My biggest goal in life is to become a license social worker in order to better my community and point people in the right direction in order to get the help they deserve. When I was younger, living in the poorest neighborhood of Columbus, OH called North Linden, there were not many avenues to be educated in mental health. Many of the members of the communities were people of color or immigrants who came from cultures where mental health was very stigmatized. This caused a large part of my childhood to be filled with misconceptions. Once I became educated in college about mental health, I took that information to heart after realizing because it was very stigmatized, my community may be deeply affected by it without knowing it. Using my positions as president of the Denison Asian Student Union, president of Phi Iota Alpha Fraternity, Inc., and president of the Multicultural Greek Council, I made several initiatives and events to raise awareness in my community. These initiatives include community talks, destress-fests, and open hours with mental health counselors. Additionally, with the help of the Black Student Union, I was able to work with Denison University's wellness center to onboard 23 clinicians of color in order for students of color to feel like their counselors could relate to common, culturally specific experiences. They were also meant to encourage young people who may look like these clinicians to seek out help sooner if they are coming from a culture where mental health is extremely stigmatized. I am proud of the work I have already done to raise awareness about mental health and make education and recovery practices more accessible. I would like to continue this work as a social worker after obtaining my masters at Case Western Reserve University. On a more personal note, as a son of a Filipino immigrant mother, I idolized her and the work she did to support me and my siblings growing up. I witnessed her do backbreaking work, coming herself to three jobs. As I got older, I started witnessing strange behavior from her that was pretty concerning. For example, there would be times where it was hard for her to get out of bed or enjoy her hobbies or time with her friends. She increasingly lost the drive to keep up with healthy living habits. It was not until college did I think it might have been something more serious than simply aging. Watching my mom go through a heartbreaking time, I grew more and more concerned for her and in sadness myself. I eventually was able to convince her to see a mental health specialist and eventually she was diagnosed with clinical depression and was then able to get the help she needed. Our relationship is much better and I'm enjoying witnessing my mother heal. However, if my own mother, someone who I always envisioned as strong willed and unstoppable could be diagnosed with depression, others in my community may be experiencing the same thing without realizing it. This is why I am dedicated to becoming a social worker, working on community change with a spacial emphasis on mental health advocacy.

My biggest goal in life is to become a license social worker in order to better my community and point people in the right direction in order to get the help they deserve. When I was younger, living in the poorest neighborhood of Columbus, OH called North Linden, there were not many avenues to be educated in mental health. Many of the members of the communities were people of color or immigrants who came from cultures where mental health was very stigmatized. This caused a large part of my childhood to be filled with misconceptions. Once I became educated in college about mental health, I took that information to heart after realizing because it was very stigmatized, my community may be deeply affected by it without knowing it. Using my positions as president of the Denison Asian Student Union, president of Phi Iota Alpha Fraternity, Inc., and president of the Multicultural Greek Council, I made several initiatives and events to raise awareness in my community. These initiatives include community talks, destress-fests, and open hours with mental health counselors. Additionally, with the help of the Black Student Union, I was able to work with Denison University's wellness center to onboard 23 clinicians of color in order for students of color to feel like their counselors could relate to common, culturally specific experiences. They were also meant to encourage young people who may look like these clinicians to seek out help sooner if they are coming from a culture where mental health is extremely stigmatized. I am proud of the work I have already done to raise awareness about mental health and make education and recovery practices more accessible. I would like to continue this work as a social worker after obtaining my masters at Case Western Reserve University. On a more personal note, as a son of a Filipino immigrant mother, I idolized her and the work she did to support me and my siblings growing up. I witnessed her do backbreaking work, coming herself to three jobs. As I got older, I started witnessing strange behavior from her that was pretty concerning. For example, there would be times where it was hard for her to get out of bed or enjoy her hobbies or time with her friends. She increasingly lost the drive to keep up with healthy living habits. It was not until college did I think it might have been something more serious than simply aging. Watching my mom go through a heartbreaking time, I grew more and more concerned for her and in sadness myself. I eventually was able to convince her to see a mental health specialist and eventually she was diagnosed with clinical depression and was then able to get the help she needed. Our relationship is much better and I'm enjoying witnessing my mother heal. However, if my own mother, someone who I always envisioned as strong willed and unstoppable could be diagnosed with depression, others in my community may be experiencing the same thing without realizing it. This is why I am dedicated to becoming a social worker, working on community change with a spacial emphasis on mental health advocacy.

My biggest goal in life is to become a license social worker in order to better my community and point people in the right direction in order to get the help they deserve. When I was younger, living in the poorest neighborhood of Columbus, OH called North Linden, there were not many avenues to be educated in mental health. Many of the members of the communities were people of color or immigrants who came from cultures where mental health was very stigmatized. This caused a large part of my childhood to be filled with misconceptions. Once I became educated in college about mental health, I took that information to heart after realizing because it was very stigmatized, my community may be deeply affected by it without knowing it. Using my positions as president of the Denison Asian Student Union, president of Phi Iota Alpha Fraternity, Inc., and president of the Multicultural Greek Council, I made several initiatives and events to raise awareness in my community. These initiatives include community talks, destress-fests, and open hours with mental health counselors. Additionally, with the help of the Black Student Union, I was able to work with Denison University's wellness center to onboard 23 clinicians of color in order for students of color to feel like their counselors could relate to common, culturally specific experiences. They were also meant to encourage young people who may look like these clinicians to seek out help sooner if they are coming from a culture where mental health is extremely stigmatized. I am proud of the work I have already done to raise awareness about mental health and make education and recovery practices more accessible. I would like to continue this work as a social worker after obtaining my masters at Case Western Reserve University. On a more personal note, as a son of a Filipino immigrant mother, I idolized her and the work she did to support me and my siblings growing up. I witnessed her do backbreaking work, coming herself to three jobs. As I got older, I started witnessing strange behavior from her that was pretty concerning. For example, there would be times where it was hard for her to get out of bed or enjoy her hobbies or time with her friends. She increasingly lost the drive to keep up with healthy living habits. It was not until college did I think it might have been something more serious than simply aging. Watching my mom go through a heartbreaking time, I grew more and more concerned for her and in sadness myself. I eventually was able to convince her to see a mental health specialist and eventually she was diagnosed with clinical depression and was then able to get the help she needed. Our relationship is much better and I'm enjoying witnessing my mother heal. However, if my own mother, someone who I always envisioned as strong willed and unstoppable could be diagnosed with depression, others in my community may be experiencing the same thing without realizing it. This is why I am dedicated to becoming a social worker, working on community change with a spacial emphasis on mental health advocacy.

To help others overcome challenges they face due to systemic oppression has always been my biggest passion in life. As a son of Filipino immigrant parents living in an impoverished household, I witnessed firsthand how discriminatory our society can be. Whether it be seeing my mother harassed by racist coworkers, living in a house without electricity or gas during winters, or being assaulted based on my ethnic or queer identities, I have experienced unjust treatments throughout my life. Therefore I have decided from an early age to ensure that I make an impact with the skills I acquire to help prevent other children of color from experiencing the same hardships. An important part of realizing this goal is becoming a social worker and studying social work at Case Western. Before applying to the Mandel School of Social Work, I had already done work to benefit the social justice of my community. At Denison University I worked to increase the social equity of all students, specifically students of color. As president of the Denison Asian Student Union, I led several endeavors for the benefit of the Asian, Pacific Islander, and Desi communities. For example, under my leadership, the Union advocated for changes in how the University addresses the lived experiences of Asian students. Additionally, the organization under my leadership has made great work in addressing the need for an administration that advocates for the Stop Asian Hate movement. The COVID-19 pandemic exposed hateful discrimination in the United States experienced by Asians. However, the Asian community is not the only area I have been focusing on. I am interested in the equity of all and therefore I also made a lot of progress in my leadership as the president of the Denison Multicultural Greek Council. In this short essay, I have listed three examples of accomplishments that have displayed my commitment to social justice and equity. Moving forward after undergraduate school, I would like to continue my education and efforts at the Mandel School of Applied Social Sciences at Case Western Reserve University. I was never afforded the luxury of knowing a social worker when I was young but I would like to be a part of the modern phenomenon of social workers of color creating change in low economic communities. Black, Indigenous, and all people of color need social workers to better our communities and provide support to those who feel as though nobody is in their corner to advocate for them. As a Columbus, OH native and someone who grew up in North Linden, the poorest community in the city, I would like to become a social worker and return to that community. There is so much potential among the individuals who demonstrate rich culture in that neighborhood and I truly believe social workers can draw out that potential and encourage communities to blossom. The only thing obstacle that is preventing me from doing this immediately is the fact that I come from a very impoverished background with two parents who are cancer patients. Therefore, I would like The Moore the Blingyer Scholarship to believe in me and my dedication.