I am pursuing a career in the field of behavioral health because I want to work to break down the many barriers to accessing quality mental health care in the communities that I grew up in. My mother moved to the U.S. from Jamaica by herself when she was just sixteen years old. My family is made up of Jamaican immigrants; there is a persistent belief in both the Black and Jamaican communities that mental health treatment is taboo. I want to provide services to people who feel ashamed or afraid to seek treatment because of how their families or communities might view them. I have experience working with culturally diverse and underserved communities as I participated in a service-learning organization called Alternative Breaks. With this organization, I traveled to Clarkston, Georgia with seven other students to assist a non-profit called Friends of Refugees. Friends of refugees supports refugees from several different countries resettle in the U.S. While working with them I was exposed to many different cultures. I learned how deeply intertwined our cultures are with our behaviors and decision-making. Therefore, I believe it is important for mental health care workers to be representative of the populations they’re working with. I also interned at the Academy of the Pacific Rim Charter Public School counseling middle schoolers. The minority enrollment at this school is 92%; the school is about 61% Black or African American and 30% Latinx. Many of the students come from families of low socioeconomic status. This year I am interning at the Boston Area Rape Crisis Center, which provides various forms of support (including individual counseling) to survivors of sexual violence and their families and friends. This scholarship will help me to serve not only my community but other historically marginalized groups that don’t usually have access to services. I also aspire to become a forensic psychologist to work within the criminal justice system to fight against racial inequality (in the form of creating programs to combat the implicit racial bias that plagues every level of our justice system). After completing my graduate studies at WJC, I plan to practice in Massachusetts and hold the position of forensic psychology with a private practice for one-on-one counseling, with clients of color. This scholarship will help me to be able to afford this semester's tuition without having to deplete my savings, which I use to afford rent, textbooks, utilities, etc.