagnosis and the associated medication costs. I worry that his long working hours might exacerbate his condition. Growing up, I attended predominantly black schools in low-income areas. Early in high school, I began struggling with anxiety and clinical depression. Mental health resources were limited to school counselors, and there was a pervasive sense of isolation among students dealing with similar issues. Within the African American community, fear and stigma surrounding mental illness are significant, leaving many, including myself, feeling ostracized. These personal experiences motivated me to change how mental health is perceived and stigmatized in minority communities. I discovered that community involvement has been an important outlet for my motivation. Before college, I began to research community service activities and ways in which I could support the youth in my community who were either battling with their mental health or had inadequate mental healthcare information provided to them because of the area we lived in. From this research, I realized that there was a gap in mental health accessibility in low-income schools. Upon this realization, I led a group of peers to collect data from students attending my school about how mental health was handled. Afterward, this information was published in the school's newsletter and aided in the establishment of a mental health awareness week. This activity motivated me to pursue a career that helped others battling their mental health and also pushed me to channel my battle into a positive force. Looking to the future, I aspire to major in psychology and become an abnormal child psychologist. My goal is to sponsor clubs and organizations within the community that emphasize the importance of mental health, particularly in minority communities and public education systems. I have a ten-year plan to establish community organizations that support minority students in low-income areas, helping them with mental health and self-esteem issues through age-appropriate discussions and activities involving music, writing, and other arts.