In my sophomore year of high school, I was in a car accident with a close family member. That family member was a fearless, strong, hard-working woman who always cared for her family and friends. Yet, when the car crashed, so did that image. Her behavior changed; her body weakened from the refusal to eat and the sleepless nights. She stopped working, and her words of affirmation, love, and encouragement went ignored. I saw the once-perfect image of my dearest family member stripped away day by day. My mind swirled with thoughts of frustration, anger, and sadness as I saw her suffering and did not know how I could help her. When the doctors said that this could have resulted from anxiety, that was when things clicked: her mental health was damaged. I began to think about mental health and why I couldn’t see this problem sooner. As I looked back, I realized being a son of immigrant parents, I was part of a community where work life took over the need to talk about mental health. Usually, that conversation would end in people saying “Just pray about it.” However, as I looked deeper, I realized that is not what God thinks about mental health. Instead, it was with a profound transformation that I saw the connection between the word of God and mental health. I read bible verses like “renew your mind” or "guard your hearts and minds.” and started to see the value of mental health. A new desire birthed in me to bring awareness and the tools to these communities where mental health is not valued. Soon, I aspired to become a mental health counselor – which would allow me to teach the tools to aid another person mentally while also pointing out the strengths they already possess. My hunger to understand mental health grew rapidly, which resulted in gaining a bachelor of psychology degree at the University of Albany. My knowledge of the mind grew through the psychology courses offered, and I learned positive psychology tools such as motivational interviewing and self-actualization imaging which helps triangulate a person's strengths. I joined the Middle Earth Peer Assistance Program which taught me sometimes the best aid is to just listen. I practiced the OARS listening method through the hotline, which taught me patience to allow others' voices to be heard. By conducting risk assessments, I learned how to identify and address risk factors of suicidality. Every class and club continued to teach me the tools to support a person’s mental health and gave me opportunities to support my peers. Now I wish to continue as a graduate student at this university because I know their program will enhance my learning. The focus this program dives into perfectly aligns with my career goals by emphasizing multicultural issues in psychology, including social class, classism, and racism. Assisting these teachers would be most beneficial to my goal of making mental health more accessible in undervalued areas. I would mentor others during my time in this program who share the same passion for mental health as me. As an example of hope that encourages black communities to embark on their mental health journey. Showing a generation that a healthy mentality is not just for one race or social class but for everyone.