My name is Deja Sandy, and I recently graduated from Stony Brook University with a Bachelor of Science in Psychology, with concentrations in Chemistry and Biology. As a first-generation college graduate from Freeport, NY, my educational journey has been marked by determination, resilience, and a deep commitment to making a positive impact on my community. Throughout my academic and professional career, I have consistently sought opportunities to grow, learn, and contribute to the well-being of others. My interest in psychology stems from a desire to understand human behavior and improve mental health outcomes, particularly for marginalized communities. My academic journey at Stony Brook was rigorous, but I thrived in the challenging environment, achieving a solid GPA while balancing various responsibilities, including work, volunteering, and extracurricular activities. My experience as a Resident Assistant allowed me to support my peers academically and emotionally, fostering a strong sense of community within the residence halls. This role deepened my understanding of the importance of mental health support, which has shaped my career aspirations. Currently, I am working as a Child Protective Specialist with the Administration for Children's Services (ACS), where I conduct investigations, manage complex cases, and collaborate with stakeholders to ensure the safety and well-being of children in vulnerable situations. This role has solidified my commitment to advocating for those who cannot advocate for themselves and has fueled my desire to continue working in roles that promote social justice and equity. In addition to my work at ACS, I have also been actively involved in my community. As a Crisis Counselor at the Long Island Crisis Center, I provided mental health support to individuals in crisis, demonstrating my strong communication and empathy skills. I have also been a part of various student organizations, including the Cadence Step Team, the Caribbean Student Organization, and the Peer Helper program, where I advocated for mental health awareness and support among students. My career aspirations include advancing into leadership roles where I can continue to drive positive change within my community and beyond. Specifically, I aim to work in positions that allow me to shape policies and practices that promote mental health, social justice, and equity. I am particularly interested in roles that involve leading teams, managing programs, and advocating for systemic change. Receiving this scholarship would greatly alleviate the financial burden of my student loans, allowing me to focus more on my career and community involvement. The money I save by paying down my student loans would enable me to invest in my professional development, such as pursuing certifications or further education in social work or public policy. Additionally, it would give me the financial flexibility to volunteer more of my time to community organizations, furthering my impact on those in need. In conclusion, my educational pursuits, career aspirations, and community involvement are all deeply interconnected, driven by a desire to make a meaningful difference in the lives of others. This scholarship would not only support my financial well-being but also empower me to continue my journey of learning, growing, and contributing to society. Thank you for considering my application and for your commitment to supporting students like me in achieving our goals.

My name is Deja Sandy, and I recently graduated from Stony Brook University with a Bachelor of Science in Psychology, with concentrations in Chemistry and Biology. As a first-generation college graduate from Freeport, NY, my educational journey has been marked by determination, resilience, and a deep commitment to making a positive impact on my community. Throughout my academic and professional career, I have consistently sought opportunities to grow, learn, and contribute to the well-being of others. My interest in psychology stems from a desire to understand human behavior and improve mental health outcomes, particularly for marginalized communities. My academic journey at Stony Brook was rigorous, but I thrived in the challenging environment, achieving a solid GPA while balancing various responsibilities, including work, volunteering, and extracurricular activities. My experience as a Resident Assistant allowed me to support my peers academically and emotionally, fostering a strong sense of community within the residence halls. This role deepened my understanding of the importance of mental health support, which has shaped my career aspirations. Currently, I am working as a Child Protective Specialist with the Administration for Children's Services (ACS), where I conduct investigations, manage complex cases, and collaborate with stakeholders to ensure the safety and well-being of children in vulnerable situations. This role has solidified my commitment to advocating for those who cannot advocate for themselves and has fueled my desire to continue working in roles that promote social justice and equity. In addition to my work at ACS, I have also been actively involved in my community. As a Crisis Counselor at the Long Island Crisis Center, I provided mental health support to individuals in crisis, demonstrating my strong communication and empathy skills. I have also been a part of various student organizations, including the Cadence Step Team, the Caribbean Student Organization, and the Peer Helper program, where I advocated for mental health awareness and support among students. My career aspirations include advancing into leadership roles where I can continue to drive positive change within my community and beyond. Specifically, I aim to work in positions that allow me to shape policies and practices that promote mental health, social justice, and equity. I am particularly interested in roles that involve leading teams, managing programs, and advocating for systemic change. Receiving this scholarship would greatly alleviate the financial burden of my student loans, allowing me to focus more on my career and community involvement. The money I save by paying down my student loans would enable me to invest in my professional development, such as pursuing certifications or further education in social work or public policy. Additionally, it would give me the financial flexibility to volunteer more of my time to community organizations, furthering my impact on those in need. In conclusion, my educational pursuits, career aspirations, and community involvement are all deeply interconnected, driven by a desire to make a meaningful difference in the lives of others. This scholarship would not only support my financial well-being but also empower me to continue my journey of learning, growing, and contributing to society. Thank you for considering my application and for your commitment to supporting students like me in achieving our goals.

Being a Trini Native is essential to my personality and how I show up in the world. All my formative years were spent in Trinidad with the occasional trip to Tobago for July-August vacation and Easter. I spent my entire childhood chasing the American Dream only to find appreciation for my beautiful twin isle in Form 6. Doing subjects such as Communication Studies and Caribbean Studies solidified my culture and branded my love for my country onto my heart. I vividly remember the warmth of my elders as they passed on knowledge about spirituality and natural healing remedies. I also remember how expansive our community was. The hospitality is truly unmatched. You could never leave a Caribbean person’s house less enriched than when you first walked in. Whether it be financially, spiritually or physically with a little drink or food. I am so proud of my culture now and how we've managed to take colonialism and transform it into our distinct representation of what it means to be from the Caribbean. I wear my nationality as a badge of honour with a gold chain of my country around my neck and a tattoo on my abdomen. I recently migrated in 2019 to attend university. As a child, I was always carefree, free-spirited and lively. I would always be told by my various teachers to settle down, chill out or relax. I would always be told that I need to calm down. As a child, I was exposed to various things and was always told “Yeah you can't let this one hear nothing cuz she mouth does run like water!” I was the definition of see something say something. However, as I got older I quickly learned that some topics were off limits. One topic in particular that truly baffled me was mental illness. I never got why we would always dismiss clear signs of mental illness as someone being lazy or crazy or having bad vibes. For the past few years since 2018, I've been doing my own research and attending lectures at Stony Brook University that helped me to better understand mental illnesses and the effects it has on patients. In the Caribbean, we tend to ignore things unless we can physically see them so mental illnesses are often ignored. And due to them being ignored a lot of people suffer in silence. I want mental illness to be taken seriously and treated as a real illness. I want the Caribbean to start treating it with the same importance as physical illnesses. I want to help destigmatize mental illness and allow it to no longer be a taboo topic. People need help and the only way they will get it is if we open up and talk plainly about it. After I get my BA I plan on furthering my studies to get my MD and hopefully one day a doctorate. Then, I would be able to open my own psychiatry office back home where I can treat people with mental illnesses. This is the most feasible path in order to obtain my goals and contribute meaningfully to society. I am currently trying to incorporate more activities such as research opportunities and internships into my resume so I can become a more competitive candidate when I plan to go to medical school after my gap year. I am also currently studying for the MCAT and taking online classes so that I can write the exam at the end of 2022.

1. I deserve it because I need the money and I'm black so this would be the first step in the direction of reparations. 2. My career and life goals are nourishment and enjoyment. I have no desire to work or contribute meaningfully to society. I just wanna live my best life and not be bothered with anything else. 3. Respectfully, I'm not tryna relive my trauma right now. Are you gonna give me this money or what?

Ever since I was a child I would always run to movies as a form of escapism. When life got hard in the real world I would put on a movie and immediately be transported to an alternate reality. It was only up until around the age of 14 that I discovered psychological thrillers. And to my surprise, this very much resembled real life, but to my delight, I was intrigued. That's when I discovered mental illness and began doing my research and exploring. Through the lens of movies like Donnie Darko, Girl Interrupted, Silver Linings Playbook and Perks of Being a Wallflower, I began to look at humanity from a different perspective. I developed more empathy for humans in general. I began to realise how prevalent mental illnesses are in everyday life and that's when I decided I wanted to become a psychiatrist. I began researching various illnesses such as depression, anxiety and schizophrenia and how easily it is to go undiagnosed because a lot of times people pass it off as just being sad or extra cautious. As a society we do not place emphasis on illness we can't readily see and I am on a mission to change that. We need to start taking mental health seriously because it is just as important if not more important than physical ails. And I believe that if I advocate for more mental health awareness the world would be much more bearable.

The Pandemic of a Lifetime Description: Picture this... Coming to college as a first-generation immigrant student then you get sent home because freshman year was the start of a global pandemic... and it's still happening 2 years later. How would you survive? 1. I Know There's Gonna Be (Good Times)- Jamie xx 2. Somebody Great- Zerimar 3. Pain- pinkpantheress 4. Up all night- Drake ft Nicki Minaj 5. Lockdown- Koffee 6. Baby Girl- Chloexhalle 7. Jireh- Elevation Worship and Maverick City By: THE BLUEPRINT