When I battled with my mental health as an adolescent, I often felt alone and as though something within me was broken and was beyond repair. It was not easy to get my parents' support. It took my school counselor bringing my deteriorating mental health to my parents' attention before I finally felt seen. Mental health, especially in Latinx/Hispanic communities, is incredibly stigmatized and underrepresented. Our communities view mental health as taboo, and those who seek support for their challenges are seen as "weak" or "crazy." This stigmatization, coupled with the fact that less than 15% of social workers identify as Latin/Hispanic, furthers the divide between our communities and the life-changing support they need. My unique insight as a Latinx woman and a Mexican immigrant gives me an understanding and perception of their world that can be utilized to advocate and serve these communities best, who fear that no one will truly see them. My passion for this community is greatly inspired by my work with adolescents. Adolescence is the most confusing age for learning how to form our identities and balance the various challenges that come with those identities. For this reason, I have dedicated my career to helping young people during this critical stage in their development. I work in the mental health field with adolescents and their families, particularly those with Latinx/Hispanic backgrounds, to help bridge the gap in our mental health system and provide these families with support in understanding mental health and healing from their challenges. I facilitate a behavior intervention program for youth referred to us due to expulsion, suspension, and emotional/behavioral dysregulation in their schools. The program is based out of an alternative high school in a predominantly Latinx area. In this program, I teach students how to regulate their emotions, understand their intersecting identities, and navigate their social environment. Working in an area with a high population of Latinx/Hispanic students, I often find myself supporting students and their struggling families as they seek to understand their growing challenges in a society not built for them to succeed. I frequently find myself translating for families and school faculty at meetings, writing and translating reports, referring families to resources/services, and offering other faculty information and tips on how they can be more culturally inclusive. In my community alone, we have seen an increasing need for Spanish-speaking and culturally competent professionals to support families and individuals, especially those new to our country. Yet we find ourselves overwhelmed in an already overburdened system. I wish to help be a part of the change our society needs to help these people thrive. To help achieve this goal, I continue to further my education and skills to benefit communities like mine and people like me who require support but are unaware of how to receive it. My growing knowledge, insight, and passion will aid in bridging the gap between mental health care and marginalized communities to create a brighter future for our diverse youth.

When I battled with my mental health as an adolescent, I often felt alone and as though something within me was broken and was beyond repair. It was not easy to get my parents' support. It took my school counselor bringing my deteriorating mental health to my parents' attention before I finally felt seen. Mental health, especially in Latinx/Hispanic communities, is incredibly stigmatized and underrepresented. Our communities view mental health as taboo, and those who seek support for their challenges are seen as "weak" or "crazy." This stigmatization, coupled with the fact that less than 15% of social workers identify as Latin/Hispanic, furthers the divide between our communities and the life-changing support they need. My unique insight as a Latinx woman and a Mexican immigrant gives me an understanding and perception of their world that can be utilized to advocate and serve these communities best, who fear that no one will truly see them. My passion for this community is greatly inspired by my work with adolescents. Adolescence is the most confusing age for learning how to form our identities and balance the various challenges that come with those identities. For this reason, I have dedicated my career to helping young people during this critical stage in their development. I work in the mental health field with adolescents and their families, particularly those with Latinx/Hispanic backgrounds, to help bridge the gap in our mental health system and provide these families with support in understanding mental health and healing from their challenges. I facilitate a behavior intervention program for youth referred to us due to expulsion, suspension, and emotional/behavioral dysregulation in their schools. The program is based out of an alternative high school in a predominantly Latinx area. In this program, I teach students how to regulate their emotions, understand their intersecting identities, and navigate their social environment. Working in an area with a high population of Latinx/Hispanic students, I often find myself supporting students and their struggling families as they seek to understand their growing challenges in a society not built for them to succeed. I frequently find myself translating for families and school faculty at meetings, writing and translating reports, referring families to resources/services, and offering other faculty information and tips on how they can be more culturally inclusive. In my community alone, we have seen an increasing need for Spanish-speaking and culturally competent professionals to support families and individuals, especially those new to our country. Yet we find ourselves overwhelmed in an already overburdened system. I wish to help be a part of the change our society needs to help these people thrive. To help achieve this goal, I continue to further my education and skills to benefit communities like mine and people like me who require support but are unaware of how to receive it. My growing knowledge, insight, and passion will aid in bridging the gap between mental health care and marginalized communities to create a brighter future for our diverse youth.

"Ms. Dulce, after class today, can we talk to you for a little bit?" When I was asked this question by one of my young female students, I wasn't prepared for my perception of the world to change so drastically. I was wrapping up a cultural art program called Youth for Unity that I ran in high school, where I taught kids ages 6-12 about art worldwide. I had a fantastic group who came weekly to understand more about culture and practice various art forms from various countries. This group included three sisters who never missed an opportunity to learn. In the Boys and Girls Club where I ran this program, these girls and their brother were known as "the bad kids" and would frequently be found in time-out and received multiple suspensions for their "inappropriate" behavior. However, they were always well-behaved in my group and never acted out. They loved participating and often stayed after to help me clean up. The routine stayed the same on the day the oldest sister asked to speak with me. What changed was how I viewed these siblings and every "bad kid" I have encountered for the rest of my life. When I finally sat down with the sisters, they told me about their past. These young girls, who ranged from 6-10 years old, spilled out their hearts to me and shared with me the horrendous abuse all the siblings had been subjected to at the hands of their father. The things these children experienced often resulted in them being rebellious and suffering from uncontrolled rage in their everyday lives. No wonder they couldn't function properly in their schools and community when they had all this unhealed trauma bearing down on them. It was then that my calling was made clear to me. So many young people suffer in silence and need someone to hear them and show them how to use their voices. That moment started my pursuit of a career in mental health. I currently work in a behavioral intervention program where I teach social-emotional learning lessons to middle school youth who have been suspended/expelled. Including my own childhood experience, I know this world is full of young people who are hurting but do not know how to heal. I have made it my life's mission to work with these youth to show them they can heal from their pasts and redefine themselves. As a kid who was misunderstood and had the support of an adult who looked past their deficiencies to the scared child underneath, I know the importance of having unconditional support in our healing journeys. As I continue a master's degree in social work, I hope to use my knowledge and experience to serve these misjudged youth and aid them as they overcome their barriers to becoming the amazing people they know they can be.

TThe study of the mind and how it pertains to mental health has been a great interest of mine since I first became aware of its challenges in middle school. From witnessing the struggles of those around me or experiencing them myself I knew that learning how to improve mental health was something I wanted to do. I graduated from Colorado State University with a bachelor's in clinical and counseling psychology in 2021, my goal for this degree was to gain enough knowledge in counseling to one day be able to practice therapy with youth. I am now pursuing a master's degree in social work in hopes of one day becoming a licensed clinical social worker so I can achieve my goal of being a child/adolescent therapist. I am on my way toward that goal not only from an educational standpoint but in my career as well. I currently am employed at the Boys and Girls Clubs of Metro Denver where I work as a mental health professional. In this role, I utilize the skills I have learned about mental health to support youth and their families. During the school year, I co-facilitate a program called RENEW which is partnered with Westminster Public Schools to help support middle school youth who have been suspended, expelled, or referred to us due to behavioral issues. In RENEW we work with the youth for 3 weeks to teach them social-emotional learning lessons to help them develop skills that will help them be successful when they return to their schools. These lessons consist of learning topics such as conflict resolution, coping skills, emotional regulation, and many more topics that are necessary to improving these youths' mental health. As mental health professionals we complete other tasks that are aimed at improving youths' mental health such as doing daily check-ins, developing success plans, partnering with families and schools, and connecting with the community to reach as many people in need of support as we can. While this organization has improved in many ways over the years to improve the lives of the youth they serve I would like to use my studies and experience to further their reach and impact on these young people's lives. While I may only be one person, I know my efforts will be beneficial in helping support many more youth in the years to come.

Mental health as we know it in the Latinx community has been commonly seen as a taboo. To be mentally unwell is to be abnormal and to have your community turn a blind eye to your suffering. The prejudice that comes with this stigma is often what leads many individuals in this community to hide their problems. We now know this is very unhealthy and can contribute to worsened mental and physical well-being. This is a reality I was confronted with when I began to struggle with my mental health. In my teens, I remember my mother being called by my school counselor to report their suspicions about my deteriorating mental well-being. In my mother’s defense, she did the best she could for me. She took me to professionals and was even willing to let me try therapy. Even while doing this however, she would talk to me about ways that I was being dramatic or needed to just “poner me a limpiar”, as if cleaning would help with my growing mental health problems. The biggest obstacle came when I advised my mom that I wanted to begin taking medication to help with my “illness”. At that time, I was old enough in the state of Colorado to make health decisions for myself, but I still wanted my mother’s approval. It took nearly a week of convincing to have her finally cave and let me try this method. Now, nearly a decade later, I am working on my master’s degree in social work in hopes of becoming a Licensed Clinical Social Worker so I can help youth who are battling with their mental health find support as I did. I can say that without the support of mental health professionals and my family, I would not have even dreamed of still being here. Since that experience, I developed a passion for mental health, particularly in the young Latinx population. I currently work as a Mental Health Professional for the Boys and Girls Clubs of Metro Denver, where I work with youth to teach them social-emotional lessons along with their families and the community to support the youth as they work to better their mental well-being. Yet, I feel as if it is not enough. I want to further my knowledge and education when it comes to mental health and working with minority populations to help spread awareness and offer support/services for the youth and families who are fighting similar battles. As a fluent Spanish speaker and a first-generation immigrant, I know the importance of Latinx parents and young people having someone who can understand their background and be the one to help guide them through their journey of healing. While the mental health profession is expanding and growing every year, the professionals who are in this field do not often look like us. Roughly 25% of the mental health professionals available in this country are people of color. With the increasing number of diverse youths in need of counselors and therapists who can understand their situation, there are simply not enough mental health professionals to meet this need. While I may not be the solution to the bigger problem, I know I can offer a unique insight and understanding of this field that can make a difference in the lives of those in my community. I hope to receive my degree and apply the knowledge I gained to offer affordable mental health services to Latinx youth and their families. By doing so, I can be a part of the much-needed change our community needs to begin to heal.

My love of reading dates far back. I would always be found in the library or tucked away a corner, book in hand at all social events. I have read many books in my lifetime and hope to read many more. Of all the books I have read that have left a strong impact, Parable of the Sower by Octavia E. Butler has resonated with me the most. This book is incredible not only because of its themes but also because of the message the book portrays. I have always been a fan of dystopian genres as they often reveal the darker aspects of our humanity we suppress too often. Parable of the Sower written in 1993 takes place in the year 2024. While this country is not aflame and cities are not in ruin I believe the dystopian themes of this novel can relate to current issues in our world and society. Having been born in a country whose people flee to the United States to escape poverty, hunger, and violence I can resonate with the characters of this novel who attempt to migrate to Canada in hopes of finding stable jobs and escape the violence that has taken so many lives. My family made the dangerous and treacherous journey north after facing voice and death to create a better life. Other issues tackled in this novel include religion and empathy. This book was the first time I was ever exposed to the idea of empaths. When I first read this book, I had never heard the term before and was shocked to see how it perfectly explained why I felt pain so deeply when witnessing the pain of others. Unlike the main character, I do not bleed or crumble from the physical pain of others. However, watching other living beings suffer evokes a tangible pain in my soul. A pain so intense that it often brings me to tears and has negatively affected my well-being. To watch others be in pain is to be in pain myself. Empathy is a powerful human experience, not only is it powerful but I truly believe empathy is synonymous with humanity. For these reasons and many more that are not able to fit within the word count I have fallen in love with this book. I hope to share this story with many others and in turn share my love of reading.

Minecraft has been my comfort game since I began playing back in 2011. I remember my peers showing me this game for the first time in middle school. After only a couple of minutes of playing, I was hooked. Even to this day, I have invested countless hours in general gameplay, strategic skills, and personal enjoyment. I am now 24 years old, and I have learned to share my love of Minecraft with everyone around me. My partner plays alongside me on occasion as I give him tips and walk through the process with him. I also enjoy playing with my little sister whenever she visits. We have a joint world where we can build matching pink and purple homes together. We bond closely through creating and exploring Minecraft. My favorite aspect of the game has always been the survival mode. There is no feeling like the one you get when you spawn in a random location and must start collecting items to survive the night. My favorite part of this mode is getting to build the base. I’m always looking for the perfect location to build my home and collect materials along the way. I would sometimes spend days (Minecraft days) scouring the map for the perfect spot to build my base. From there, I let my creativity run wild by building homes and structures to my heart’s content. From constructing the home to additions such as gardens, farms, stables, sheds, cellars, and even secret rooms, I truly make the space my own. I strive to consistently improve my Minecraft home that sometimes it would overshadow the larger objectives of the game. I have yet to attempt to complete the game as it is the intended goal. Once I get far enough in the game where the main objective becomes leveling up armor and weapons for boss battles, I tend to lose interest. I am guilty of quitting the world I was working on and starting a whole new one to go through the motions again. One day, I would like to defeat the ender dragon and finish the game, but the lure of homesteading is too much at times and I get lost in my own world of enjoyment. My goal in life is to be able to apply these skills to my way of living. Search for the perfect location that has everything I could ever need and begin building my dream home. I believe that by doing this in the game, I am preparing myself for my real-life adventure. However, unlike Minecraft, this home will become my permanent homestead where there will be no respawning from this adventure. The ability to create anything that you can dream up has always been a gift that Minecraft has provided the gaming world. This aspect of Minecraft resonates deeply with me and has for many years now. I hope to continue to use this creative gift and apply what I’ve learned to my own life and create something I can one day call home.