“There is no shame in seeking help for your mental health.” This is a quote I’ve personally struggled with accepting for myself, as growing up in Kenya from the age of nine, mental health was always a hushed topic of conversation. My friends, family and I grew up with the common African mindset that, instead of discussing our hardships and mental health struggles amongst one another, we must remain silent and deal with our pain alone. Anyone who tried to reach out to a mental health professional was met with harsh judgement and often labelled as “weak” or “crazy.” As a result of growing up with this mindset, when I was first diagnosed with Major Depressive Disorder at the age of 12, naturally I did my best to downplay my struggles and hide it from the people I love. The last thing I wanted to do was to become a burden to my friends and family. Therefore, as though it was second nature, I faked a smile and happy attitude, even though on the inside I was struggling with constantly bottling up my feelings of constant sadness. From a larger perspective, many people in Kenya over the years, are experiencing an epidemic crisis of poor mental wellbeing due to stigma and lack of proper mental health resources. It’s hard seeing the young men and women in my country use alcohol and other drugs as a way to cope with stress and depression. It’s hard seeing families being unable to properly comfort one another through hardships. It’s hard watching the local Kenyan news to hear how yet another friend, child, parent, sibling to someone commit suicide due to feeling such unimaginable mental pain. Through observing my country experiencing mental health struggles, I always told myself that when I grew up, I needed to try to make a difference within my community from the mental health stigma it faces. In returning to the States to attend community college and major in psychology to transfer to a four-year university, it has been through my studies where I’ve had a deeper understanding of the importance of mental health in today’s society. Many people today are encountering many different struggles, whether it is experiencing a traumatic upbringing, stress from work, loneliness from the inability to make genuine connections, mental health disorders, among other circumstances. Everyone has their own individual battles they face on the daily that in return, can cause one’s mental wellbeing to decline. It is through my studies, when I always think back to my country, and how there are many Kenyans struggling today without proper professional help. This motivates me to work hard in my studies, so I can strive to give back to the country who has made me into who I am today. I choose to major in psychology to become a clinical psychologist and help serve individuals who are struggling mentally in the United States. In addition to this, one day I will return to Kenya as a clinical psychologist and provide better access to mental health resources and reach out to Kenyans who have experienced mental health stigma in their communities to help them understand that they do not need to suffer alone. I want to help break the misinformation upon the normalized stigma that those who struggle with mental health problems are “crazy,” “weak,” and “a burden to society.” By doing so, I hope to help both Americans and Kenyans shift to being more open to seeking support, speaking with one another more comfortably about their struggles, and improving their mental health as a whole.