I can remember having my first episode of depression when I was 13. I had always been very interested in psychology and mental health, however when I experienced a mental health struggle first hand I became particularly passionate about potentially pursuing a career in the field of psychology. Throughout my teenage years I continued to struggle with depression and was diagnosed with major depressive disorder when I was 15. While many of my memories of that time in my life are clouded by anger and sadness due to my mental health struggles, one common thread also emerges - my continued interest and passion in mental health treatment and reducing stigma. I am very thankful to many supportive family members and school teachers who saw how much I was struggling as a teenager and encouraged me to start going to therapy and taking medication. Those people undoubtedly saved my life. Through the therapy I engaged in during my teenage years I grew exponentially as a person, and ended up becoming very proud of the young adult I became towards the end of high school. I started to become passionate about being there for other teenagers who might not have the support system(s) I had. I wanted to be able to pay forward the help I had been given when I most needed it. Wanting to continue to both understand mental health struggles and continue my education so I might professionally help others in the future I declared my major as psychology early on in my college career. It was in college that I found my passion for research that might inform mental healthcare. I began doing research on substance use, anxiety, and depression. I found it extremely fulfilling that my research might inform how we assess and treat these conditions. Thus, I sought out more research opportunities when I graduated college. Over the last three years I have worked as a Research Assistant at major Boston-area hospitals. In these roles I have harnessed an interest in substance use specifically, as it often co-occurs with many other mental health concerns and is a behavior that is often even more stigmatized than many other mental health disorders such as depression and anxiety. Additionally, during my time working and studying in the field of psychology I have noticed how reticent many people are to discuss their own experiences with mental health struggles. While everyone is entitled to their own boundaries and comfort levels, I have always felt that these discussions should be more commonplace and less stigmatized. Therefore, I strive to be a non judgmental and open voice in many of my professional spaces. I openly talk about my experience going to therapy, both as a teenager and currently! I hope that with the continued discussion of everyone's struggle with mental health challenges less people will feel that something is wrong with them for going through something many of us experience. Overall, my own experience with mental health concerns has largely shaped who I am as a person both professionally and personally. Professionally, it has shaped a majority of my career interests and goals. Personally, it has made me a more empathetic and caring person as I feel strongly that you never truly know what someone is going through. Ultimately, I hope to continue to use my personal experience with mental health challenges as a fuel to promote positive change both in my professional life and personally among those around me.

I have been involved in mental healthcare research and treatment for several years and it is a topic I am very passionate about both professionally and personally. One practical solution for helping more people who struggle with mental health is community education and intervention. Community education and intervention is (1) affordable, (2) culturally competent, and (3) inclusive, making it a very practical solution for helping those who struggle with mental health. First, community education and intervention is extremely low cost. Typically a few clinicians are needed to disseminate information and a general space is required. From there community members often continue to spread and share information and resources amongst one another. Additionally, several community members can receive the education and intervention simultaneously. Second, community intervention is one of the most culturally competent forms of care because it is directly informed by the community it is serving. Therefore, different cultural and community attitudes towards mental health care are addressed and included. Lastly, community education and intervention is inclusive. Often, a very small subset of those who struggle with mental health concerns actually seek treatment. However, when community interventions are implemented more of the community is engaged therefore more people receive the intervention. Additionally, community education destigmatizes mental healthcare through normalization of these interventions. In sum, community intervention is an extremely practical and potentially useful tool when addressing mental health concerns. Thus, I am very interested in completed my doctoral studies in the field of psychology while gaining experience conducting community based research and treatment.