As a child many of my peers were either suicidal or approaching it, myself included. We were all experiencing struggles with no outlet or trusted adult, and it took a toll on our mental health and stability. As I grew up and contemplated what I wanted to do with my life, I always returned to being a therapist. Listening to others, finding resources, etc. has been something I have been doing throughout the entirety of my life. I studied Psychology and English in university to better myself as a counselor and community leader. I know that I was meant to be a helping professional, which is what I am determined to be. With my upbringing in mind, my future has been a consistent thought. For most of my childhood, furthering my education was a dream instead of a reality. It was not until I attended my local Boys & Girls Club that post-secondary education was an option. There I made a plan and tried my hardest to stick to it. I planned to attend university, get my master's degree, and work in an institution serving marginalized individuals within the DMV area. My plan has not gone as smoothly as I had hoped, with financial struggles and the death of a dear friend, but the plan is continuous nonetheless. The beneficial, and even the adverse, experiences that I have endured have set me up to be as open of a counselor as I could be. Outside of personal therapeutic experiences, much of my experience within the mental health field has been community organizing, resource sharing, and simply lending a listening ear. With my future goal being to work in a clinic that serves marginalized populations, I have put forth a great effort to enhance my abilities to be of service both formally as well as informally. While I do understand and also believe that it is important to have official assistance when it comes to mental health to get what one may need, I believe that informal assistance, such as communal work, friend groups, clubs, etc., is just as important. We do not all live in the professional sphere twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week. Not everyone is comfortable, or even equipped, to handle the standards of "professionalism" that many live by today. People are diverse, and it is important to remember that. A goal of mine with going into this work is to break down the current system of mental health care and rebuild it with these principles in mind. Speaking from not only the personal experience of inadequate mental health care and resources but also from the social research perspective, what mental health is today leaves little to no room for diversity. I plan to not only change that but also be the change I wish to see.

Growing up my family was in an awkward space financially. My parents made just enough to not qualify for many government assistance programs, but not enough to sustain themselves or their families. While living in a low-income household throughout my childhood, one thing became increasingly clear. While institutions may not care about what happens to you, your community will. As someone who has been used to hearing the word "no", and many variations of it, I have learned to be resilient in the face of adversity and impoverished circumstances. My mother has instilled in me the importance of community, giving back, and paying things forward. No matter what may have been going on, not enough food, a utility being cut off, etc., we always had each other and those in our community to get through the rough times. Now, I try to share and do what I was taught to. Share finances when I can, share resources, share love. I am a product of communal love and living, and in my efforts to become a therapist, I aim to use what I have learned and experienced within my practices, community, and eventually the world. I strongly believe that if I change enough worlds eventually the world itself will change. While I am still in a tight space financially, I believe that my ideals will lead me to where I am meant to be.

As a first-generation student, post-secondary education was intended to be a way out. Out of poverty, out of monotony, out of the shackles of discrimination based on economic status. I knew that to achieve my dream of becoming the marginalized mental health counselor for the marginalized population, I would have to find a way to educate myself. Post-secondary education has been nothing less than unaffordable, but I have pushed through and done what is needed to progress. I chose to pursue higher education to live my dreams and afford to do so. I prepared myself by reading, speaking with others, and allowing myself to grow. As previously stated, I have not come from the most economically fortunate background. As a family, we have had government assistance, lived paycheck-to-paycheck, and much more. I have not had much luck on the financial front on my own and such has led me to have difficulty leaving home. All this being said, however, I still have found a way to persevere and make it through high school and undergraduate university. I am currently making my way through graduate university, and even with the trials and tribulations that I have endured, I know that I can reach the finish line. The preparation that I have provided for myself has led me to and through a path of success. Preparing for college was an effort that took many years. I knew that I would not be able to afford university on my own, nor would I have any familial help, so I had to make something work. I found scholarship programs and other forms to apply to even with my academic difficulties. I decided to become a therapist at an early age and read all that I could in preparation for the profession. In addition to this, I surrounded myself with like-minded individuals who also aimed to go to university and make names for themselves. Speaking with them assisted me in shaping my mind and actions towards making my next moves and goals. While I was accumulating scholarship opportunities and networking, I was also indulging in a journey of personal growth. I believe that no one should ever be a stagnant person and that change is inevitable. The ebbs and flows of life are ones that I welcome, sometimes with difficulty, for the greater good of my future. As a first-generation student, it is up to me to not only break the cycles of a lack of education but also set an example for those around me who may be looking for their next step in life. I take my education seriously, especially as the trailblazer. Any scholarship opportunity that accepts me is one that I welcome and am grateful for. I know I am destined for greatness, and my first-generation status is simply one of my many amazing hats in the process.

Hello, my name is India Khanna, and I am no stranger to suicide. Growing up, suicide was a thought that ran through the minds of my peers, as well as my own, as a way to escape the unfortunate circumstances through which we were living. Whether it was emotional or physical neglect, abuse, bullying, etc. we were all looking for a way out. These thoughts weighed heavily on our minds, and we had no "trusted adults" to confide in. We were afraid of the news getting back to our respective families. We were terrified of the consequences of thinking those thoughts. We were stuck. As I grew older, I continued to struggle with thoughts of suicide. Throughout all of this, I knew that something needed to be done. Through my heavy thought process into why we, as small children, were thinking such drastic thoughts, I concluded that it was because we had no one. No one to talk to, no one to trust, no one to help. From that point of revelation, I made it my mission to become the "trusted adult" someday. I strayed from the path now and again, but I always found my way back. I took the psychology courses in high school and undergraduate university, I read the papers and watched the video retellings of stories from everyday people, and I involved myself in the community to learn more about what my peers needed and wanted out of mental health and healing. I put forth all of the energy that I had into trying to make my communities better places to be because I believed that it was the first step in changing the world. No matter how big or small, I was going to change somebody's world. Now, I am 24 years old and working through my master's degree in clinical mental health counseling. Thinking back to all that I have done and the action steps that I have taken to secure better mental health practices among my communities, my next course of action is to become better versed in mental health in the professional sphere as well as advocacy work. Making a positive impact on mental health within our society, and even the world, consists of not only knowing your communities but the communities that exist elsewhere also. While I am learning theories and how they are applied in counseling through my courses, I believe theory is good for thought and action is good for practice. Positive impacts come from a combination of thought, action, and collaboration. As I am going through graduate school and continuing my personal goals and efforts of making a positive impact on my communities, I have the same question running through my mind: how can I be of service to those who need help now? I think back to my elementary school peers and how stuck we were in the relentless cycle of suicidal ideation, attempts, and so on. I, as well as others in the mental health field, must do for them what we needed when we were younger. Hello again. My name is India Khanna. I am a person who has lost a friend to suicide, survived suicide, and will work towards reducing suicide rates in marginalized communities if it is the last thing I do. Underrepresented communities need help, and I am determined to be that help no matter what.

Hello, my name is India, and I am a person with a complicated history of childhood trauma. From a young age I have faced, and overcome, adversities that no child should ever have to endure. Multiple forms of abuse, emotional neglect, bullying, etc. All these things have impacted my life in various ways, and I am not the only one. In the communities that I grew up in, my peers and I were always told to seek help from a "trusted adult" when in need. No one told us what to do if we did not have any trusted adults in our lives. I noticed a need for this figure in elementary school, and it sparked the want to help those in need. While I went through many career aspiration changes throughout my childhood, I always returned to counseling. By the time I was 14, I had decided that I would be who my peers and I needed when we were children. I was going to be the trusted adult. From there my journey into social and political education, self-improvement, mental health, and expanded into something that I could have never imagined for myself previously. I began to educate myself on the issues that Black, LGBTQ+, and disabled individuals faced within the United States. From there I took what I learned and shared it with others. I began to build myself up and give myself the tools to keep myself alive under intense emotional and mental stress without access to mental health care. I learned, I shared, and I grew. Eventually, I conceptualized my journey and goals as aiming to become a "marginalized counselor for the marginalized." I aim to be not only representation but accessibility into a space that has not historically been accepting of or accessible to marginalized individuals. Now, as I make my way through my graduate education, I am furthering my education and understanding of what impacts marginalized populations outside of personal experience and observations. I am continuing my efforts to hold important conversations in spaces where they are least likely to occur. I am continuing my efforts to educate myself and those who do not have access to what I have access to. My beliefs and practices have provided me the opportunity to be an educator and a friend, and I am working towards becoming an activist. I have been given theory after theory to review, and while they hold value, theory is for thought. Action is for practice. I am approaching my time to put my theory into action, and I am excited to do so.

My experience with mental health has been one that has negatively as well as positively impacted me. Coming from a background where mental health was not taken seriously and mental health help was not accessible, I have had to find ways to cope with my mental health issues by myself. Being in this state, alone and scared, I made it my personal mission to be what I needed. We are always told to speak with a trusted adult when we are in need, but we are never told what to do when we do not have one. From here, my journey to mental health began. My journey led me towards reading up on mental health and coping skills on my own time to fill in the gaps of my need for therapy and mental health intervention. From here, I planned to take a psychology course in my high school years and major in psychology at university. During this time, my mental health was worsening, and my will to live was shortening, but we persevered. I held on to my dream, making it through high school and into Virginia Wesleyan University. My time at VWU was one filled with learning about activism and advocacy, making connections, creating change, and fostering community. During this time I learned a lot about myself, my mental health, and making meaningful connections with others. I began seeing a college counselor to discuss my mental health, began working on coping skills, and worked harder on wanting to live. This time period was a turning point for me, but the happiness did not last long. In the February of 2021 a close friend and person I planned the rest of my life with lost his life to suicide. This event broke me and shifted my life completely. I shut down and felt as though all my progress crumbled. My friend who I planned to become a mental health counselor with was no longer by my side. Was I going to be able to do this alone? This life change led me to take a gap year to seek mental health help, raise money for graduate school, and honor my friend's life by continuing my life mission to be a marginalized counselor for the marginalized. This has led me to where I am now. I am currently in my master's program at The George Washington University studying clinical mental health counseling. I am managing my mental health, working through school, and achieving my goals of becoming a marginalized counselor for the marginalized. I am a needed presence in the mental health field as a person who has faced oppression and can empathize with mental health issues. I plan to use my knowledge and expertise for good. My goal is to make mental health more accessible for the marginalized and those who cannot access it. I did not have a trusted adult as a child, but I will be a trusted adult for someone now.