With many of my family members living with mental health disorders, including myself, I have a unique perspective. While some of us choose to seek therapy or mental heath services to improve our mental health some do not and pass it off as just a hill to get over. I believe the rejection of mental health help for many of my family members comes from the stigma in both the Black and Hispanic community. Maybe it is the mistrust of the medical system or the shame that comes with accepting you need help, but I can see there is major rejection of the fact that mental health is just as important as a physical condition. Through seeing my family's grief after my Uncle passed by taking his own life, I knew I did not want this tragic reality to continue. Many people do not understand the threshold one passes that allows the mind to slip into suicidal ideation and tendencies. I was the only other person in the family that understood that reality. My uncle was a veteran who struggles with a number of both mental and physical disorders that led to his eventual death. I know he attempted to receive help many times and the system failed him more times than I can count. Whether it is because he was a Black man or the fact that the Veterans Association is severely underfunded, he did not get the help he needed. All I want is to advocate and have a position where my voice can be heard that mental health is health and also provide support to those that need it. The need for Black and Hispanic mental health practitioners has never been higher, and I will do my absolute best to be that person for not just Black and brown veterans but for any civilians that need my help.

My family can be distant but the new are together it is like we've never been apart. Seeing my family members struggle with mental health including myself, then losing my Uncle to his struggle with mental health, it pushed me to be a person that could help before it's too late. While being in therapy myself I learned that psychology is a field I can see myself going into and the grief from losing my Uncle pushed me to help veterans like him that need someone to be there and validate what is happening in their mind. With the stigma in the military of getting mental health help, many veterans struggle to express their challenges even years after finishing their service. PTSD, Depression, and Anxiety disorders are the most common but definitely not the only things veterans deal with. Before my Uncle passed, I promised him I would fight and advocate for those that struggle with mental health and I would do my best to not let his struggle be in vain. I want to fight and advocate for veterans and their families so there doesn't have to be so much tragedy, nor the tragedy my family encountered. Between the hospital visits and the imagery of what veterans have gone through and continue to endure, I could never let myself be an idle party. I hope that my fire for mental health advocacy and veterans will follow my career in a positive light and I am able to make a difference, or at least a dent with my voice.