
Ethnicity
Black/African
Religion
Christian
Church
Presbyterian
Hobbies and interests
Ceramics And Pottery
Sports
Reading
Babysitting And Childcare
Counseling And Therapy
Cooking
Spanish
Soccer
Psychology
English
Swahili
Spending Time With Friends and Family
Violin
Running
Child Development
Mental Health
Clinical Psychology
Boxing
Community Service And Volunteering
Volleyball
Church
Imani Kinyanjui
2,855
Bold Points3x
Nominee2x
Finalist2x
Winner
Imani Kinyanjui
2,855
Bold Points3x
Nominee2x
Finalist2x
WinnerBio
Hello! My name is Imani and I am currently attending the University of Illinois-Urbana Champaign as a psychology major in order to become a clinical psychologist in the future.
My passion in psychology strongly revolves around helping others who struggle with their mental health. Growing up, I've seen many individuals around me struggle with experiencing mental health stigma within their family/friend groups, causing them to hesitate or refuse in reaching out to receive the proper mental health support and resources they need, and instead suffer through their pain alone. This has resulted in myself wanting to help combat the mental health stigma and help people, whether it is just one person or even a community, understand that they are not alone in their mental health struggles, and should not feel ashamed or fearful to seek professional help.
In addition to this, I also moved from the United States to East Africa (Kenya) from the age of nine up until graduating my high school in Nairobi at the age of eighteen. After studying, gaining professional experience, and helping people with their mental struggles in the United States as a clinical psychologist, I would like one day to return to Kenya to provide better mental health resources to the country and culture that has tremendously shaped me into the person I am today.
Education
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Bachelor's degree programMajors:
- Psychology, General
Minors:
- Public Health
College of Lake County
Associate's degree programMajors:
- Psychology, General
Miscellaneous
Desired degree level:
Doctoral degree program (PhD, MD, JD, etc.)
Graduate schools of interest:
Transfer schools of interest:
Majors of interest:
- Clinical, Counseling and Applied Psychology
Career
Dream career field:
Mental Health Care
Dream career goals:
Clinical Psychologist
Illini Transfer Ambassador: Social Media and Outreach Teammate
UIUC New Student and Family Experience Office2025 – Present10 monthsWaitress
Jolly Rogers Restaurant and Theme Park (Kenya)2017 – 20203 years
Sports
Soccer
Varsity2018 – 20224 years
Awards
- Awarded "Most Improved Player"
- Won 1st place at the ICSA East African Tournament in Uganda
- Soccer Captain Senior Year of High School
- Team won second place in the KAISSO tournament in 2020
- Team won third place in the KAISSO tournament in 2022
Basketball
Varsity2019 – 20223 years
Awards
- Team won second place at the KAISSO tournament in 2019
Volleyball
Varsity2021 – 20221 year
Arts
Choir
Music2017 – 2019Pottery
Ceramics2021 – 2022Orchestra (Violin Player)
Music2013 – 2019
Public services
Volunteering
Solidarity Gardens — Helping to grow food and pick weeds in order to help the local Urbana community have free and fresh produce to eat.2025 – 2025Volunteering
Heshima Children's Center. — Interacting with the children/helping them during their classtime.2016 – 2022Volunteering
Tania School/Rehabilitation Center. — Helping sweep the floors/interacting with the children.2016 – 2022
Future Interests
Advocacy
Volunteering
Philanthropy
Fishers of Men-tal Health Scholarship
“Other people have it worse.”
“Stop being selfish.”
“Mental health isn’t a real thing.”
“What are you even depressed about?”
These are the weighty comments that people with mental health struggles often hear at least once in their life from others in response to simply speaking up about their pain. From a personal standpoint, I’ve heard these comments all too well being unfairly uttered to my loved ones and myself growing up. Growing up in Nairobi, 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. If one did speak up about their internal anguish, they were told they were “weak,” or “crazy.” As a result, 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, even though on the inside I struggled with constantly bottling up my feelings of sadness and hopelessness.
However, there was one person who always saw right through my mask: my grandmother. Growing up, my grandmother was someone who always showed me that my faith in Christ and vulnerability with my mental health could coexist. My grandmother was someone who, first and foremost, loved Christ with all her heart. She taught me how to pray every morning and night, and comforted me in moments I struggled greatly with my depression. It was through her unwavering love where she guided me towards giving my life to Christ and building a closer relationship with Him over the years. Additionally, she never judged my mental health struggles and instead comforted me saying that I never had to carry my burdens alone. She always reminded me that, “Imani, my granddaughter, give it unto Christ. He heals the brokenhearted and those crushed in spirit.” Those words, rooted from Psalm 34:18, was my light in the moments where life felt so dim. In moments I felt too weak, untalented, or worthless in my journey of life, I would pray. And as a result, God gave me the strength to keep going.
My grandmother’s trust in Christ was the inspiration for me to learn how to lean on Him throughout the storms life would bring. It is through both God’s grace and my grandmother’s guidance, where I was able to find my passion in working hard to one day become a clinical psychologist and make a difference within my community from the mental health stigma it faces. 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.
In returning to the States to attend community college to save money and work hard to transfer into the University of Illinois of Urbana-Champaign, where I currently major in psychology, 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.
In August of 2025, my grandmother passed away and was called home to be with God. Her passing has brought deep grief, but also intensified my passion for my future. Even with her physically being no longer here, I constantly feel her presence through remembering the lessons she has taught me over the years in terms of surrendering every hardship to God. Now, through every doubt, tear, and late nights of studying, I always return to her comforting words from Psalm 34:18. In my future journey of striving to get my bachelors, masters, and PhD in order to become a clinical psychologist, I will adapt the lessons my grandmother has taught me into helping others get the proper professional support alongside being there for those who have experienced mental health stigma. My prayer is that one day, through helping others with their mental health struggles, I will show my service through God’s will and be able to make my grandmother proud in heaven. Overall, my experience with mental health has shaped my beliefs, relationships, and my overall purpose in life greatly. My struggles with depression and mental health stigma have helped me understand that mental health struggles can coexist with faith. Additionally, through God’s love and guidance, one can transform their pain into helping others going through similar trials.