As someone who dreams of combating the youth mental health crisis as an aspiring psychotherapist and psychology professor, the prospect of college—both undergraduate and graduate studies—has always been a key aspiration of mine. I've always been immensely passionate about academics—constantly pursuing educational opportunities that’ll challenge me and enable me to grow as a student and changemaker. From a young age, I've been exposed to the field of psychology due to my family's experiences with mental health challenges. As a child, my life consisted of accompanying my mother to her therapist's appointments and encouraging her to take her antidepressants. When she first explained the concept of "a doctor who talks to you and helps you feel better," my talkative curiosity piqued. I knew that I wanted to become a psychologist. By high school, everything in my life began to brighten through the lens of psychology. The psychology books replaced the novels on my nightstand. My close friends started calling me their "therapist friend." The Coursera psychology classes I enrolled in transformed into quarterly De Anza college psychology courses after my transition to Middle College—a dual-enrollment program that enabled me to complete my last two years of high school at my local college. As my pursuit of psychology evolved from an aspiration to a more nuanced goal of becoming a psychotherapist and psychology professor to combat the rising mental health crisis, I found myself taking on the role of psychologist in every aspect of life. From collaborating with therapists at the Center for Developing Minds to deliver psychotherapeutic courses to neurodivergent youth, to serving as the youngest Executive Board of Director at the Depression-Bipolar-Support-Alliance of California to initiate statewide support groups for individuals with mood disorders, pursuing psychology has enabled me to help diverse communities thrive and flourish. Most gratifyingly, psychology is foundational to my youth mental health organization, Unité. Beyond aiming to combat the youth mental health crisis, at its core, Unité—the French word for unity—strives to cultivate community by honing the universal thread of psychological well-being in thousands of youth across 24-countries. Now translating our mental health resources into 11-languages, Unité takes a cross-cultural approach to uplifting mental well-being worldwide. Recently, my organization—Unité—was featured in an article in the New York Times. While this enabled me to support more people internationally, its impact also resonated personally. In sharing this milestone with my mother, I experienced a breakthrough moment, as she finally realized the essentiality of mental health. In fact, it allowed me to strike a deal with my mother: she'd take her antidepressants if I found her a good therapist. Now—fulfilling my end of the deal—I vicariously witness the benefits in my mom's life. To me, obtaining a scholarship to pursue my academic interest in psychology would mean a secure path toward actualizing my greatest goal: combating the youth mental health crisis as a burgeoning clinical psychologist and leader. It'll provide me the means to pursue my long-lasting love for education and work to channel psychology to enact the change that we direly need in this world.

As someone who dreams of combating the youth mental health crisis as an aspiring psychotherapist and psychology professor, the prospect of college—both undergraduate and graduate studies—has always been a key aspiration of mine. I've always been immensely passionate about academics—constantly pursuing educational opportunities that’ll challenge me and enable me to grow as a student and changemaker. From a young age, I've been exposed to the field of psychology due to my family's experiences with mental health challenges. As a child, my life consisted of accompanying my mother to her therapist's appointments and encouraging her to take her antidepressants. When she first explained the concept of "a doctor who talks to you and helps you feel better," my talkative curiosity piqued. I knew that I wanted to become a psychologist. By high school, everything in my life began to brighten through the lens of psychology. The psychology books replaced the novels on my nightstand. My close friends started calling me their "therapist friend." The Coursera psychology classes I enrolled in transformed into quarterly De Anza college psychology courses after my transition to Middle College—a dual-enrollment program that enables me to complete my last two years of high school at my local college. As my pursuit of psychology evolved from an aspiration to a more nuanced goal of becoming a psychotherapist and psychology professor to combat the rising mental health crisis, I found myself taking on the role of psychologist in every aspect of life. From collaborating with therapists at the Center for Developing Minds to deliver psychotherapeutic courses to neurodivergent youth, to serving as the youngest Executive Board of Director at the Depression-Bipolar-Support-Alliance of California to initiate statewide support groups for individuals with mood disorders, pursuing psychology has enabled me to help diverse communities thrive and flourish. Most gratifyingly, psychology is foundational to my youth mental health organization, Unité. Beyond aiming to combat the youth mental health crisis, at its core, Unité—the French word for unity—strives to cultivate community by honing the universal thread of psychological well-being in thousands of youth across 24-countries. Now translating our mental health resources into 11-languages, Unité takes a cross-cultural approach to uplifting mental well-being worldwide. Recently, my organization—Unité—was featured in an article in the New York Times. While this enabled me to support more people internationally, its impact also resonated personally. In sharing this milestone with my mother, I experienced a breakthrough moment, as she finally realized the essentiality of mental health. In fact, it allowed me to strike a deal with my mother: she'd take her antidepressants if I found her a good therapist. Now—fulfilling my end of the deal—I vicariously witness the benefits in my mom's life. To me, obtaining a scholarship to pursue my academic interest in psychology would mean a secure path toward actualizing my greatest goal: combating the youth mental health crisis. It'll provide me the means to pursue my long-lasting love for education and work to channel psychology to enact the change that we direly need in this world.

As someone who dreams of combating the youth mental health crisis as an aspiring psychotherapist and psychology professor, the prospect of college—both undergraduate and graduate studies—has always been a key aspiration of mine. I've always been immensely passionate about academics—constantly pursuing educational opportunities that will challenge me and enable me to grow as a student and leader. From a young age, I've been exposed to the field of psychology due to my family's experiences with mental health challenges. As a child, my life consisted of accompanying my mother, who grapples with severe mental illness, to her therapist's appointments and encouraging her to take her antidepressants. When she first explained the concept of "a doctor who talks to you and helps you feel better," my talkative curiosity piqued. I knew that I wanted to become a psychologist. By high school, everything in my life began to brighten through the lens of psychology. The psychology books replaced the novels on my nightstand. My close friends started calling me their "therapist friend." The Coursera psychology classes I enrolled in transformed into quarterly De Anza college psychology courses after my transition to Middle College—a dual-enrollment program that enables me to complete my last two years of high school at my local college. As my pursuit of psychology evolved from an aspiration to a more nuanced goal of becoming a psychotherapist and psychology professor to combat the rising mental health crisis, I found myself taking on the leadership role of psychologist in every aspect of life. From collaborating with therapists at the Center for Developing Minds to deliver psychotherapeutic courses to neurodivergent youth, to serving as the youngest Executive Board of Director at the Depression-Bipolar-Support-Alliance of California to initiate statewide support groups for individuals with mood disorders, pursuing psychology has enabled me to help diverse communities thrive and flourish. Most gratifyingly, psychology is foundational to my youth mental health organization, Unité. Beyond aiming to combat the youth mental health crisis, at its core, Unité—the French word for unity—strives to cultivate community by honing the universal thread of psychological well-being in thousands of youth across 23-countries. As the founder and executive director of Unité, I lead thousands of youth worldwide equipping them with the resources they need to thrive on a psychological level. In my leadership at Unité, I also work toward kickstarting initiatives like Unité Global Mental Health Hub, which translates our mental health into 11-languages, taking a diverse, cross-cultural approach to uplifting mental well-being globally. Recently, my leadership at my organization—Unité—was featured in an article in the New York Times. While this enabled me to support more people internationally, its impact also resonated personally. In sharing this milestone with my mother, I experienced a breakthrough moment, as she finally realized the essentiality of mental health. In fact, it allowed me to strike a deal with my mother: she'd take her antidepressants if I found her a good therapist. Now—fulfilling my end of the deal—I vicariously witness the benefits in my mom's life. To me, obtaining a scholarship to pursue my academic interest in psychology through a college education would mean a secure path toward actualizing my greatest goal: combating the youth mental health crisis. It'll provide me the means to pursue my long-lasting love for education and work to lead by channeling psychology to enact the change that we direly need in this world.

As someone who dreams of combating the youth mental health crisis as an aspiring psychotherapist and psychology professor, the prospect of college—both undergraduate and graduate studies—has always been a key aspiration of mine. I've always been immensely passionate about academics—constantly pursuing educational opportunities that’ll challenge me and enable me to grow as a student and changemaker. From a young age, I've been exposed to the field of psychology due to my family's and personal experiences with mental health challenges. As a child, my life consisted of accompanying my mother, who grapples with severe mental illness, to her therapist's appointments and encouraging her to take her antidepressants. When she first explained the concept of "a doctor who talks to you and helps you feel better," my talkative curiosity piqued. I knew that I wanted to become a psychologist. By high school, everything in my life began to brighten through the lens of psychology. The psychology books replaced the novels on my nightstand. My close friends started calling me their "therapist friend." The Coursera psychology classes I enrolled in transformed into quarterly De Anza college psychology courses after my transition to Middle College—a dual-enrollment program that enables me to complete my last two years of high school at my local college. As my pursuit of psychology evolved from an aspiration to a more nuanced goal of becoming a psychotherapist and psychology professor to combat the rising mental health crisis, I found myself taking on the role of psychologist in every aspect of life. From collaborating with therapists at the Center for Developing Minds to deliver psychotherapeutic courses to neurodivergent youth, to serving as the youngest Executive Board of Director at the Depression-Bipolar-Support-Alliance of California to initiate statewide support groups for individuals with mood disorders, pursuing psychology has enabled me to help diverse communities thrive and flourish. Most gratifyingly, psychology is foundational to my youth mental health organization, Unité. Beyond aiming to combat the youth mental health crisis, at its core, Unité—the French word for unity—strives to cultivate community by honing the universal thread of psychological well-being in thousands of youth across 23-countries. Now translating our mental health resources into 11-languages, Unité takes a diverse, cross-cultural approach to uplifting mental well-being worldwide. Recently, my organization—Unité—was featured in an article in the New York Times. While this enabled me to support more people internationally, its impact also resonated personally. In sharing this milestone with my mother, I experienced a breakthrough moment, as she finally realized the essentiality of mental health. In fact, it allowed me to strike a deal with my mother: she'd take her antidepressants if I found her a good therapist. Now—fulfilling my end of the deal—I vicariously witness the benefits in my mom's life. While growing up with parents who grappled with mental illness and later facing my own mental health challenges once made me feel helpless, I now view my lived experiences as my greatest gift. It's enabled me to build a greater understanding of mental health challenges, instilling an immense sense of compassion and empathy that has been instrumental to my ability to support others on their mental health journeys. To me, obtaining a scholarship to pursue my academic interest in psychology through a college education would mean a secure path toward actualizing my greatest goal: combating the youth mental health crisis. It'll provide me the means to pursue my long-lasting love for education and work to channel psychology to enact the change that we direly need in this world and help instill mental health as a priority for communities across the world.

As someone who dreams of combating the youth mental health crisis as an aspiring psychotherapist and psychology professor, the prospect of college—both undergraduate and graduate studies—has always been a key aspiration of mine. I've always been immensely passionate about academics—constantly pursuing educational opportunities that’ll challenge me and enable me to grow as a student and changemaker. From a young age, I've been exposed to the field of psychology due to my family's experiences with mental health challenges. As a child, my life consisted of accompanying my mother, who grapples with severe mental illness, to her therapist's appointments and encouraging her to take her antidepressants. When she first explained the concept of "a doctor who talks to you and helps you feel better," my talkative curiosity piqued. I knew that I wanted to become a psychologist. By high school, everything in my life began to brighten through the lens of psychology. The psychology books replaced the novels on my nightstand. My close friends started calling me their "therapist friend." The Coursera psychology classes I enrolled in transformed into quarterly De Anza college psychology courses after my transition to Middle College—a dual-enrollment program that enables me to complete my last two years of high school at my local college. As my pursuit of psychology evolved from an aspiration to a more nuanced goal of becoming a psychotherapist and psychology professor to combat the rising mental health crisis, I found myself taking on the role of psychologist in every aspect of life. From collaborating with therapists at the Center for Developing Minds to deliver psychotherapeutic courses to neurodivergent youth, to serving as the youngest Executive Board of Director at the Depression-Bipolar-Support-Alliance of California to initiate statewide support groups for individuals with mood disorders, pursuing psychology has enabled me to help diverse communities thrive and flourish. Most gratifyingly, psychology is foundational to my youth mental health organization, Unité. Beyond aiming to combat the youth mental health crisis, at its core, Unité—the French word for unity—strives to cultivate community by honing the universal thread of psychological well-being in thousands of youth across 23-countries. Now translating our mental health resources into 11-languages, Unité takes a diverse, cross-cultural approach to uplifting mental well-being worldwide. Recently, my organization—Unité—was featured in an article in the New York Times. While this enabled me to support more people internationally, its impact also resonated personally. In sharing this milestone with my mother, I experienced a breakthrough moment, as she finally realized the essentiality of mental health. In fact, it allowed me to strike a deal with my mother: she'd take her antidepressants if I found her a good therapist. Now—fulfilling my end of the deal—I vicariously witness the benefits in my mom's life. To me, obtaining a scholarship to pursue my academic interest in psychology through a college education would mean a secure path toward actualizing my greatest goal: combating the youth mental health crisis. It'll provide me the means to pursue my long-lasting love for education and work to channel psychology to enact the change that we direly need in this world.

As someone who dreams of combating the youth mental health crisis as an aspiring psychotherapist and psychology professor, the prospect of college—both undergraduate and graduate studies—has always been a key aspiration of mine. I've always been immensely passionate about academics—constantly pursuing educational opportunities that’ll challenge me and enable me to grow as a student and changemaker. From a young age, I've been exposed to the field of psychology due to my family's and personal experiences with mental health challenges. As a child, my life consisted of accompanying my mother, who grapples with severe mental illness, to her therapist's appointments and encouraging her to take her antidepressants. When she first explained the concept of "a doctor who talks to you and helps you feel better," my talkative curiosity piqued. I knew that I wanted to become a psychologist. By high school, everything in my life began to brighten through the lens of psychology. The psychology books replaced the novels on my nightstand. My close friends started calling me their "therapist friend." The Coursera psychology classes I enrolled in transformed into quarterly De Anza college psychology courses after my transition to Middle College—a dual-enrollment program that enables me to complete my last two years of high school at my local college. As my pursuit of psychology evolved from an aspiration to a more nuanced goal of becoming a psychotherapist and psychology professor to combat the rising mental health crisis, I found myself taking on the role of psychologist in every aspect of life. From collaborating with therapists at the Center for Developing Minds to deliver psychotherapeutic courses to neurodivergent youth, to serving as the youngest Executive Board of Director at the Depression-Bipolar-Support-Alliance of California to initiate statewide support groups for individuals with mood disorders, pursuing psychology has enabled me to help diverse communities thrive and flourish. Most gratifyingly, psychology is foundational to my youth mental health organization, Unité. Beyond aiming to combat the youth mental health crisis, at its core, Unité—the French word for unity—strives to cultivate community by honing the universal thread of psychological well-being in thousands of youth across 23-countries. Now translating our mental health resources into 11-languages, Unité takes a diverse, cross-cultural approach to uplifting mental well-being worldwide. Recently, my organization—Unité—was featured in an article in the New York Times. While this enabled me to support more people internationally, its impact also resonated personally. In sharing this milestone with my mother, I experienced a breakthrough moment, as she finally realized the essentiality of mental health. In fact, it allowed me to strike a deal with my mother: she'd take her antidepressants if I found her a good therapist. Now—fulfilling my end of the deal—I vicariously witness the benefits in my mom's life. While growing up with parents who grappled with mental illness and later facing my own mental health challenges that hindered my academic experience once made me feel helpless, I now view my lived experiences as my greatest give. It's enabled me to build a greater understanding of mental health challenges, instilling an immense sense of compassion and empathy that has been instrumental to my ability to support others on their mental health journeys. To me, obtaining a scholarship to pursue my academic interest in psychology through a college education would mean a secure path toward actualizing my greatest goal: combating the youth mental health crisis. It'll provide me the means to pursue my long-lasting love for education and work to channel psychology to enact the change that we direly need in this world.

As someone who dreams of combating the youth mental health crisis as an aspiring psychiatrist and psychology professor, the prospect of college—both undergraduate and graduate studies—has always been a key aspiration of mine. I've always been immensely passionate about academics—constantly pursuing educational opportunities that’ll challenge me and enable me to grow as a student and changemaker. From a young age, I've been exposed to the field of psychiatry due to my family's experiences with mental health challenges. As a child, my life consisted of accompanying my mother, who grapples with severe mental illness, to her psychiatrist appointments and encouraging her to take her antidepressants. When she first explained the concept of "a doctor who talks to you and helps you feel better," my talkative curiosity piqued. I knew that I wanted to become a psychiatrist. By high school, everything in my life began to brighten through the lens of psychiatry and psychology. The psychology books replaced the novels on my nightstand. My close friends started calling me their "therapist friend." The Coursera psychology classes I enrolled in transformed into quarterly De Anza college psychology courses after my transition to Middle College—a dual-enrollment program that enables me to complete my last two years of high school at my local college. As my pursuit of psychiatry evolved from an aspiration to a more nuanced goal of becoming a psychiatrist and psychology professor to combat the rising mental health crisis, I found myself taking on the role of psychiatrist in every aspect of life. From collaborating with therapists at the Center for Developing Minds to deliver psychotherapeutic courses to neurodivergent youth, to serving as the youngest Executive Board of Director at the Depression-Bipolar-Support-Alliance of California to initiate statewide support groups for individuals with mood disorders, pursuing psychiatry has enabled me to help diverse communities thrive and flourish. Most gratifyingly, psychiatry is foundational to my youth mental health organization, Unité. Beyond aiming to combat the youth mental health crisis, at its core, Unité—the French word for unity—strives to cultivate community by honing the universal thread of psychological well-being in thousands of youth across 23-countries. Now translating our mental health resources into 11-languages, Unité takes a cross-cultural approach to uplifting psychological well-being worldwide. Recently, my organization—Unité—was featured in an article in the New York Times. While this enabled me to support more people internationally, its impact also resonated personally. In sharing this milestone with my mother, I experienced a breakthrough moment, as she finally realized the essentiality of mental health. In fact, it allowed me to strike a deal with my mother: she'd take her antidepressants if I found her a good therapist. Now—fulfilling my end of the deal—I vicariously witness the benefits in my mom's life. To me, earning this Scholarship would enable me to have the financial backing to pursue a career in healthcare as a psychiatrist as a means of cultivating a path toward actualizing my greatest goal: combating the youth mental health crisis. It’ll enable me to take a holistic, mind and body approach toward providing people, like my mother, the means to live happy and healthy lives.

As someone who dreams of combating the youth mental health crisis as an aspiring psychiatrist and psychology professor, the prospect of college—both undergraduate and graduate studies—has always been a key aspiration of mine. I've always been immensely passionate about academics—constantly pursuing educational opportunities that’ll challenge me and enable me to grow as a student and changemaker. From a young age, I've been exposed to the field of psychiatry due to my family's experiences with mental health challenges. As a child, my life consisted of accompanying my mother, who grapples with severe mental illness, to her psychiatrist appointments and encouraging her to take her antidepressants. When she first explained the concept of "a doctor who talks to you and helps you feel better," my talkative curiosity piqued. I knew that I wanted to become a psychiatrist. By high school, everything in my life began to brighten through the lens of psychiatry and psychology. The psychology books replaced the novels on my nightstand. My close friends started calling me their "therapist friend." The Coursera psychology classes I enrolled in transformed into quarterly De Anza college psychology courses after my transition to Middle College—a dual-enrollment program that enables me to complete my last two years of high school at my local college. As my pursuit of psychiatry evolved from an aspiration to a more nuanced goal of becoming a psychiatrist and psychology professor to combat the rising mental health crisis, I found myself taking on the role of psychiatrist in every aspect of life. From collaborating with therapists at the Center for Developing Minds to deliver psychotherapeutic courses to neurodivergent youth, to serving as the youngest Executive Board of Director at the Depression-Bipolar-Support-Alliance of California to initiate statewide support groups for individuals with mood disorders, pursuing psychiatry has enabled me to help diverse communities thrive and flourish. Most gratifyingly, psychiatry is foundational to my youth mental health organization, Unité. Beyond aiming to combat the youth mental health crisis, at its core, Unité—the French word for unity—strives to cultivate community by honing the universal thread of psychological well-being in thousands of youth across 23-countries. Now translating our mental health resources into 11-languages, Unité takes a cross-cultural approach to uplifting psychological well-being worldwide. Recently, my organization—Unité—was featured in an article in the New York Times. While this enabled me to support more people internationally, its impact also resonated personally. In sharing this milestone with my mother, I experienced a breakthrough moment, as she finally realized the essentiality of mental health. In fact, it allowed me to strike a deal with my mother: she'd take her antidepressants if I found her a good therapist. Now—fulfilling my end of the deal—I vicariously witness the benefits in my mom's life. To me, pursuing a career in healthcare as a psychiatrist is a means of cultivating a path toward actualizing my greatest goal: combating the youth mental health crisis. It’ll enable me to take a holistic, mind and body approach toward providing people, like my mother, the means to live happy and healthy lives.

As someone who dreams of combating the youth mental health crisis as an aspiring psychiatrist and psychology professor, the prospect of college—both undergraduate and graduate studies—has always been a key aspiration of mine. I've always been immensely passionate about academics—constantly pursuing educational opportunities that’ll challenge me and enable me to grow as a student and changemaker. From a young age, I've been exposed to the field of psychiatry due to my family's experiences with mental health challenges. As a child, my life consisted of accompanying my mother, who grapples with severe mental illness, to her psychiatrist appointments and encouraging her to take her antidepressants. When she first explained the concept of "a doctor who talks to you and helps you feel better," my talkative curiosity piqued. I knew that I wanted to become a psychiatrist. By high school, everything in my life began to brighten through the lens of psychiatry and psychology. The psychology books replaced the novels on my nightstand. My close friends started calling me their "therapist friend." The Coursera psychology classes I enrolled in transformed into quarterly De Anza college psychology courses after my transition to Middle College—a dual-enrollment program that enables me to complete my last two years of high school at my local college. As my pursuit of psychiatry evolved from an aspiration to a more nuanced goal of becoming a psychiatrist and psychology professor to combat the rising mental health crisis, I found myself taking on the role of psychiatrist in every aspect of life. From collaborating with therapists at the Center for Developing Minds to deliver psychotherapeutic courses to neurodivergent youth, to serving as the youngest Executive Board of Director at the Depression-Bipolar-Support-Alliance of California to initiate statewide support groups for individuals with mood disorders, pursuing psychiatry has enabled me to help diverse communities thrive and flourish. Most gratifyingly, psychiatry is foundational to my youth mental health organization, Unité. Beyond aiming to combat the youth mental health crisis, at its core, Unité—the French word for unity—strives to cultivate community by honing the universal thread of psychological well-being in thousands of youth across 23-countries. Now translating our mental health resources into 11-languages, Unité takes a cross-cultural approach to uplifting psychological well-being worldwide. Recently, my organization—Unité—was featured in an article in the New York Times. While this enabled me to support more people internationally, its impact also resonated personally. In sharing this milestone with my mother, I experienced a breakthrough moment, as she finally realized the essentiality of mental health. In fact, it allowed me to strike a deal with my mother: she'd take her antidepressants if I found her a good therapist. Now—fulfilling my end of the deal—I vicariously witness the benefits in my mom's life. To me, earning the Morgan Stem Scholarship would enable me to have the financial backing to pursue a career in healthcare as a psychiatrist as a means of cultivating a path toward actualizing my greatest goal: combating the youth mental health crisis. It’ll enable me to take a holistic, mind and body approach toward providing people, like my mother, the means to live happy and healthy lives.

As someone who dreams of combating the youth mental health crisis as an aspiring psychiatrist and psychology professor, the prospect of college—both undergraduate and graduate studies—has always been a key aspiration of mine. I've always been immensely passionate about academics—constantly pursuing educational opportunities that’ll challenge me and enable me to grow as a student and changemaker. From a young age, I've been exposed to the field of psychiatry due to my family's experiences with mental health challenges. As a child, my life consisted of accompanying my mother, who grapples with severe mental illness, to her psychiatrist appointments and encouraging her to take her antidepressants. When she first explained the concept of "a doctor who talks to you and helps you feel better," my talkative curiosity piqued. I knew that I wanted to become a psychiatrist. By high school, everything in my life began to brighten through the lens of psychiatry and psychology. The psychology books replaced the novels on my nightstand. My close friends started calling me their "therapist friend." The Coursera psychology classes I enrolled in transformed into quarterly De Anza college psychology courses after my transition to Middle College—a dual-enrollment program that enables me to complete my last two years of high school at my local college. As my pursuit of psychiatry evolved from an aspiration to a more nuanced goal of becoming a psychiatrist and psychology professor to combat the rising mental health crisis, I found myself taking on the role of psychiatrist in every aspect of life. From collaborating with therapists at the Center for Developing Minds to deliver psychotherapeutic courses to neurodivergent youth, to serving as the youngest Executive Board of Director at the Depression-Bipolar-Support-Alliance of California to initiate statewide support groups for individuals with mood disorders, pursuing psychiatry has enabled me to help diverse communities thrive and flourish. Most gratifyingly, psychiatry is foundational to my youth mental health organization, Unité. Beyond aiming to combat the youth mental health crisis, at its core, Unité—the French word for unity—strives to cultivate community by honing the universal thread of psychological well-being in thousands of youth across 23-countries. Now translating our mental health resources into 11-languages, Unité takes a cross-cultural approach to uplifting psychological well-being worldwide. Recently, my organization—Unité—was featured in an article in the New York Times. While this enabled me to support more people internationally, its impact also resonated personally. In sharing this milestone with my mother, I experienced a breakthrough moment, as she finally realized the essentiality of mental health. In fact, it allowed me to strike a deal with my mother: she'd take her antidepressants if I found her a good therapist. Now—fulfilling my end of the deal—I vicariously witness the benefits in my mom's life. To me, pursuing a career in healthcare as a psychiatrist means cultivating a path toward actualizing my greatest goal: combating the youth mental health crisis. It’ll enable me to take a holistic, mind and body approach toward providing people, like my mother, the means to live happy and healthy lives.

As someone who dreams of combating the youth mental health crisis as an aspiring psychiatrist and psychology professor, the prospect of college—both undergraduate and graduate studies—has always been a key aspiration of mine. I've always been immensely passionate about academics—constantly pursuing educational opportunities that’ll challenge me and enable me to grow as a student and changemaker. From a young age, I've been exposed to the field of psychiatry due to my family's experiences with mental health challenges. As a child, my life consisted of accompanying my mother, who grapples with severe mental illness, to her psychiatrist appointments and encouraging her to take her antidepressants. When she first explained the concept of "a doctor who talks to you and helps you feel better," my talkative curiosity piqued. I knew that I wanted to become a psychiatrist. By high school, everything in my life began to brighten through the lens of psychiatry and psychology. The psychology books replaced the novels on my nightstand. My close friends started calling me their "therapist friend." The Coursera psychology classes I enrolled in transformed into quarterly De Anza college psychology courses after my transition to Middle College—a dual-enrollment program that enables me to complete my last two years of high school at my local college. As my pursuit of psychiatry evolved from an aspiration to a more nuanced goal of becoming a psychiatrist and psychology professor to combat the rising mental health crisis, I found myself taking on the role of psychiatrist in every aspect of life. From collaborating with therapists at the Center for Developing Minds to deliver psychotherapeutic courses to neurodivergent youth, to serving as the youngest Executive Board of Director at the Depression-Bipolar-Support-Alliance of California to initiate statewide support groups for individuals with mood disorders, pursuing psychiatry has enabled me to help diverse communities thrive and flourish. Most gratifyingly, psychiatry is foundational to my youth mental health organization, Unité. Beyond aiming to combat the youth mental health crisis, at its core, Unité—the French word for unity—strives to cultivate community by honing the universal thread of psychological well-being in thousands of youth across 23-countries. Now translating our mental health resources into 11-languages, Unité takes a cross-cultural approach to uplifting psychological well-being worldwide. Recently, my organization—Unité—was featured in an article in the New York Times. While this enabled me to support more people internationally, its impact also resonated personally. In sharing this milestone with my mother, I experienced a breakthrough moment, as she finally realized the essentiality of mental health. In fact, it allowed me to strike a deal with my mother: she'd take her antidepressants if I found her a good therapist. Now—fulfilling my end of the deal—I vicariously witness the benefits in my mom's life. To me, pursuing a career in healthcare as a psychiatrist means cultivating a path toward actualizing my greatest goal: combating the youth mental health crisis. It’ll enable me to take a holistic, mind and body approach toward providing people, like my mother, the means to live happy and healthy lives.

As someone who dreams of combating the youth mental health crisis as an aspiring psychotherapist and psychology professor, the prospect of college—both undergraduate and graduate studies—has always been a key aspiration of mine. I've always been immensely passionate about academics—constantly pursuing educational opportunities that’ll challenge me and enable me to grow as a student and changemaker. From a young age, I've been exposed to the field of psychology due to my family's experiences with mental health challenges. As a child, my life consisted of accompanying my mother, who grapples with severe mental illness, to her therapist's appointments and encouraging her to take her antidepressants. When she first explained the concept of "a doctor who talks to you and helps you feel better," my talkative curiosity piqued. I knew that I wanted to become a psychologist. By high school, everything in my life began to brighten through the lens of psychology. The psychology books replaced the novels on my nightstand. My close friends started calling me their "therapist friend." The Coursera psychology classes I enrolled in transformed into quarterly De Anza college psychology courses after my transition to Middle College—a dual-enrollment program that enables me to complete my last two years of high school at my local college. As my pursuit of psychology evolved from an aspiration to a more nuanced goal of becoming a psychotherapist and psychology professor to combat the rising mental health crisis, I found myself taking on the role of psychologist in every aspect of life. From collaborating with therapists at the Center for Developing Minds to deliver psychotherapeutic courses to neurodivergent youth, to serving as the youngest Executive Board of Director at the Depression-Bipolar-Support-Alliance of California to initiate statewide support groups for individuals with mood disorders, pursuing psychology has enabled me to help diverse communities thrive and flourish. Most gratifyingly, psychology is foundational to my youth mental health organization, Unité. Beyond aiming to combat the youth mental health crisis, at its core, Unité—the French word for unity—strives to cultivate community by honing the universal thread of psychological well-being in thousands of youth across 23-countries. Now translating our mental health resources into 11-languages, Unité takes a diverse, cross-cultural approach to uplifting mental well-being worldwide. Recently, my organization—Unité—was featured in an article in the New York Times. While this enabled me to support more people internationally, its impact also resonated personally. In sharing this milestone with my mother, I experienced a breakthrough moment, as she finally realized the essentiality of mental health. In fact, it allowed me to strike a deal with my mother: she'd take her antidepressants if I found her a good therapist. Now—fulfilling my end of the deal—I vicariously witness the benefits in my mom's life. To me, obtaining a scholarship to pursue my academic interest in psychology through a college education would mean a secure path toward actualizing my greatest goal: combating the youth mental health crisis. It'll provide me the means to pursue my long-lasting love for education and work to channel psychology to enact the change that we direly need in this world.

As someone who dreams of combating the youth mental health crisis as an aspiring psychotherapist and psychology professor, the prospect of college—both undergraduate and graduate studies—has always been a key aspiration of mine. I've always been immensely passionate about academics—constantly pursuing educational opportunities that’ll challenge me and enable me to grow as a student and changemaker. From a young age, I've been exposed to the field of psychology due to my family's experiences with mental health challenges. As a child, my life consisted of accompanying my mother, who grapples with severe mental illness, to her therapist's appointments and encouraging her to take her antidepressants. When she first explained the concept of "a doctor who talks to you and helps you feel better," my talkative curiosity piqued. I knew that I wanted to become a psychologist. By high school, everything in my life began to brighten through the lens of psychology. The psychology books replaced the novels on my nightstand. My close friends started calling me their "therapist friend." The Coursera psychology classes I enrolled in transformed into quarterly De Anza college psychology courses after my transition to Middle College—a dual-enrollment program that enables me to complete my last two years of high school at my local college. As my pursuit of psychology evolved from an aspiration to a more nuanced goal of becoming a psychotherapist and psychology professor to combat the rising mental health crisis, I found myself taking on the role of psychologist in every aspect of life, empowered to instill emotional wellness within my community. From collaborating with therapists at the Center for Developing Minds to deliver psychotherapeutic courses to neurodivergent youth, to serving as the youngest Executive Board of Director at the Depression-Bipolar-Support-Alliance of California to initiate statewide support groups for individuals with mood disorders, pursuing psychology has enabled me to help diverse communities thrive and flourish. Most gratifyingly, psychology is foundational to my youth mental health organization, Unité. Beyond aiming to combat the youth mental health crisis, at its core, Unité—the French word for unity—strives to cultivate community by honing the universal thread of psychological well-being in thousands of youth across 23-countries. Now translating our mental health resources into 11-languages, Unité takes a diverse, cross-cultural approach to uplifting mental well-being worldwide. Recently, my organization—Unité—was featured in an article in the New York Times. While this enabled me to support more people internationally, its impact also resonated personally. In sharing this milestone with my mother, I experienced a breakthrough moment, as she finally realized the essentiality of mental health. In fact, it allowed me to strike a deal with my mother: she'd take her antidepressants if I found her a good therapist. Now—fulfilling my end of the deal—I vicariously witness the benefits in my mom's life. To me, obtaining a scholarship to pursue my academic interest in psychology through a college education would mean a secure path toward actualizing my greatest goal: combating the youth mental health crisis. It'll provide me the means to pursue my long-lasting love for education and work to channel psychology to provide individuals with the necessary resources they need to reach a level of psychological wellness and thrive.

As someone who dreams of combating the youth mental health crisis as an aspiring psychotherapist and psychology professor, the prospect of college—both undergraduate and graduate studies—has always been a key aspiration of mine. I've always been immensely passionate about academics—constantly pursuing educational opportunities that’ll challenge me and enable me to grow as a student and changemaker. From a young age, I've been exposed to the field of psychology due to my family's experiences with mental health challenges. As a child, my life consisted of accompanying my mother, who grapples with severe mental illness, to her therapist's appointments and encouraging her to take her antidepressants. When she first explained the concept of "a doctor who talks to you and helps you feel better," my talkative curiosity piqued. I knew that I wanted to become a psychologist. By high school, everything in my life began to brighten through the lens of psychology. The psychology books replaced the novels on my nightstand. My close friends started calling me their "therapist friend." The Coursera psychology classes I enrolled in transformed into quarterly De Anza college psychology courses after my transition to Middle College—a dual-enrollment program that enables me to complete my last two years of high school at my local college. As my pursuit of psychology evolved from an aspiration to a more nuanced goal of becoming a psychotherapist and psychology professor to combat the rising mental health crisis, I found myself taking on the role of psychologist in every aspect of life, empowered to channel my family's challenges with mental illness to uplift my community. From collaborating with therapists at the Center for Developing Minds to deliver psychotherapeutic courses to neurodivergent youth, to serving as the youngest Executive Board of Director at the Depression-Bipolar-Support-Alliance of California to initiate statewide support groups for individuals with mood disorders, pursuing psychology has enabled me to help diverse communities thrive and flourish. Most gratifyingly, psychology is foundational to my youth mental health organization, Unité. Beyond aiming to combat the youth mental health crisis, at its core, Unité—the French word for unity—strives to cultivate community by honing the universal thread of psychological well-being in thousands of youth across 23-countries. Now translating our mental health resources into 11-languages, Unité takes a diverse, cross-cultural approach to uplifting mental well-being worldwide. Recently, my organization—Unité—was featured in an article in the New York Times. While this enabled me to support more people internationally, its impact also resonated personally. In sharing this milestone with my mother, I experienced a breakthrough moment, as she finally realized the essentiality of mental health. In fact, it allowed me to strike a deal with my mother: she'd take her antidepressants if I found her a good therapist. Now—fulfilling my end of the deal—I vicariously witness the benefits in my mom's life. To me, obtaining a scholarship to pursue my academic interest in psychology through a college education would mean a secure path toward actualizing my greatest goal: combating the youth mental health crisis. It'll provide me the means to pursue my long-lasting love for education and work to channel psychology to enact the change that we direly need in this world.

As someone who dreams of combating the youth mental health crisis as an aspiring psychotherapist and psychology professor, the prospect of college—both undergraduate and graduate studies—has always been a key aspiration of mine. I've always been immensely passionate about academics—constantly pursuing educational opportunities that’ll challenge me and enable me to grow as a student and changemaker. From a young age, I've been exposed to the field of psychology due to my family's and persona experiences with mental health challenges. As a child, my life consisted of accompanying my mother, who grapples with severe mental illness, to her therapist's appointments and encouraging her to take her antidepressants. When she first explained the concept of "a doctor who talks to you and helps you feel better," my talkative curiosity piqued. I knew that I wanted to become a psychologist. By high school, everything in my life began to brighten through the lens of psychology. The psychology books replaced the novels on my nightstand. My close friends started calling me their "therapist friend." The Coursera psychology classes I enrolled in transformed into quarterly De Anza college psychology courses after my transition to Middle College—a dual-enrollment program that enables me to complete my last two years of high school at my local college. As my pursuit of psychology evolved from an aspiration to a more nuanced goal of becoming a psychotherapist and psychology professor to combat the rising mental health crisis, I found myself taking on the role of psychologist in every aspect of life. From collaborating with therapists at the Center for Developing Minds to deliver psychotherapeutic courses to neurodivergent youth, to serving as the youngest Executive Board of Director at the Depression-Bipolar-Support-Alliance of California to initiate statewide support groups for individuals with mood disorders, pursuing psychology has enabled me to help diverse communities thrive and flourish. Most gratifyingly, psychology is foundational to my youth mental health organization, Unité. Beyond aiming to combat the youth mental health crisis, at its core, Unité—the French word for unity—strives to cultivate community by honing the universal thread of psychological well-being in thousands of youth across 23-countries. Now translating our mental health resources into 11-languages, Unité takes a diverse, cross-cultural approach to uplifting mental well-being worldwide. Recently, my organization—Unité—was featured in an article in the New York Times. While this enabled me to support more people internationally, its impact also resonated personally. In sharing this milestone with my mother, I experienced a breakthrough moment, as she finally realized the essentiality of mental health. In fact, it allowed me to strike a deal with my mother: she'd take her antidepressants if I found her a good therapist. Now—fulfilling my end of the deal—I vicariously witness the benefits in my mom's life. To me, obtaining a scholarship to pursue my academic interest in psychology through a college education would mean a secure path toward actualizing my greatest goal: combating the youth mental health crisis. It'll provide me the means to pursue my long-lasting love for education and work to channel psychology to enact the change that we direly need in this world.

As someone who dreams of combating the youth mental health crisis as an aspiring psychotherapist and psychology professor, the prospect of college—both undergraduate and graduate studies—has always been a key aspiration of mine. I've always been immensely passionate about academics—constantly pursuing educational opportunities that’ll challenge me and enable me to grow as a student and changemaker. From a young age, I've been exposed to the field of psychology due to my family's experiences with mental health challenges. As a child, my life consisted of accompanying my mother, who grapples with severe mental illness, to her therapist's appointments and encouraging her to take her antidepressants. When she first explained the concept of "a doctor who talks to you and helps you feel better," my talkative curiosity piqued. I knew that I wanted to become a psychologist. By high school, everything in my life began to brighten through the lens of psychology. The psychology books replaced the novels on my nightstand. My close friends started calling me their "therapist friend." The Coursera psychology classes I enrolled in transformed into quarterly De Anza college psychology courses after my transition to Middle College—a dual-enrollment program that enables me to complete my last two years of high school at my local college. As my pursuit of psychology evolved from an aspiration to a more nuanced goal of becoming a psychotherapist and psychology professor to combat the rising mental health crisis, I found myself taking on the role of psychologist in every aspect of life. From collaborating with therapists at the Center for Developing Minds to deliver psychotherapeutic courses to neurodivergent youth, to serving as the youngest Executive Board of Director at the Depression-Bipolar-Support-Alliance of California to initiate statewide support groups for individuals with mood disorders, pursuing psychology has enabled me to help diverse communities thrive and flourish. Most gratifyingly, psychology is foundational to my youth mental health organization, Unité. Beyond aiming to combat the youth mental health crisis, at its core, Unité—the French word for unity—strives to cultivate community by honing the universal thread of psychological well-being in thousands of youth across 23-countries. Now translating our mental health resources into 11-languages, Unité takes a diverse, cross-cultural approach to uplifting mental well-being worldwide. Recently, my organization—Unité—was featured in an article in the New York Times. While this enabled me to support more people internationally, its impact also resonated personally. In sharing this milestone with my mother, I experienced a breakthrough moment, as she finally realized the essentiality of mental health. In fact, it allowed me to strike a deal with my mother: she'd take her antidepressants if I found her a good therapist. Now—fulfilling my end of the deal—I vicariously witness the benefits in my mom's life. To me, obtaining a scholarship to pursue my academic interest in psychology through a college education would mean a secure path toward actualizing my greatest goal: combating the youth mental health crisis. It'll provide me the means to pursue my long-lasting love for education and work to channel psychology to enact the change that we direly need in this world.

As someone who dreams of combating the youth mental health crisis as an aspiring psychotherapist and psychology professor, the prospect of college—both undergraduate and graduate studies—has always been a key aspiration of mine. I've always been immensely passionate about academics—constantly pursuing educational-opportunities that’ll challenge me and enable me to grow as a student and changemaker. From a young age, I've been exposed to the field of psychology due to my family's experiences with mental health challenges. As a child, my life consisted of accompanying my mother, who grapples with severe mental illness, to her therapist's appointments and encouraging her to take her antidepressants. When she first explained the concept: "a doctor who talks to you and helps you feel better," my talkative curiosity piqued. I knew that I wanted to become a psychologist. By high school, everything in my life brightened through the lens of psychology. The psychology books replaced the novels on my nightstand. My bestfriends started calling me their "therapist friend." The Coursera psychology-classes I enrolled in transformed into quarterly DeAnza college psychology courses after my transition to Middle College—a dual-enrollment program that enables me to complete my final years of high school at a college. As my pursuit of psychology evolved from an aspiration to a more nuanced goal of becoming a psychotherapist and psychology professor to combat the rising mental health crisis, I found myself taking on the role of psychologist in every aspect of life. From collaborating with therapists at the Center for Developing Minds to deliver psychotherapeutic courses to neurodivergent youth, to serving as the youngest Executive Board of Director at the Depression-Bipolar-Support-Alliance to initiate statewide support groups for individuals with mood disorders, pursuing psychology has enabled me to help diverse communities thrive and flourish. Most gratifyingly, psychology is foundational to my youth mental health organization, Unité. Beyond aiming to combat the youth mental health crisis, at its core, Unité—the French word for unity—strives to cultivate community by honing the universal thread of psychological well-being in thousands of youth across 23-countries. Now translating our mental health resources into 11-languages, Unité takes a diverse, cross-cultural approach to uplifting mental well-being worldwide. Recently, my organization—Unité—was featured in an article in the New York Times. While this enabled me to support more people internationally, its impact also resonated personally. In sharing this milestone with my mother, I experienced a breakthrough moment, as she finally realized the essentiality of mental health. In fact, it allowed me to strike a deal with my mother: she'd take her antidepressants if I found her a good therapist. Now—fulfilling my end of the deal—I vicariously witness the benefits in my mom's life. To me, obtaining a scholarship to pursue my academic interest in psychology through a college education would mean a secure path toward actualizing my greatest goal: combating the youth mental health crisis. It'll provide me the means to pursue my long-lasting love for education and work to channel psychology to enact the change that we direly need in this world.

As someone who dreams of combating the youth mental health crisis as an aspiring psychotherapist and psychology professor, the prospect of college—both undergraduate and graduate studies—has always been a key aspiration of mine. I've always been immensely passionate about academics—constantly pursuing educational opportunities that’ll challenge me and enable me to grow as a student and changemaker. From a young age, I've been exposed to the field of psychology due to my family's experiences with mental health challenges. As a child, my life consisted of accompanying my mother to her therapist's appointments and encouraging her to take her antidepressants. When she first explained the concept of "a doctor who talks to you and helps you feel better," my talkative curiosity piqued. I knew that I wanted to become a psychologist. By high school, everything in my life began to brighten through the lens of psychology. The psychology books replaced the novels on my nightstand. My close friends started calling me their "therapist friend." The Coursera psychology classes I enrolled in transformed into quarterly De Anza college psychology courses after my transition to Middle College—a dual-enrollment program that enables me to complete my last two years of high school at my local college. As my pursuit of psychology evolved from an aspiration to a more nuanced goal of becoming a psychotherapist and psychology professor to combat the rising mental health crisis, I found myself taking on the role of psychologist in every aspect of life. From collaborating with therapists at the Center for Developing Minds to deliver psychotherapeutic courses to neurodivergent youth, to serving as the youngest Executive Board of Director at the Depression-Bipolar-Support-Alliance of California to initiate statewide support groups for individuals with mood disorders, pursuing psychology has enabled me to help diverse communities thrive and flourish. Most gratifyingly, psychology is foundational to my youth mental health organization, Unité. Beyond aiming to combat the youth mental health crisis, at its core, Unité—the French word for unity—strives to cultivate community by honing the universal thread of psychological well-being in thousands of youth across 23-countries. Now translating our mental health resources into 11-languages, Unité takes a diverse, cross-cultural approach to uplifting mental well-being worldwide. Recently, my organization—Unité—was featured in an article in the New York Times. While this enabled me to support more people internationally, its impact also resonated personally. In sharing this milestone with my mother, I experienced a breakthrough moment, as she finally realized the essentiality of mental health. In fact, it allowed me to strike a deal with my mother: she'd take her antidepressants if I found her a good therapist. Now—fulfilling my end of the deal—I vicariously witness the benefits in my mom's life. To me, obtaining a scholarship to pursue my academic interest in psychology through a college education would mean a secure path toward actualizing my greatest goal: combating the youth mental health crisis. It'll provide me the means to pursue my long-lasting love for education and work to channel psychology to enact the change that we direly need in this world.

As someone who dreams of combating the youth mental health crisis as an aspiring psychotherapist and psychology professor, the prospect of college—both undergraduate and graduate studies—has always been a key aspiration of mine. I've always been immensely passionate about academics—constantly pursuing educational opportunities that’ll challenge me and enable me to grow as a student and changemaker. From a young age, I've been exposed to the field of psychology due to my family's experiences with mental health challenges. As a child, my life consisted of accompanying my mother to her therapist's appointments and encouraging her to take her antidepressants. When she first explained the concept of "a doctor who talks to you and helps you feel better," my talkative curiosity piqued. I knew that I wanted to become a psychologist. By high school, everything in my life began to brighten through the lens of psychology. The psychology books replaced the novels on my nightstand. My close friends started calling me their "therapist friend." The Coursera psychology classes I enrolled in transformed into quarterly De Anza college psychology courses after my transition to Middle College—a dual-enrollment program that enables me to complete my last two years of high school at my local college. As my pursuit of psychology evolved from an aspiration to a more nuanced goal of becoming a psychotherapist and psychology professor to combat the rising mental health crisis, I found myself taking on the role of psychologist in every aspect of life. From collaborating with therapists at the Center for Developing Minds to deliver psychotherapeutic courses to neurodivergent youth, to serving as the youngest Executive Board of Director at the Depression-Bipolar-Support-Alliance of California to initiate statewide support groups for individuals with mood disorders, pursuing psychology has enabled me to help diverse communities thrive and flourish. Most gratifyingly, psychology is foundational to my youth mental health organization, Unité. Beyond aiming to combat the youth mental health crisis, at its core, Unité—the French word for unity—strives to cultivate community by honing the universal thread of psychological well-being in thousands of youth across 23-countries. Now translating our mental health resources into 11-languages, Unité takes a diverse, cross-cultural approach to uplifting mental well-being worldwide. Recently, my organization—Unité—was featured in an article in the New York Times. While this enabled me to support more people internationally, its impact also resonated personally. In sharing this milestone with my mother, I experienced a breakthrough moment, as she finally realized the essentiality of mental health. In fact, it allowed me to strike a deal with my mother: she'd take her antidepressants if I found her a good therapist. Now—fulfilling my end of the deal—I vicariously witness the benefits in my mom's life. To me, obtaining a scholarship to pursue my academic interest in psychology through a college education would mean a secure path toward actualizing my greatest goal: combating the youth mental health crisis. It'll provide me the means to pursue my long-lasting love for education and work to channel psychology to enact the change that we direly need in this world.

As someone who dreams of combating the youth mental health crisis as an aspiring psychiatrist and psychology professor, the prospect of college—both undergraduate and graduate studies—has always been a key aspiration of mine. I've always been immensely passionate about academics—constantly pursuing educational opportunities that’ll challenge me and enable me to grow as a student and changemaker. From a young age, I've been exposed to the field of psychiatry due to my family's experiences with mental health challenges. As a child, my life consisted of accompanying my mother to her psychiatrist appointments and encouraging her to take her antidepressants. When she first explained the concept of "a doctor who talks to you and helps you feel better," my talkative curiosity piqued. I knew that I wanted to become a psychiatrist. By high school, everything in my life began to brighten through the lens of psychiatry and psychology. The psychology books replaced the novels on my nightstand. My close friends started calling me their "therapist friend." The Coursera psychology classes I enrolled in transformed into quarterly De Anza college psychology courses after my transition to Middle College—a dual-enrollment program that enables me to complete my last two years of high school at my local college. As my pursuit of psychiatry evolved from an aspiration to a more nuanced goal of becoming a psychiatrist and psychology professor to combat the rising mental health crisis, I found myself taking on the role of psychiatrist in every aspect of life. From collaborating with therapists at the Center for Developing Minds to deliver psychotherapeutic courses to neurodivergent youth, to serving as the youngest Executive Board of Director at the Depression-Bipolar-Support-Alliance of California to initiate statewide support groups for individuals with mood disorders, pursuing psychiatry has enabled me to help diverse communities thrive and flourish. Most gratifyingly, psychiatry is foundational to my youth mental health organization, Unité. Beyond aiming to combat the youth mental health crisis, at its core, Unité—the French word for unity—strives to cultivate community by honing the universal thread of psychological well-being in thousands of youth across 23-countries. Now translating our mental health resources into 11-languages, Unité takes a cross-cultural approach to uplifting psychological well-being worldwide. Recently, my organization—Unité—was featured in an article in the New York Times. While this enabled me to support more people internationally, its impact also resonated personally. In sharing this milestone with my mother, I experienced a breakthrough moment, as she finally realized the essentiality of mental health. In fact, it allowed me to strike a deal with my mother: she'd take her antidepressants if I found her a good therapist. Now—fulfilling my end of the deal—I vicariously witness the benefits in my mom's life. To me, pursuing a career in healthcare as a psychiatrist means cultivating a path toward actualizing my greatest goal: combating the youth mental health crisis. It’ll enable me to take a holistic, mind and body approach toward providing people, like my mother, the means to live happy and healthy lives.

As someone who dreams of combating the youth mental health crisis as an aspiring psychiatrist and psychology professor, the prospect of college—both undergraduate and graduate studies—has always been a key aspiration of mine. I've always been immensely passionate about academics—constantly pursuing educational opportunities that’ll challenge me and enable me to grow as a student and changemaker. From a young age, I've been exposed to the field of psychiatry due to my family's experiences with mental health challenges. As a child, my life consisted of accompanying my mother to her psychiatrist appointments and encouraging her to take her antidepressants. When she first explained the concept of "a doctor who talks to you and helps you feel better," my talkative curiosity piqued. I knew that I wanted to become a psychiatrist. By high school, everything in my life began to brighten through the lens of psychiatry and psychology. The psychology books replaced the novels on my nightstand. My close friends started calling me their "therapist friend." The Coursera psychology classes I enrolled in transformed into quarterly De Anza college psychology courses after my transition to Middle College—a dual-enrollment program that enables me to complete my last two years of high school at my local college. As my pursuit of psychiatry evolved from an aspiration to a more nuanced goal of becoming a psychiatrist and psychology professor to combat the rising mental health crisis, I found myself taking on the role of psychiatrist in every aspect of life. From collaborating with therapists at the Center for Developing Minds to deliver psychotherapeutic courses to neurodivergent youth, to serving as the youngest Executive Board of Director at the Depression-Bipolar-Support-Alliance of California to initiate statewide support groups for individuals with mood disorders, pursuing psychiatry has enabled me to help diverse communities thrive and flourish. Most gratifyingly, psychiatry is foundational to my youth mental health organization, Unité. Beyond aiming to combat the youth mental health crisis, at its core, Unité—the French word for unity—strives to cultivate community by honing the universal thread of psychological well-being in thousands of youth across 23-countries. Now translating our mental health resources into 11-languages, Unité takes a cross-cultural approach to uplifting psychological well-being worldwide. Recently, my organization—Unité—was featured in an article in the New York Times. While this enabled me to support more people internationally, its impact also resonated personally. In sharing this milestone with my mother, I experienced a breakthrough moment, as she finally realized the essentiality of mental health. In fact, it allowed me to strike a deal with my mother: she'd take her antidepressants if I found her a good therapist. Now—fulfilling my end of the deal—I vicariously witness the benefits in my mom's life. To me, pursuing a career in healthcare as a psychiatrist means cultivating a path toward actualizing my greatest goal: combating the youth mental health crisis. It’ll enable me to take a holistic, mind and body approach toward providing people, like my mother, the means to live happy and healthy lives.

As someone who dreams of combating the youth mental health crisis as an aspiring psychiatrist and psychology professor, the prospect of college—both undergraduate and graduate studies—has always been a key aspiration of mine. I've always been immensely passionate about academics—constantly pursuing educational opportunities that’ll challenge me and enable me to grow as a student and changemaker. From a young age, I've been exposed to the field of psychiatry due to my family's experiences with mental health challenges. As a child, my life consisted of accompanying my mother to her psychiatrist appointments and encouraging her to take her antidepressants. When she first explained the concept of "a doctor who talks to you and helps you feel better," my talkative curiosity piqued. I knew that I wanted to become a psychiatrist. By high school, everything in my life began to brighten through the lens of psychiatry and psychology. The psychology books replaced the novels on my nightstand. My close friends started calling me their "therapist friend." The Coursera psychology classes I enrolled in transformed into quarterly De Anza college psychology courses after my transition to Middle College—a dual-enrollment program that enables me to complete my last two years of high school at my local college. As my pursuit of psychiatry evolved from an aspiration to a more nuanced goal of becoming a psychiatrist and psychology professor to combat the rising mental health crisis, I found myself taking on the role of psychiatrist in every aspect of life. From collaborating with therapists at the Center for Developing Minds to deliver psychotherapeutic courses to neurodivergent youth, to serving as the youngest Executive Board of Director at the Depression-Bipolar-Support-Alliance of California to initiate statewide support groups for individuals with mood disorders, pursuing psychiatry has enabled me to help diverse communities thrive and flourish. Most gratifyingly, psychiatry is foundational to my youth mental health organization, Unité. Beyond aiming to combat the youth mental health crisis, at its core, Unité—the French word for unity—strives to cultivate community by honing the universal thread of psychological well-being in thousands of youth across 23-countries. Now translating our mental health resources into 11-languages, Unité takes a cross-cultural approach to uplifting psychological well-being worldwide. Recently, my organization—Unité—was featured in an article in the New York Times. While this enabled me to support more people internationally, its impact also resonated personally. In sharing this milestone with my mother, I experienced a breakthrough moment, as she finally realized the essentiality of mental health. In fact, it allowed me to strike a deal with my mother: she'd take her antidepressants if I found her a good therapist. Now—fulfilling my end of the deal—I vicariously witness the benefits in my mom's life. To me, pursuing a career in healthcare as a psychiatrist means cultivating a path toward actualizing my greatest goal: combating the youth mental health crisis. It’ll enable me to take a holistic, mind and body approach toward providing people, like my mother, the means to live happy and healthy lives.

As someone who dreams of combating the youth mental health crisis as an aspiring psychiatrist and psychology professor, the prospect of college—both undergraduate and graduate studies—has always been a key aspiration of mine. I've always been immensely passionate about academics—constantly pursuing educational opportunities that’ll challenge me and enable me to grow as a student and changemaker. From a young age, I've been exposed to the field of psychiatry due to my family's experiences with mental health challenges. As a child, my life consisted of accompanying my mother to her psychiatrist appointments and encouraging her to take her antidepressants. When she first explained the concept of "a doctor who talks to you and helps you feel better," my talkative curiosity piqued. I knew that I wanted to become a psychiatrist. By high school, everything in my life began to brighten through the lens of psychiatry and psychology. The psychology books replaced the novels on my nightstand. My close friends started calling me their "therapist friend." The Coursera psychology classes I enrolled in transformed into quarterly De Anza college psychology courses after my transition to Middle College—a dual-enrollment program that enables me to complete my last two years of high school at my local college. As my pursuit of psychiatry evolved from an aspiration to a more nuanced goal of becoming a psychiatrist and psychology professor to combat the rising mental health crisis, I found myself taking on the role of psychiatrist in every aspect of life. From collaborating with therapists at the Center for Developing Minds to deliver psychotherapeutic courses to neurodivergent youth, to serving as the youngest Executive Board of Director at the Depression-Bipolar-Support-Alliance of California to initiate statewide support groups for individuals with mood disorders, pursuing psychiatry has enabled me to help diverse communities thrive and flourish. Most gratifyingly, psychiatry is foundational to my youth mental health organization, Unité. Beyond aiming to combat the youth mental health crisis, at its core, Unité—the French word for unity—strives to cultivate community by honing the universal thread of psychological well-being in thousands of youth across 23-countries. Now translating our mental health resources into 11-languages, Unité takes a cross-cultural approach to uplifting psychological well-being worldwide. Recently, my organization—Unité—was featured in an article in the New York Times. While this enabled me to support more people internationally, its impact also resonated personally. In sharing this milestone with my mother, I experienced a breakthrough moment, as she finally realized the essentiality of mental health. In fact, it allowed me to strike a deal with my mother: she'd take her antidepressants if I found her a good therapist. Now—fulfilling my end of the deal—I vicariously witness the benefits in my mom's life. To me, pursuing a career in healthcare as a psychiatrist means cultivating a path toward actualizing my greatest goal: combating the youth mental health crisis. It’ll enable me to take a holistic, mind and body approach toward providing people, like my mother, the means to live happy and healthy lives.

7,181-miles away. Yet, our greatest separation isn’t our distance—it’s our mentality: "us vs. them." Throughout childhood, I spent summers in Iran sipping pomegranate juice, learning to read in Farsi by deciphering street signs, and risking my life to join an all-boys soccer team. Faults aside, walking into an Iranian bazaar, I’m instantly embraced by people calling me khahar—sister. Oddly, it feels safe—like home. However, as oppression and societal stressors took a toll on Iranians, it became obvious that they perceived mental health as a “privileged concern,” believing it was meant for "them"—Americans, not "us"—Iranians. As I flew back to the US, I realized I wasn’t entirely "us or them." Determined to bridge this gap, I authored "Up, Up, and Away We Let Them Go," a book featuring Zara, an Iranian girl's journey toward understanding her mental health amid adversity. Zara may pronounce “water” as “vater,” the aroma of her murky–green stew and saffron rice may permeate the whole cafeteria at lunch, and her grandma may splash water on her path to arm her with good fortune as she enters her first day of school. But, despite all of the differences, Zara feels—she loves, cries, laughs, and grieves just like her American peers. Drawing upon my Summers in Iran, Zara’s narrative not only reflects the emotional experiences that I observed in Iranians, but it also portrays a community between people of all backgrounds—united through shared and uplifted experiences of mental health. By integrating culturally-grounded psychotherapeutic lessons and highlighting an emotional struggle that’s often swept under the Persian rug, I aimed to show Iranians that mental health isn’t exclusively for "them"—it’s for all of "us." Now an author of two psychoeducational books that have been distributed throughout my Iranian and Amerian communities and used as educational resources at local mental health clinics, I’ve come to accept that I may never fully align as "us or them". But, I’ve also realized that I don’t necessarily want to. Because, by enhancing representation and cultivating mental well-being as a shared thread unifying both of my communities, I’ve been able to embody the hyphen that strings my Iranian-American identity together—transforming what I once thought was dichotomy into synchronicity and cultivating togetherness between my Iranian and American communities by honing the factors that unify us. Now, as I embrace my hyphenated-role, I’ll continue to unify communities where it’s least expected—no longer "us vs. them," but proudly "us and them."

As someone who dreams of combating the youth mental health crisis as an aspiring psychotherapist and psychology professor, the prospect of college—both undergraduate and graduate studies—has always been a key aspiration of mine. I've always been immensely passionate about academics—constantly pursuing educational opportunities that’ll challenge me and enable me to grow as a student and changemaker. From a young age, I've been exposed to the field of psychology due to my family's experiences with mental health challenges. As a child, my life consisted of accompanying my mother to her therapist's appointments and encouraging her to take her antidepressants. When she first explained the concept of "a doctor who talks to you and helps you feel better," my talkative curiosity piqued. I knew that I wanted to become a psychologist. By high school, everything in my life began to brighten through the lens of psychology. The psychology books replaced the novels on my nightstand. My close friends started calling me their "therapist friend." The Coursera psychology classes I enrolled in transformed into quarterly De Anza college psychology courses after my transition to Middle College—a dual-enrollment program that enables me to complete my last two years of high school at my local college. As my pursuit of psychology evolved from an aspiration to a more nuanced goal of becoming a psychotherapist and psychology professor to combat the rising mental health crisis, I found myself taking on the role of psychologist in every aspect of life. From collaborating with therapists at the Center for Developing Minds to deliver psychotherapeutic courses to neurodivergent youth, to serving as the youngest Executive Board of Director at the Depression-Bipolar-Support-Alliance of California to initiate statewide support groups for individuals with mood disorders, pursuing psychology has enabled me to help diverse communities thrive and flourish. Most gratifyingly, psychology is foundational to my youth mental health organization, Unité. Beyond aiming to combat the youth mental health crisis, at its core, Unité—the French word for unity—strives to cultivate community by honing the universal thread of psychological well-being in thousands of youth across 23-countries. Now translating our mental health resources into 11-languages, Unité takes a cross-cultural approach to uplifting mental well-being worldwide. Recently, my organization—Unité—was featured in an article in the New York Times. While this enabled me to support more people internationally, its impact also resonated personally. In sharing this milestone with my mother, I experienced a breakthrough moment, as she finally realized the essentiality of mental health. In fact, it allowed me to strike a deal with my mother: she'd take her antidepressants if I found her a good therapist. Now—fulfilling my end of the deal—I vicariously witness the benefits in my mom's life. To me, obtaining a scholarship to pursue my academic interest in psychology through a college education would mean a secure path toward actualizing my greatest goal: combating the youth mental health crisis. It'll provide me the means to pursue my long-lasting love for education and work to channel psychology to enact the change that we direly need in this world.

As someone who dreams of combating the youth mental health crisis as an aspiring psychotherapist and psychology professor, the prospect of college—both undergraduate and graduate studies—has always been a key aspiration of mine. I've always been immensely passionate about academics—constantly pursuing educational opportunities that’ll challenge me and enable me to grow as a student and changemaker. From a young age, I've been exposed to the field of psychology due to my family's experiences with mental health challenges. As a child, my life consisted of accompanying my mother to her therapist's appointments and encouraging her to take her antidepressants. When she first explained the concept of "a doctor who talks to you and helps you feel better," my talkative curiosity piqued. I knew that I wanted to become a psychologist. By high school, everything in my life began to brighten through the lens of psychology. The psychology books replaced the novels on my nightstand. My close friends started calling me their "therapist friend." The Coursera psychology classes I enrolled in transformed into quarterly De Anza college psychology courses after my transition to Middle College—a dual-enrollment program that enables me to complete my last two years of high school at my local college. As my pursuit of psychology evolved from an aspiration to a more nuanced goal of becoming a psychotherapist and psychology professor to combat the rising mental health crisis, I found myself taking on the role of psychologist in every aspect of life. From collaborating with therapists at the Center for Developing Minds to deliver psychotherapeutic courses to neurodivergent youth, to serving as the youngest Executive Board of Director at the Depression-Bipolar-Support-Alliance of California to initiate statewide support groups for individuals with mood disorders, pursuing psychology has enabled me to help diverse communities thrive and flourish. Most gratifyingly, psychology is foundational to my youth mental health organization, Unité. Beyond aiming to combat the youth mental health crisis, at its core, Unité—the French word for unity—strives to cultivate community by honing the universal thread of psychological well-being in thousands of youth across 23-countries. Now translating our mental health resources into 11-languages, Unité takes a cross-cultural approach to uplifting mental well-being worldwide. Recently, my organization—Unité—was featured in an article in the New York Times. While this enabled me to support more people internationally, its impact also resonated personally. In sharing this milestone with my mother, I experienced a breakthrough moment, as she finally realized the essentiality of mental health. In fact, it allowed me to strike a deal with my mother: she'd take her antidepressants if I found her a good therapist. Now—fulfilling my end of the deal—I vicariously witness the benefits in my mom's life. To me, obtaining a scholarship to pursue my academic interest in psychology through a college education would mean a secure path toward actualizing my greatest goal: combating the youth mental health crisis. It'll provide me the means to pursue my long-lasting love for education and work to channel psychology to enact the change that we direly need in this world.

As someone who dreams of combating the youth mental health crisis as an aspiring psychotherapist and psychology professor, the prospect of college—both undergraduate and graduate studies—has always been a key aspiration of mine. I've always been immensely passionate about academics—constantly pursuing educational opportunities that’ll challenge me and enable me to grow as a student and changemaker. From a young age, I've been exposed to the field of psychology due to my family's experiences with mental health challenges. As a child, my life consisted of accompanying my mother to her therapist's appointments and encouraging her to take her antidepressants. When she first explained the concept of "a doctor who talks to you and helps you feel better," my talkative curiosity piqued. I knew that I wanted to become a psychologist. By high school, everything in my life began to brighten through the lens of psychology. The psychology books replaced the novels on my nightstand. My close friends started calling me their "therapist friend." The Coursera psychology classes I enrolled in transformed into quarterly De Anza college psychology courses after my transition to Middle College—a dual-enrollment program that enables me to complete my last two years of high school at my local college. As my pursuit of psychology evolved from an aspiration to a more nuanced goal of becoming a psychotherapist and psychology professor to combat the rising mental health crisis, I found myself taking on the role of psychologist in every aspect of life. From collaborating with therapists at the Center for Developing Minds to deliver psychotherapeutic courses to neurodivergent youth, to serving as the youngest Executive Board of Director at the Depression-Bipolar-Support-Alliance of California to initiate statewide support groups for individuals with mood disorders, pursuing psychology has enabled me to help diverse communities thrive and flourish. Most gratifyingly, psychology is foundational to my youth mental health organization, Unité. Beyond aiming to combat the youth mental health crisis, at its core, Unité—the French word for unity—strives to cultivate community by honing the universal thread of psychological well-being in thousands of youth across 23-countries. Now translating our mental health resources into 11-languages, Unité takes a cross-cultural approach to uplifting mental well-being worldwide. Recently, my organization—Unité—was featured in an article in the New York Times. While this enabled me to support more people internationally, its impact also resonated personally. In sharing this milestone with my mother, I experienced a breakthrough moment, as she finally realized the essentiality of mental health. In fact, it allowed me to strike a deal with my mother: she'd take her antidepressants if I found her a good therapist. Now—fulfilling my end of the deal—I vicariously witness the benefits in my mom's life. To me, obtaining a scholarship to pursue my academic interest in psychology through a college education would mean a secure path toward actualizing my greatest goal: combating the youth mental health crisis. It'll provide me the means to pursue my long-lasting love for education and work to channel psychology to enact the change that we direly need in this world.

As someone who dreams of combating the youth mental health crisis as an aspiring psychotherapist and psychology professor, the prospect of college—both undergraduate and graduate studies—has always been a key aspiration of mine. I've always been immensely passionate about academics—constantly pursuing educational opportunities that’ll challenge me and enable me to grow as a student and changemaker. From a young age, I've been exposed to the field of psychology due to my family's experiences with mental health challenges. As a child, my life consisted of accompanying my mother to her therapist's appointments and encouraging her to take her antidepressants. When she first explained the concept of "a doctor who talks to you and helps you feel better," my talkative curiosity piqued. I knew that I wanted to become a psychologist. By high school, everything in my life began to brighten through the lens of psychology. The psychology books replaced the novels on my nightstand. My close friends started calling me their "therapist friend." The Coursera psychology classes I enrolled in transformed into quarterly De Anza college psychology courses after my transition to Middle College—a dual-enrollment program that enables me to complete my last two years of high school at my local college. As my pursuit of psychology evolved from an aspiration to a more nuanced goal of becoming a psychotherapist and psychology professor to combat the rising mental health crisis, I found myself taking on the role of psychologist in every aspect of life. From collaborating with therapists at the Center for Developing Minds to deliver psychotherapeutic courses to neurodivergent youth, to serving as the youngest Executive Board of Director at the Depression-Bipolar-Support-Alliance of California to initiate statewide support groups for individuals with mood disorders, pursuing psychology has enabled me to help diverse communities thrive and flourish. Most gratifyingly, psychology is foundational to my youth mental health organization, Unité. Beyond aiming to combat the youth mental health crisis, at its core, Unité—the French word for unity—strives to cultivate community by honing the universal thread of psychological well-being in thousands of youth across 23-countries. Now translating our mental health resources into 11-languages, Unité takes a cross-cultural approach to uplifting mental well-being worldwide. Recently, my organization—Unité—was featured in an article in the New York Times. While this enabled me to support more people internationally, its impact also resonated personally. In sharing this milestone with my mother, I experienced a breakthrough moment, as she finally realized the essentiality of mental health. In fact, it allowed me to strike a deal with my mother: she'd take her antidepressants if I found her a good therapist. Now—fulfilling my end of the deal—I vicariously witness the benefits in my mom's life. To me, obtaining a scholarship to pursue my academic interest in psychology through a college education would mean a secure path toward actualizing my greatest goal: combating the youth mental health crisis. It'll provide me the means to pursue my long-lasting love for education and work to channel psychology to enact the change that we direly need in this world.

As someone who dreams of combating the youth mental health crisis as an aspiring psychotherapist and psychology professor, the prospect of college—both undergraduate and graduate studies—has always been a key aspiration of mine. I've always been immensely passionate about academics—constantly pursuing educational opportunities that’ll challenge me and enable me to grow as a student and changemaker. From a young age, I've been exposed to the field of psychology due to my family's experiences with mental health challenges. As a child, my life consisted of accompanying my mother to her therapist's appointments and encouraging her to take her antidepressants. When she first explained the concept of "a doctor who talks to you and helps you feel better," my talkative curiosity piqued. I knew that I wanted to become a psychologist. By high school, everything in my life began to brighten through the lens of psychology. The psychology books replaced the novels on my nightstand. My close friends started calling me their "therapist friend." The Coursera psychology classes I enrolled in transformed into quarterly De Anza college psychology courses after my transition to Middle College—a dual-enrollment program that enables me to complete my last two years of high school at my local college. As my pursuit of psychology evolved from an aspiration to a more nuanced goal of becoming a psychotherapist and psychology professor to combat the rising mental health crisis, I found myself taking on the role of psychologist in every aspect of life. From collaborating with therapists at the Center for Developing Minds to deliver psychotherapeutic courses to neurodivergent youth, to serving as the youngest Executive Board of Director at the Depression-Bipolar-Support-Alliance of California to initiate statewide support groups for individuals with mood disorders, pursuing psychology has enabled me to help diverse communities thrive and flourish. Most gratifyingly, psychology is foundational to my youth mental health organization, Unité. Beyond aiming to combat the youth mental health crisis, at its core, Unité—the French word for unity—strives to cultivate community by honing the universal thread of psychological well-being in thousands of youth across 23-countries. Now translating our mental health resources into 11-languages, Unité takes a cross-cultural approach to uplifting mental well-being worldwide. Recently, my organization—Unité—was featured in an article in the New York Times. While this enabled me to support more people internationally, its impact also resonated personally. In sharing this milestone with my mother, I experienced a breakthrough moment, as she finally realized the essentiality of mental health. In fact, it allowed me to strike a deal with my mother: she'd take her antidepressants if I found her a good therapist. Now—fulfilling my end of the deal—I vicariously witness the benefits in my mom's life. To me, obtaining a scholarship to pursue my academic interest in psychology through a college education would mean a secure path toward actualizing my greatest goal: combating the youth mental health crisis. It'll provide me the means to pursue my long-lasting love for education and work to channel psychology to enact the change that we direly need in this world.

As someone who dreams of combating the youth mental health crisis as an aspiring psychotherapist and psychology professor, the prospect of college—both undergraduate and graduate studies—has always been a key aspiration of mine. I've always been immensely passionate about academics—constantly pursuing educational opportunities that’ll challenge me and enable me to grow as a student and changemaker. From a young age, I've been exposed to the field of psychology due to my family's experiences with mental health challenges. As a child, my life consisted of accompanying my mother to her therapist's appointments and encouraging her to take her antidepressants. When she first explained the concept of "a doctor who talks to you and helps you feel better," my talkative curiosity piqued. I knew that I wanted to become a psychologist. By high school, everything in my life began to brighten through the lens of psychology. The psychology books replaced the novels on my nightstand. My close friends started calling me their "therapist friend." The Coursera psychology classes I enrolled in transformed into quarterly De Anza college psychology courses after my transition to Middle College—a dual-enrollment program that enables me to complete my last two years of high school at my local college. As my pursuit of psychology evolved from an aspiration to a more nuanced goal of becoming a psychotherapist and psychology professor to combat the rising mental health crisis, I found myself taking on the role of psychologist in every aspect of life. From collaborating with therapists at the Center for Developing Minds to deliver psychotherapeutic courses to neurodivergent youth, to serving as the youngest Executive Board of Director at the Depression-Bipolar-Support-Alliance of California to initiate statewide support groups for individuals with mood disorders, pursuing psychology has enabled me to help diverse communities thrive and flourish. Most gratifyingly, psychology is foundational to my youth mental health organization, Unité. Beyond aiming to combat the youth mental health crisis, at its core, Unité—the French word for unity—strives to cultivate community by honing the universal thread of psychological well-being in thousands of youth across 23-countries. Now translating our mental health resources into 11-languages, Unité takes a cross-cultural approach to uplifting mental well-being worldwide. Recently, my organization—Unité—was featured in an article in the New York Times. While this enabled me to support more people internationally, its impact also resonated personally. In sharing this milestone with my mother, I experienced a breakthrough moment, as she finally realized the essentiality of mental health. In fact, it allowed me to strike a deal with my mother: she'd take her antidepressants if I found her a good therapist. Now—fulfilling my end of the deal—I vicariously witness the benefits in my mom's life. To me, obtaining a scholarship to pursue my academic interest in psychology through a college education would mean a secure path toward actualizing my greatest goal: combating the youth mental health crisis. It'll provide me the means to pursue my long-lasting love for education and work to channel psychology to enact the change that we direly need in this world.

As someone who dreams of combating the youth mental health crisis as an aspiring psychotherapist and psychology professor, the prospect of college—both undergraduate and graduate studies—has always been a key aspiration of mine. I've always been immensely passionate about academics—constantly pursuing educational opportunities that’ll challenge me and enable me to grow as a student and changemaker. From a young age, I've been exposed to the field of psychology due to my family's experiences with mental health challenges. As a child, my life consisted of accompanying my mother to her therapist's appointments and encouraging her to take her antidepressants. When she first explained the concept of "a doctor who talks to you and helps you feel better," my talkative curiosity piqued. I knew that I wanted to become a psychologist. By high school, everything in my life began to brighten through the lens of psychology. The psychology books replaced the novels on my nightstand. My close friends started calling me their "therapist friend." The Coursera psychology classes I enrolled in transformed into quarterly De Anza college psychology courses after my transition to Middle College—a dual-enrollment program that enables me to complete my last two years of high school at my local college. As my pursuit of psychology evolved from an aspiration to a more nuanced goal of becoming a psychotherapist and psychology professor to combat the rising mental health crisis, I found myself taking on the role of psychologist in every aspect of life. From collaborating with therapists at the Center for Developing Minds to deliver psychotherapeutic courses to neurodivergent youth, to serving as the youngest Executive Board of Director at the Depression-Bipolar-Support-Alliance of California to initiate statewide support groups for individuals with mood disorders, pursuing psychology has enabled me to help diverse communities thrive and flourish. Most gratifyingly, psychology is foundational to my youth mental health organization, Unité. Beyond aiming to combat the youth mental health crisis, at its core, Unité—the French word for unity—strives to cultivate community by honing the universal thread of psychological well-being in thousands of youth across 23-countries. Now translating our mental health resources into 11-languages, Unité takes a cross-cultural approach to uplifting mental well-being worldwide. Recently, my organization—Unité—was featured in an article in the New York Times. While this enabled me to support more people internationally, its impact also resonated personally. In sharing this milestone with my mother, I experienced a breakthrough moment, as she finally realized the essentiality of mental health. In fact, it allowed me to strike a deal with my mother: she'd take her antidepressants if I found her a good therapist. Now—fulfilling my end of the deal—I vicariously witness the benefits in my mom's life. To me, obtaining a scholarship to pursue my academic interest in psychology through a college education would mean a secure path toward actualizing my greatest goal: combating the youth mental health crisis. It'll provide me the means to pursue my long-lasting love for education and work to channel psychology to enact the change that we direly need in this world.

As someone who dreams of combating the youth mental health crisis as an aspiring psychotherapist and psychology professor, the prospect of college—both undergraduate and graduate studies—has always been a key aspiration of mine. I've always been immensely passionate about academics—constantly pursuing educational opportunities that’ll challenge me and enable me to grow as a student and changemaker. From a young age, I've been exposed to the field of psychology due to my family's experiences with mental health challenges. As a child, my life consisted of accompanying my mother to her therapist's appointments and encouraging her to take her antidepressants. When she first explained the concept of "a doctor who talks to you and helps you feel better," my talkative curiosity piqued. I knew that I wanted to become a psychologist. By high school, everything in my life began to brighten through the lens of psychology. The psychology books replaced the novels on my nightstand. My close friends started calling me their "therapist friend." The Coursera psychology classes I enrolled in transformed into quarterly De Anza college psychology courses after my transition to Middle College—a dual-enrollment program that enables me to complete my last two years of high school at my local college. As my pursuit of psychology evolved from an aspiration to a more nuanced goal of becoming a psychotherapist and psychology professor to combat the rising mental health crisis, I found myself taking on the role of psychologist in every aspect of life. From collaborating with therapists at the Center for Developing Minds to deliver psychotherapeutic courses to neurodivergent youth, to serving as the youngest Executive Board of Director at the Depression-Bipolar-Support-Alliance of California to initiate statewide support groups for individuals with mood disorders, pursuing psychology has enabled me to help diverse communities thrive and flourish. Most gratifyingly, psychology is foundational to my youth mental health organization, Unité. Beyond aiming to combat the youth mental health crisis, at its core, Unité—the French word for unity—strives to cultivate community by honing the universal thread of psychological well-being in thousands of youth across 23-countries. Now translating our mental health resources into 11-languages, Unité takes a cross-cultural approach to uplifting mental well-being worldwide. Recently, my organization—Unité—was featured in an article in the New York Times. While this enabled me to support more people internationally, its impact also resonated personally. In sharing this milestone with my mother, I experienced a breakthrough moment, as she finally realized the essentiality of mental health. In fact, it allowed me to strike a deal with my mother: she'd take her antidepressants if I found her a good therapist. Now—fulfilling my end of the deal—I vicariously witness the benefits in my mom's life. To me, obtaining a scholarship to pursue my academic interest in psychology through a college education would mean a secure path toward actualizing my greatest goal: combating the youth mental health crisis. It'll provide me the means to pursue my long-lasting love for education and work to channel psychology to enact the change that we direly need in this world.

As someone who dreams of combating the youth mental health crisis as an aspiring psychiatrist and psychology professor, the prospect of college—both undergraduate and graduate studies—has always been a key aspiration of mine. I've always been immensely passionate about academics—constantly pursuing educational opportunities that’ll challenge me and enable me to grow as a student and changemaker. From a young age, I've been exposed to the field of psychiatry due to my family's experiences with mental health challenges. As a child, my life consisted of accompanying my mother to her psychiatrist appointments and encouraging her to take her antidepressants. When she first explained the concept of "a doctor who talks to you and helps you feel better," my talkative curiosity piqued. I knew that I wanted to become a psychiatrist. By high school, everything in my life began to brighten through the lens of psychiatry and psychology. The psychology books replaced the novels on my nightstand. My close friends started calling me their "therapist friend." The Coursera psychology classes I enrolled in transformed into quarterly De Anza college psychology courses after my transition to Middle College—a dual-enrollment program that enables me to complete my last two years of high school at my local college. As my pursuit of psychiatry evolved from an aspiration to a more nuanced goal of becoming a psychiatrist and psychology professor to combat the rising mental health crisis, I found myself taking on the role of psychiatrist in every aspect of life. From collaborating with therapists at the Center for Developing Minds to deliver psychotherapeutic courses to neurodivergent youth, to serving as the youngest Executive Board of Director at the Depression-Bipolar-Support-Alliance of California to initiate statewide support groups for individuals with mood disorders, pursuing psychiatry has enabled me to help diverse communities thrive and flourish. Most gratifyingly, psychiatry is foundational to my youth mental health organization, Unité. Beyond aiming to combat the youth mental health crisis, at its core, Unité—the French word for unity—strives to cultivate community by honing the universal thread of psychological well-being in thousands of youth across 23-countries. Now translating our mental health resources into 11-languages, Unité takes a cross-cultural approach to uplifting psychological well-being worldwide. Recently, my organization—Unité—was featured in an article in the New York Times. While this enabled me to support more people internationally, its impact also resonated personally. In sharing this milestone with my mother, I experienced a breakthrough moment, as she finally realized the essentiality of mental health. In fact, it allowed me to strike a deal with my mother: she'd take her antidepressants if I found her a good therapist. Now—fulfilling my end of the deal—I vicariously witness the benefits in my mom's life. To me, pursuing a career in healthcare as a psychiatrist means cultivating a path toward actualizing my greatest goal: combating the youth mental health crisis. It’ll enable me take a holistic, mind and body approach toward providing people, like my mother, the means to live happy and healthy lives.

As someone who dreams of combating the youth mental health crisis as an aspiring psychotherapist and psychology professor, the prospect of college—both undergraduate and graduate studies—has always been a key aspiration of mine. I've always been immensely passionate about academics—constantly pursuing educational opportunities that’ll challenge me and enable me to grow as a student and changemaker. From a young age, I've been exposed to the field of psychology due to my family's experiences with mental health challenges. As a child, my life consisted of accompanying my mother to her therapist's appointments and encouraging her to take her antidepressants. When she first explained the concept of "a doctor who talks to you and helps you feel better," my talkative curiosity piqued. I knew that I wanted to become a psychologist. By high school, everything in my life began to brighten through the lens of psychology. The psychology books replaced the novels on my nightstand. My close friends started calling me their "therapist friend." The Coursera psychology classes I enrolled in transformed into quarterly De Anza college psychology courses after my transition to Middle College—a dual-enrollment program that enables me to complete my last two years of high school at my local college. As my pursuit of psychology evolved from an aspiration to a more nuanced goal of becoming a psychotherapist and psychology professor to combat the rising mental health crisis, I found myself taking on the role of psychologist in every aspect of life. From collaborating with therapists at the Center for Developing Minds to deliver psychotherapeutic courses to neurodivergent youth, to serving as the youngest Executive Board of Director at the Depression-Bipolar-Support-Alliance of California to initiate statewide support groups for individuals with mood disorders, pursuing psychology has enabled me to help diverse communities thrive and flourish. Most gratifyingly, psychology is foundational to my youth mental health organization, Unité. Beyond aiming to combat the youth mental health crisis, at its core, Unité—the French word for unity—strives to cultivate community by honing the universal thread of psychological well-being in thousands of youth across 23-countries. Now translating our mental health resources into 11-languages, Unité takes a cross-cultural approach to uplifting mental well-being worldwide. Recently, my organization—Unité—was featured in an article in the New York Times. While this enabled me to support more people internationally, its impact also resonated personally. In sharing this milestone with my mother, I experienced a breakthrough moment, as she finally realized the essentiality of mental health. In fact, it allowed me to strike a deal with my mother: she'd take her antidepressants if I found her a good therapist. Now—fulfilling my end of the deal—I vicariously witness the benefits in my mom's life. To me, obtaining a scholarship to pursue my academic interest in psychology would mean a secure path toward actualizing my greatest goal: combating the youth mental health crisis. It'll provide me the means to pursue my long-lasting love for education and work to channel psychology to enact the change that we direly need in this world.

From a young age, I've been exposed to the field of psychology due to my family's experiences with mental health challenges. As a child, my life consisted of accompanying my mother to her therapist's appointments and encouraging her to take her antidepressants. When she first explained the concept of "a doctor who talks to you and helps you feel better," my talkative curiosity piqued. I knew that I wanted to become a psychologist. By high school, everything in my life began to brighten through the lens of psychology. Psychology books replaced the novels on my nightstand. My close friends started calling me their "therapist friend." The Coursera psychology classes I enrolled in transformed into quarterly De Anza college psychology courses after my transition to Middle College—a dual-enrollment program that enables me to complete my last two years of high school at my local college. As my pursuit of psychology evolved from an aspiration to a more nuanced goal of becoming a psychotherapist and psychology professor to combat the rising mental health crisis, I found myself taking on the role of psychologist in every aspect of life. From collaborating with therapists at the Center for Developing Minds to deliver psychotherapeutic courses to neurodivergent youth, to serving as the youngest Executive Board of Director at the Depression-Bipolar-Support-Alliance of California to initiate statewide support groups for individuals with mood disorders, pursuing psychology has enabled me to help diverse communities thrive and flourish. Most gratifyingly, psychology is foundational to my youth mental health organization, Unité. Beyond aiming to combat the youth mental health crisis, at its core, Unité—the French word for unity—strives to cultivate community by honing the universal thread of psychological well-being in thousands of students across 23-countries. Now translating our mental health resources into 11-languages, Unité takes a cross-cultural approach to uplifting mental well-being worldwide. Recently, my organization—Unité—was featured in an article in the New York Times. While this enabled me to support more students internationally, its impact also resonated personally. In sharing this milestone with my mother, I experienced a breakthrough moment, as she finally realized the essentiality of mental health. In fact, it allowed me to strike a deal with my mother: she'd take her antidepressants if I found her a good therapist. Now—fulfilling my end of the deal—I vicariously witness the benefits in my mom's life. To me, my work in the mental health space emblemizes the types of reform and changes that I hope to enact in the K-12 educational system. To channel my long-lasting love for education and psychology, I hope to leverage psychoeducation to create an integrative social-emotional learning curriculum for youth early on in their lives. By educating students about mental health through an integrated approach, I'll aim to instill them with the resources they need to dismantle stigmas that ostracize individuals with mental health challenges, while also empowering youth with tangible resources to lead emotionally resilient lives. I'll also aim to expand the behavioral health workforce within the educational system, advocating for funding for more school-based psychologists along with specialized peer supporters. I also hope to expand my mental health organization, Unité, to help youth nationwide create wellness rooms at their schools so every student has a safe haven of support on campus. Ultimately, through my family's experiences with mental health and its vast implications on students nationwide, it is not only my passion but also my cherished responsibility to support youth to live happy and healthy lives. For me, earning a scholarship to further my academic pursuit of becoming a psychotherapist and educator will bring me one step closer to fulfilling this responsibility.

As someone who dreams of combating the youth mental health crisis as an aspiring psychotherapist and psychology professor, the prospect of college—both undergraduate and graduate studies—has always been a key aspiration of mine. I've always been immensely passionate about academics—constantly pursuing educational opportunities that’ll challenge me and enable me to grow as a student and changemaker. From a young age, I've been exposed to the field of psychology due to my family's experiences with mental health challenges. As a child, my life consisted of accompanying my immigrant mother to her therapist's appointments and encouraging her to take her antidepressants. When she first explained the concept of "a doctor who talks to you and helps you feel better," my talkative curiosity piqued. I knew that I wanted to become a psychologist. By high school, everything in my life began to brighten through the lens of psychology. The psychology books replaced the novels on my nightstand. My close friends started calling me their "therapist friend." The Coursera psychology classes I enrolled in transformed into quarterly De Anza college psychology courses after my transition to Middle College—a dual-enrollment program that enables me to complete my last two years of high school at my local college. As my pursuit of psychology evolved from an aspiration to a more nuanced goal of becoming a psychotherapist and psychology professor to combat the rising mental health crisis, I found myself taking on the role of psychologist in every aspect of life. From collaborating with therapists at the Center for Developing Minds to deliver psychotherapeutic courses to neurodivergent youth, to serving as the youngest Executive Board of Director at the Depression-Bipolar-Support-Alliance of California to initiate statewide support groups for individuals with mood disorders, pursuing psychology has enabled me to help diverse communities thrive and flourish. Most gratifyingly, psychology is foundational to my youth mental health organization, Unité. Beyond aiming to combat the youth mental health crisis, at its core, Unité—the French word for unity—strives to cultivate community by honing the universal thread of psychological well-being in thousands of youth across 23-countries. Now translating our mental health resources into 11-languages, Unité takes a cross-cultural approach to uplifting mental well-being worldwide. Recently, my organization—Unité—was featured in an article in the New York Times. While this enabled me to support more people internationally, its impact also resonated personally. In sharing this milestone with my mother, I experienced a breakthrough moment, as she finally realized the essentiality of mental health. In fact, it allowed me to strike a deal with my mother: she'd take her antidepressants if I found her a good therapist. Now—fulfilling my end of the deal—I vicariously witness the benefits in my mom's life. To me, obtaining a scholarship to pursue my academic interest in psychology would mean a secure path toward actualizing my greatest goal: combating the youth mental health crisis. It'll provide me the means to pursue my long-lasting love for education and work toward channeling psychology to support people, like my mother, to live happy and healthy lives.

As someone who dreams of combating the youth mental health crisis as an aspiring psychotherapist and psychology professor, the prospect of college—both undergraduate and graduate studies—has always been a key aspiration of mine. I've always been immensely passionate about academics—constantly pursuing educational opportunities that’ll challenge me and enable me to grow as a student and changemaker. From a young age, I've been exposed to the field of psychology due to my family's experiences with mental health challenges. As a child, my life consisted of accompanying my mother to her therapist's appointments and encouraging her to take her antidepressants. When she first explained the concept of "a doctor who talks to you and helps you feel better," my talkative curiosity piqued. I knew that I wanted to become a psychologist. By high school, everything in my life began to brighten through the lens of psychology. The psychology books replaced the novels on my nightstand. My close friends started calling me their "therapist friend." The Coursera psychology classes I enrolled in transformed into quarterly De Anza college psychology courses after my transition to Middle College—a dual-enrollment program that enables me to complete my last two years of high school at my local college. As my pursuit of psychology evolved from an aspiration to a more nuanced goal of becoming a psychotherapist and psychology professor to combat the rising mental health crisis, I found myself taking on the role of psychologist in every aspect of life. From collaborating with therapists at the Center for Developing Minds to deliver psychotherapeutic courses to neurodivergent youth, to serving as the youngest Executive Board of Director at the Depression-Bipolar-Support-Alliance of California to initiate statewide support groups for individuals with mood disorders, pursuing psychology has enabled me to help diverse communities thrive and flourish. Most gratifyingly, psychology is foundational to my youth mental health organization, Unité. Beyond aiming to combat the youth mental health crisis, at its core, Unité—the French word for unity—strives to cultivate community by honing the universal thread of psychological well-being in thousands of youth across 23-countries. Now translating our mental health resources into 11-languages, Unité takes a cross-cultural approach to uplifting mental well-being worldwide. Recently, my organization—Unité—was featured in an article in the New York Times. While this enabled me to support more people internationally, its impact also resonated personally. In sharing this milestone with my mother, I experienced a breakthrough moment, as she finally realized the essentiality of mental health. In fact, it allowed me to strike a deal with my mother: she'd take her antidepressants if I found her a good therapist. Now—fulfilling my end of the deal—I vicariously witness the benefits in my mom's life. To me, obtaining a scholarship to pursue my academic interest in psychology would mean a secure path toward actualizing my greatest goal: combating the youth mental health crisis. It'll provide me the means to pursue my long-lasting love for education and work toward channeling psychology to support people, like my parents, to live happy and healthy lives.

As someone who dreams of combating the youth mental health crisis as an aspiring psychotherapist and psychology professor, the prospect of college—both undergraduate and graduate studies—has always been a key aspiration of mine. I've always been immensely passionate about academics—constantly pursuing educational opportunities that’ll challenge me and enable me to grow as a student and changemaker. From a young age, I've been exposed to the field of psychology due to my family's experiences with mental health challenges. As a child, my life consisted of accompanying my mother to her therapist's appointments and encouraging her to take her antidepressants. When she first explained the concept of "a doctor who talks to you and helps you feel better," my talkative curiosity piqued. I knew that I wanted to become a psychologist. By high school, everything in my life began to brighten through the lens of psychology. The psychology books replaced the novels on my nightstand. My close friends started calling me their "therapist friend." The Coursera psychology classes I enrolled in transformed into quarterly De Anza college psychology courses after my transition to Middle College—a dual-enrollment program that enables me to complete my last two years of high school at my local college. As my pursuit of psychology evolved from an aspiration to a more nuanced goal of becoming a psychotherapist and psychology professor to combat the rising mental health crisis, I found myself taking on the role of psychologist in every aspect of life. From collaborating with therapists at the Center for Developing Minds to deliver psychotherapeutic courses to neurodivergent youth, to serving as the youngest Executive Board of Director at the Depression-Bipolar-Support-Alliance of California to initiate statewide support groups for individuals with mood disorders, pursuing psychology has enabled me to help diverse communities thrive and flourish. Most gratifyingly, psychology is foundational to my youth mental health organization, Unité. Beyond aiming to combat the youth mental health crisis, at its core, Unité—the French word for unity—strives to cultivate community by honing the universal thread of psychological well-being in thousands of youth across 23-countries. Now translating our mental health resources into 11-languages, Unité takes a cross-cultural approach to uplifting mental well-being worldwide. Recently, my organization—Unité—was featured in an article in the New York Times. While this enabled me to support more people internationally, its impact also resonated personally. In sharing this milestone with my mother, I experienced a breakthrough moment, as she finally realized the essentiality of mental health. In fact, it allowed me to strike a deal with my mother: she'd take her antidepressants if I found her a good therapist. Now—fulfilling my end of the deal—I vicariously witness the benefits in my mom's life. To me, obtaining a scholarship to pursue my academic interest in psychology would mean a secure path toward actualizing my greatest goal: combating the youth mental health crisis. It'll provide me the means to pursue my long-lasting love for education and work toward channeling psychology to support people, like my parents, to live happy and healthy lives.

As someone who dreams of combating the youth mental health crisis as an aspiring psychotherapist and psychology professor, the prospect of college—both undergraduate and graduate studies—has always been a key aspiration of mine. I've always been immensely passionate about academics—constantly pursuing educational opportunities that’ll challenge me and enable me to grow as a student and changemaker. From a young age, I've been exposed to the field of psychology due to my family's experiences with mental health challenges. As a child, my life consisted of accompanying my mother to her therapist's appointments and encouraging her to take her antidepressants. When she first explained the concept of "a doctor who talks to you and helps you feel better," my talkative curiosity piqued. I knew that I wanted to become a psychologist. By high school, everything in my life began to brighten through the lens of psychology. The psychology books replaced the novels on my nightstand. My close friends started calling me their "therapist friend." The Coursera psychology classes I enrolled in transformed into quarterly De Anza college psychology courses after my transition to Middle College—a dual-enrollment program that enables me to complete my last two years of high school at my local college. As my pursuit of psychology evolved from an aspiration to a more nuanced goal of becoming a psychotherapist and psychology professor to combat the rising mental health crisis, I found myself taking on the role of psychologist in every aspect of life. From collaborating with therapists at the Center for Developing Minds to deliver psychotherapeutic courses to neurodivergent youth, to serving as the youngest Executive Board of Director at the Depression-Bipolar-Support-Alliance of California to initiate statewide support groups for individuals with mood disorders, pursuing psychology has enabled me to help diverse communities thrive and flourish. Most gratifyingly, psychology is foundational to my youth mental health organization, Unité. Beyond aiming to combat the youth mental health crisis, at its core, Unité—the French word for unity—strives to cultivate community by honing the universal thread of psychological well-being in thousands of youth across 23-countries. Now translating our mental health resources into 11-languages, Unité takes a cross-cultural approach to uplifting mental well-being worldwide. Recently, my organization—Unité—was featured in an article in the New York Times. While this enabled me to support more people internationally, its impact also resonated personally. In sharing this milestone with my mother, I experienced a breakthrough moment, as she finally realized the essentiality of mental health. In fact, it allowed me to strike a deal with my mother: she'd take her antidepressants if I found her a good therapist. Now—fulfilling my end of the deal—I vicariously witness the benefits in my mom's life. To me, obtaining a scholarship to pursue my academic interest in psychology would mean a secure path toward actualizing my greatest goal: combating the youth mental health crisis. It'll provide me the means to pursue my long-lasting love for education and work toward channeling psychology to support people, like my parents, to live happy and healthy lives.

As someone who dreams of combating the youth mental health crisis as an aspiring psychotherapist and psychology professor, the prospect of college—both undergraduate and graduate studies—has always been a key aspiration of mine. I've always been immensely passionate about academics—constantly pursuing educational opportunities that’ll challenge me and enable me to grow as a student and changemaker. From a young age, I've been exposed to the field of psychology due to my family's experiences with mental health challenges. As a child, my life consisted of accompanying my mother to her therapist's appointments and encouraging her to take her antidepressants. When she first explained the concept of "a doctor who talks to you and helps you feel better," my talkative curiosity piqued. I knew that I wanted to become a psychologist. By high school, everything in my life began to brighten through the lens of psychology. The psychology books replaced the novels on my nightstand. My close friends started calling me their "therapist friend." The Coursera psychology classes I enrolled in transformed into quarterly De Anza college psychology courses after my transition to Middle College—a dual-enrollment program that enables me to complete my last two years of high school at my local college. As my pursuit of psychology evolved from an aspiration to a more nuanced goal of becoming a psychotherapist and psychology professor to combat the rising mental health crisis, I found myself taking on the role of psychologist in every aspect of life. From collaborating with therapists at the Center for Developing Minds to deliver psychotherapeutic courses to neurodivergent youth, to serving as the youngest Executive Board of Director at the Depression-Bipolar-Support-Alliance of California to initiate statewide support groups for individuals with mood disorders, pursuing psychology has enabled me to help diverse communities thrive and flourish. Most gratifyingly, psychology is foundational to my youth mental health organization, Unité. Beyond aiming to combat the youth mental health crisis, at its core, Unité—the French word for unity—strives to cultivate community by honing the universal thread of psychological well-being in thousands of youth across 23-countries. Now translating our mental health resources into 11-languages, Unité takes a cross-cultural approach to uplifting mental well-being worldwide. Recently, my organization—Unité—was featured in an article in the New York Times. While this enabled me to support more people internationally, its impact also resonated personally. In sharing this milestone with my mother, I experienced a breakthrough moment, as she finally realized the essentiality of mental health. In fact, it allowed me to strike a deal with my mother: she'd take her antidepressants if I found her a good therapist. Now—fulfilling my end of the deal—I vicariously witness the benefits in my mom's life. To me, obtaining a scholarship to pursue my academic interest in psychology would mean a secure path toward actualizing my greatest goal: combating the youth mental health crisis. It'll provide me the means to pursue my long-lasting love for education and work toward channeling psychology to support people, like my parents, to live happy and healthy lives.

As someone who dreams of combating the youth mental health crisis as an aspiring psychotherapist and psychology professor, the prospect of college—both undergraduate and graduate studies—has always been a key aspiration of mine. I've always been immensely passionate about academics—constantly pursuing educational opportunities that’ll challenge me and enable me to grow as a student and changemaker. From a young age, I've been exposed to the field of psychology due to my family's experiences with mental health challenges. As a child, my life consisted of accompanying my mother to her therapist's appointments and encouraging her to take her antidepressants. When she first explained the concept of "a doctor who talks to you and helps you feel better," my talkative curiosity piqued. I knew that I wanted to become a psychologist. By high school, everything in my life began to brighten through the lens of psychology. The psychology books replaced the novels on my nightstand. My close friends started calling me their "therapist friend." The Coursera psychology classes I enrolled in transformed into quarterly De Anza college psychology courses after my transition to Middle College—a dual-enrollment program that enables me to complete my last two years of high school at my local college. As my pursuit of psychology evolved from an aspiration to a more nuanced goal of becoming a psychotherapist and psychology professor to combat the rising mental health crisis, I found myself taking on the role of psychologist in every aspect of life. From collaborating with therapists at the Center for Developing Minds to deliver psychotherapeutic courses to neurodivergent youth, to serving as the youngest Executive Board of Director at the Depression-Bipolar-Support-Alliance of California to initiate statewide support groups for individuals with mood disorders, pursuing psychology has enabled me to help diverse communities thrive and flourish. Most gratifyingly, psychology is foundational to my youth mental health organization, Unité. Beyond aiming to combat the youth mental health crisis, at its core, Unité—the French word for unity—strives to cultivate community by honing the universal thread of psychological well-being in thousands of youth across 23-countries. Now translating our mental health resources into 11-languages, Unité takes a cross-cultural approach to uplifting mental well-being worldwide. Recently, my organization—Unité—was featured in an article in the New York Times. While this enabled me to support more people internationally, its impact also resonated personally. In sharing this milestone with my mother, I experienced a breakthrough moment, as she finally realized the essentiality of mental health. In fact, it allowed me to strike a deal with my mother: she'd take her antidepressants if I found her a good therapist. Now—fulfilling my end of the deal—I vicariously witness the benefits in my mom's life. To me, obtaining a scholarship to pursue my academic interest in psychology would mean a secure path toward actualizing my greatest goal: combating the youth mental health crisis. It'll provide me the means to pursue my long-lasting love for education and work toward channeling psychology to support people, like my parents, to live happy and healthy lives.

As someone who dreams of combating the youth mental health crisis as an aspiring psychiatrist and psychology professor, the prospect of pursuing healthcare has always been a key aspiration of mine. I've always been immensely passionate about the behavioral health sciences, using the mind and its inextricable ties to the body as a means of enabling people and communities to thrive. From a young age, I've been exposed to the brain sciences due to my family's experiences with mental health challenges. As a child, my life consisted of accompanying my mother to her psychiatrist appointments and encouraging her to take her antidepressants. When she first explained the concept of "a doctor who talks to you and helps you feel better," my talkative curiosity piqued. I knew that I wanted to become a psychiatrist. By high school, everything in my life began to brighten through the lens of psychiatry. The psychology books replaced the novels on my nightstand. My close friends started calling me their "therapist friend." The Coursera psychology classes I enrolled in transformed into quarterly De Anza college psychology courses after my transition to Middle College—a dual-enrollment program that enables me to complete my last two years of high school at my local college. As my pursuit of psychiatry evolved from an aspiration to a more nuanced goal of becoming a psychiatrist and psychology professor to combat the rising mental health crisis, I found myself taking on the role of psychiatrist in every aspect of life. From collaborating with therapists at the Center for Developing Minds to deliver psychotherapeutic courses to neurodivergent youth, to serving as the youngest Executive Board of Director at the Depression-Bipolar-Support-Alliance of California to initiate statewide support groups for individuals with mood disorders, pursuing psychiatry has enabled me to help diverse communities thrive and flourish. Most gratifyingly, psychiatry is foundational to my youth mental health organization, Unité. Beyond aiming to combat the youth mental health crisis, at its core, Unité—the French word for unity—strives to cultivate community by honing the universal thread of psychological well-being in thousands of youth across 23-countries. Now translating our mental health resources into 11-languages, Unité takes a cross-cultural approach to uplifting mental well-being worldwide. Recently, my organization—Unité—was featured in an article in the New York Times. While this enabled me to support more people internationally, its impact also resonated personally. In sharing this milestone with my mother, I experienced a breakthrough moment, as she finally realized the essentiality of mental health. In fact, it allowed me to strike a deal with my mother: she'd take her antidepressants if I found her a good therapist. Now—fulfilling my end of the deal—I vicariously witness the benefits in my mom's life. To me, pursuing a career in healthcare as a psychiatrist means cultivating a path toward actualizing my greatest goal: combating the raging mental health crisis. It’ll enable me to take a holistic, mind and body approach toward providing people, like my mother, the means to live happy and healthy lives.