If you had told me ten years ago that mental health was a subject to be taken seriously, I likely would have disagreed. Growing up in the vibrant, relentless energy of Lagos, Nigeria, the “hustle” is the only pace we know. In an environment where everyone is working hard to survive a declining economy with rising inflation, survival always comes first over self-reflection. In my community, the unspoken rule was simple: if you do not acknowledge a problem, it eventually ceases to exist. We treated this mindset like a shield, convinced that worrying about one’s mental well-being was a luxury we couldn’t afford. My perspective began to shift when I moved to the United States to pursue my education. Though I originally set out to study biology, my natural curiosity about human behavior led me toward psychology. It was during this transition of navigating a new country without the immediate safety net of my family that my armor began to crack. I dealt with a lot of isolation and overthinking, and for a while, I lost the drive to do much of anything. It was hard to ask for help, even within the Nigerian community at my school, because I worried that no one would understand, or that the culture here was too individualistic to provide the support I was used to back home. This period of personal struggle was compounded by a devastating loss back home. My only maternal uncle, who had battled mental illness for most of his life and lived with my parents and me, went missing. To this day, we don't know the full circumstances of his decision, whether it was intentional and conscious or not, but the shock of it rippled through my family. I carried a heavy weight of guilt, wondering if my physical presence could have provided the support he, my mom, and family needed. However, that tragedy became a turning point. My family took a vow to be there for one another, and I realized that toughing it out on your own is a dangerous myth. Whether in the collective culture of Nigeria or the individualistic society of the West, we cannot heal in isolation. Like Greg London, who excelled in Chemistry and Biology at the University of New Mexico while facing his own mental health challenges, I have learned that academic ambition and personal struggle are not mutually exclusive. Greg’s life was defined by compassion and kindness, qualities that are desperately needed in the clinical world. My own experience has taught me that the stigma I experienced in Lagos is a global challenge, but it is one that can be cleared through culturally informed care. As such, my career aspiration is to become a clinical and cultural neuropsychologist. I want to bridge the gap between rigorous scientific practice and the diverse cultural backgrounds of patients. For many in my community, traditional Western therapy feels foreign. I believe that by merging a patient’s social and cultural identity into their treatment, we can make seeking help feel familiar rather than frightening. Receiving the Greg London Memorial Scholarship would mean so much as I continue my studies at UNM. It is an honor to follow in the footsteps of a fellow Lobo who believed in making the world a better place through kindness. I want to use my career to make sure that the “hustle” never has to mean suffering in silence.

Coming into college, I kept my focus on two things other than my studies; applying for as many scholarships as I could, and learning a skill that will yield passive income. Fortunately, in my first year, I met someone that was into investing in crypto and trading the foreign exchange market. She then introduced me to a platform that included like-minded people that have mastered the skill, and are willing to teach beginners to the best of their abilities. During training, one investment tip that stuck out to me was staying consistent and patient. Investing is not gambling. You have to give yourself time to learn the skill if you actually want it to work for you. Just because you found an investor on youtube that saw positive results after 5 months, does not mean yours will come as quick. Take your time, study the moves of the market, do this consistently, and with time, the level of wins will outweigh the level of losses. Food for thought, view losses as lessons. You learn with every lesson you take and therefore better yourself in the skill.

The brain is the most complex organ of the human body. Different parts of the brain control several things like decision making, emotions, reflexes and so on. I have always been fascinated with how the brain functions so, I decided to pursue a Bachelor of Science in Psychology with an emphasis on Biopsychology and Behavioral Psychology. I am a sophomore at New Mexico Highlands University where I expect to broaden my knowledge in this area of study. My name is Freshness Uzo-Hez, I am an international student from Nigeria studying in the U.S. for the first time, and back home, psychology is not a field of study taken seriously. Mostly because when we hear psychology, we hear therapy, mind control, hypnosis, and our crazy superstitions kick in telling us that it is best to stay clear. I tried to but I could not adapt to this mentality because of a dyslexic classmate I had in high school – for his privacy, I will refer to him as Peter. Peter was the eldest in class, as he was made to repeat the same class due to his disorder. It was apparent to everyone that he had a learning disorder, but I was more concerned about what caused it and measures that could be taken to manage it. He was always present in school but was hardly ever learning, it irked me that nobody was doing anything to help him learn better and that birthed the drive to find a way to help. In Nigeria, there is nothing put in place to help students who learn differently, and that needs to change. Arriving here in the United States and experiencing a year of a different education system has helped me realize that. Diving into my life, growing up in Nigeria was not the best. To be honest, it was when I arrived in the United States, I realized that most of the training methods used at home and in school on children are not right and should probably even be banned because they crucially affect behaviour. For example, public high schools in Nigeria cane their students mercilessly in the name of “discipline”. I attended a private school but even with the rule of no caning students, it was still involved. Funny thing is that parents are aware of what goes on but fully depend on the proverb, “Spare the rod and spoil the child”, that they leave the disciplining to officials in school. I have had my share of “discipline” and realized that this affects a child’s behaviour in the long run. This system is not suitable for anyone especially persons with developmental disabilities which is why I fully support the principles of the Positive Behavior Supports Corp. (PBS). I am certain that implementing the principles of PBS will improve the quality of life of individuals with and without developmental disabilities. A goal of mine is to be able to reach rural areas in Nigeria to create awareness and opportunities for people like Peter. I am excited to move forward with this career path and the Dr Meme Heineman Scholarship will go a long way in helping me focus solely on my passion without having to worry about how to pay for college.

Two years ago my dad was diagnosed with appendicitis and had to undergo surgery, I also lost an uncle and an aunt, all in the space of 2 years. I thought I would never witness genuine happiness until the news of my acceptance into a U.S. university came in. This was much needed good news not only for me but for my family and it gave us the reassurance that it will only get better from here.

The brain is the most complex organ of the human body. Different parts of the brain control several things like decision making, emotions, reflexes and so on. I have always been fascinated with how the brain functions so, I decided to pursue a Bachelor of Science in Psychology with an emphasis on Biopsychology and Behavioral Psychology. I am approaching my second year at New Mexico Highlands University where I expect to broaden my knowledge on this area of study. My name is Freshness Uzo-Hez, I am an international student from Nigeria studying in the U.S. for the first time. Before applying to this scholarship, I was hesitant because I felt Psychology was not a good enough STEM major and back home, it is not a field of study taken seriously. Mostly because when we hear psychology, we hear therapy, mind control, hypnosis, and our crazy superstitions kick in telling us that it is best to stay clear. I tried to but I could not adapt to this mentality because of a dyslexic classmate I had in high school – for his privacy, I will refer to him as Peter. Peter was the eldest in class, as he was made to repeat the same class due to his disorder. It was apparent to everyone that he had a learning disorder, but I was more concerned about what caused it and measures that could be taken to manage it. He was always present in school but was hardly ever learning, it irked me that nobody was doing anything to help him learn better and that birthed the drive to find a way to help. In Nigeria, there is nothing put in place to help students who learn differently, and that needs to change. Arriving here in the United States and experiencing a year of a totally different education system has helped me realize that. My focus is to understand how brain injuries or diseases impact human behaviour and also find remedies that can be applied to better the situation. I also want to be able to reach rural areas in Nigeria to create awareness and opportunities for people like Peter. Throughout high school, my favourite subject was Mathematics and I always thought to major in it in college, but I guess you could say life had other plans. I am excited to move forward with this career path and this scholarship will go a long way in helping me focus solely on my passion without having to worry about how to pay for college.