My name is Jazmyn Kayajha Butler and I am currently a nineteen-year-old junior studying psychology at North Carolina Agricultural & Technical University located in Greensboro, North Carolina. After graduating with my Bachelor’s degree in psychology, I will get a master’s in counseling and later pursue a Ph.D. I will use my education in the psychology field to continue the increase of mental health awareness in the Black community. I will give people who do not have the knowledge or connections to gain an understanding of psychology and mental health an opportunity to do so. I will help young people with their mental health concerns. Overall, my vision is to be the safe space and guidance I wish I had as a child in my community. Growing up, I noticed many people in my family and community ignored depression and anxiety. They overlooked people with psychological disorders or called them crazy or “special”. Going to therapy was unheard of. Your therapist was God. They did not want a stranger in their business or they did not think therapy was worth the money. I had little; if any, knowledge about mental health and psychology until my psychology course in high school. Once I learned it was okay to need help, I wanted to help people too. I want to shine a more positive light on seeking help for mental health, stress, and trauma. I plan for one of my first jobs to be working in a school system. Giving young people the tools to deal with life and the experiences it comes with in healthy ways can stop future problems from evolving. We wait too late to pay attention to kids' mental health and psychological issues when signs can be detected. Kids should never be silenced or ignored when they say they feel depressed. So many kids would still be alive today if someone listened and genuinely cared about their well-being. There is a lack of black people in the psychology field and I know many black students who do not like the idea of having white doctors, counselors, therapists, etc. I was one of them. My career in Counseling will give my community another source and tool to reach out to. I genuinely care about the well-being of youth and the Black community. They are my top priority. I want to specialize in mental health counseling or therapy. Opening my own practice would be ideal but also finding a program or workplace with people who share my vision and love for the youth is also an option. I know it is not possible for my vision to be accomplished on my own. It takes a team. Where I lack I want to know someone who has that strength. My success in my education and career will also be an encouragement and an example to others like myself. It is possible for a black woman from a low-income household to achieve big things. An HBCU is just as capable of producing a successful individual as any other school in the United States. I am a normal person like any other who has a passion and a dream. And my passion is to help others learn about themselves and become more aware of how easy it is to take care of the human mind just like any other part of the body. I will preach that mental health is a necessity and should be prioritized by everyone. And I believe when we do this the world will grow and change in a more positive way than it ever has in history. Thank You.

My name is Jazmyn Kayajha Butler and I am currently a nineteen-year-old junior studying psychology at the illustrious North Carolina Agricultural & Technical University located in Greensboro, North Carolina. After graduating with my Bachelor’s degree in psychology, I will get a master’s in counseling and later pursue a Ph.D. in psychology, counseling, or therapy. I will use my education in the psychology field to continue the increase of mental health awareness in the Black community but also to any who is willing to listen to me. I will give people who do not have the knowledge or connections to gain an understanding of psychology and mental health an opportunity to do so. I will help young people with their mental health concerns. Overall, my vision is to be the safe space and guidance I wish I had as a child in my community. Growing up, I noticed many people in my family and community ignored depression and anxiety. They overlooked people with psychological disorders or called them crazy or “special”. Going to therapy was unheard of. Your therapist was God and the pastor. They did not want a stranger in their business or they did not think therapy could actually be beneficial. I had little; if any, knowledge about mental health and psychology until my psychology course in high school. I want to shine a more positive light on seeking help for mental health, stress, and trauma. People need to know that asking for help is okay. Venting to friends and family is not enough. Going to a professional will lead to lasting results. I plan for one of my first jobs to be working in a school system. Either as a school counselor or psychologist. Giving young people the tools to deal with life and the experiences it comes with in healthy ways can stop future problems from evolving. We wait too late to pay attention to kids' mental health and psychological issues when signs can be detected. Kids should never be silenced or ignored when they say they feel depressed. Depression in youth is a huge problem. The solution to this problem is to take mental health issues seriously regardless of age. There is a lack of black people in the psychology field and I know many black students who do not like the idea of having white doctors, counselors, therapists, etc. I was one of them. I felt that my counselor in high school did not completely understand me when I went to him about my problems simply because he did not grow up in a low-income black household. I want to be that safe place for black youth who need and want help. My career in Counseling will give my community another source and tool to reach out to. I genuinely care about the well-being of youth and the Black community as a whole. I want to regularly do community service and community events to talk to youth and give them tools to embrace self-care and seek help even if there are no serious problems in their life now. Therapy is not only for huge issues it can simply be for having an unbiased person to listen to your daily concerns. I will share what I have learned in my field with others. I will not gatekeep my knowledge or skills. I will preach that mental health is a necessity and should be prioritized by everyone. And I believe when we do this the world will grow and change in a more positive way than it ever has in history. Thank You.

Growing up, I noticed many people in my family and community ignored depression and anxiety. They overlooked people with psychological disorders or called them crazy or “special”. Going to therapy was unheard of. Your therapist was God and the pastor. They did not want a stranger in their business or they did not think therapy could actually be beneficial. I had little; if any, knowledge about mental health and psychology until my psychology course in high school. I believe psychology should be introduced at an even younger level than high school. If kids can learn about biology and astronomy concepts at the elementary level, they can also learn about psychology in their science lessons. My knowledge in psychology has made me realize there needs to be a push for an increase in teaching psychology in K-12 education. I want to shine a more positive light on seeking help for mental health, stress, and trauma. People need to know that asking for help is okay. Venting to friends and family is not enough. Going to a professional will lead to lasting results. I plan for one of my first jobs to be working in a school system. Either as a school counselor or psychologist. Giving young people the tools to deal with life and the experiences it comes with in healthy ways can stop future problems from evolving. We wait too late to pay attention to kids' mental health and psychological issues when signs can be detected. Kids should never be silenced or ignored when they say they feel depressed. Depression in youth is a huge problem. The solution to this problem is to take mental health issues seriously regardless of age. So many kids would still be alive today if someone listened and cared about their well-being. There is a lack of black people in the psychology field and I know many black students who do not like the idea of having white doctors, counselors, therapists, etc. I was one of them. I felt that my counselor in high school did not completely understand me when I went to him about my problems simply because he did not grow up in a low-income black household. I want to be that safe place for black youth who need and want help. Especially those who want it from someone who looks like them and grew up like them. I needed that when I was growing up. Depression and anxiety can be hard to deal with alone at a young age. Family is not always the best at helping. They may downplay your issues or be confused about how to help their kid. Having another person to go to is what many kids out here need.

I was my mother’s firstborn child at the age of nineteen. She is now thirty-eight, has five children, a husband, and a career she decently likes. I am now nineteen years old and in college, but I will say I did not always imagine myself going to college. Throughout my K-12 education, I attended eight schools. I moved into even more houses throughout that time. Though moving did not affect me much academically, it did however have a major impact on my social skills and my ability to form lasting relationships. I despised being around people, especially ones my age. My immediate family had grown from two to seven people by the time I was in 4th grade. More people meant more money needed to spend. Growing up, I did not know I was classified as a “low-income household” or “poor”. My parents did well with the money they made so we always have shelter, food, clothes, and a little left over for fun things too. I was happy at home. School on the other hand was not always my favorite place to be. I struggled to make friends and I was scared to talk to people for a very long time. Some years I went the whole school year without any friends at all. When I did finally make a friend I had to move schools and start all over again. I felt like an outsider. I couldn’t fit in when I tried. People would say my voice was too soft, I didn’t talk loud enough, or I was too quiet. I felt unheard, unseen, and ignored up until my sophomore year in high school. I was tired of the school year dragging. I was tired of feeling alone. I wanted a change. My first step surprisingly was switching schools again. This time by choice I moved schools because being around people who knew me from middle school made it hard to change fundamentally because they still and would always see me as that shy little girl. I started joining clubs at my new school, went to games, and engaged more in small conversations as much as I could. I started using social media and hanging out with people outside of school. That small leap lead me to finally make lasting friendships. After making a couple of friends it became easier and easier. It made life so much more enjoyable. I loved talking to people even if we did not become friends. I found out I was a people person and more extroverted than introverted. Now I am in college meeting new people every day with ease. I now know I am worth being seen and heard. Moving a lot did decrease my self-esteem, increased my social anxiety, and kept me in my shell for longer than I should have been. Eventually, I turned that around, and slowly but surely I found ways to engage with people. I found out I even wanted to spend my life helping people through psychology. I overcame my fear of people and being social because I wanted a better life. I had to overcome this obstacle on my own for myself. I wanted to get the full experience of living and I found out the only person that was in my way was me. It didn’t matter about my upbringing, or how much I moved. I had given up when things got hard and all I needed to do was get back up and try again.

One thing my K-12 educational experience lacked was being surrounded by like-minded black students like myself. I was placed in honors classes that had maybe one or two other black kids in them. On many occasions, other Black kids called me “white-washed”. I did not understand how being in honors classes and wanting to make all A’s made me more white than black. I did not know talking a certain way or what I did with my hair made me more like a white girl. These stereotypes and labels were harmful to my self-identity and the black community as a whole. And on the flip side making friends with white people came with having to face microaggressions and being misunderstood. Oh and do not get upset or you would be labeled “the angry black girl”. It was exhausting to deal with. Many kids made me feel like there was something weird or off about me. When applying for colleges and watching countless videos about the ample amount of universities around the country. I kept hearing about this HBCU experience. A university where I could pursue my career dreams while also being surrounded by a variety of black people. Including ones like me. A place where I could be myself proudly. Going to an HBCU would alleviate the stress of being black and educated just a little bit. Yet, this fantasy world on earth was an intriguing and irrefutable offer. It was like my young adult Disneyworld dreams come true. That was all it took to convince me to apply to an HBCU. I readily applied for five of them including my illustrious North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University. And to make it even better I was rewarded a partial annual merit scholarship. How could I refuse a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity?