Mental health includes but is not limited to, therapy and medication, so I want to build awareness and contribute to communities of care and cultural tools people have used to ground themselves in their personality, values, or even their body. I believe that mental health care can include an awareness of how we are disconnected from the activities that ground our individual selves as we go through our daily lives, having to negotiate ourselves or work with the energy of others. Mindfulness can mean something as simple as having the familiar, productive language to describe emotions and symptoms of distress to relate better to others while learning active listening and positive affirmations. In my PhD at UIC, I want to diversify the scope of care by highlighting how movement-based education is transformative to individuals and groups in physical education but also is transformative of how we disconnect education and mental health, opening up additional routes for students to think critically while gaining an appreciation of the self and others. I want to explore programs like kung fu, karate, and boxing for their community education benefits and consider how movement education has historically been a source of liberation. With the increased suicide rate amongst black men, increased incarceration, and limited economic opportunity, men of color can be limited in their options. They can be targeted for exploitation due to their potential for violence. I invested in bodily awareness and mental health for self-esteem to confidently navigate the challenges of adulthood.