On November 3rd, 2018, people who cared for me noticed that my behavior was very erratic. I was eating and sleeping less but still felt like I had drunk 3 cups of coffee. I became more easily irritated and agitated with my close friends and mentors who were not doing anything wrong. It turns out I was experiencing my first manic episode. And after multiple people contacted Student Care & Outreach, my scholarship director drove me to the emergency room of a local hospital. While there I was diagnosed with Bipolar 1 Disorder and my life was never the same. Once released, I took a medical leave from my university because that’s what everyone recommended, but I didn’t have any real direction. My family didn't know what to do. I didn’t know what to do. I stopped taking the medication I was prescribed because it caused me to be severely depressed. I didn’t have a psychiatrist or a therapist. I was just going about life, floating and not really engaged. Eventually, I became more engaged and self-sufficient to work full-time. Things were good for a while, but then another manic episode happened. No one could deny my diagnosis or dismiss it as a one-time thing anymore. So, I got connected to a psychiatrist and therapist and went to a bipolar support group. Over the next 3 years, I would have 2 more manic and depressive episodes. In between that time, I returned to my university but had to take another medical leave. I was told by my scholarship director that if I took leave and returned my scholarship will not cover my last semester and I couldn’t fail or withdraw from any classes. He suggested that I should transfer. When I was told this, I felt fear and anger, and then I settled for determination. I believed in a college education, and I knew that God wants me to be at my university. So, I agreed to the stipulations, and I committed to getting better and returning to college in the fall of 2022. During my second medical leave, I had to self-advocate for trying a different medication regimen. After being stable for a couple of months, I started working full-time. After a couple more months I completed a program to become a certified nursing assistant. A month passed and I moved out of my mother’s house. Then I got another job. All the while I was attending therapy weekly, going to the gym, and eating healthy. While working at Target, I met a person that co-founded a nonprofit called Psybriety. I shared my story with the co-founder, and she asked if I wanted to be interviewed and if I wrote a script before. She encouraged me to give it a shot. So, I wrote a script titled “Sorry for What I Said While Manic.” That short film will be released in May of this year. This experience caused me to change my major to psychology and minor in communications and African & African-American studies. Through this experience, I wondered how many other students have been through something similar and wish they had someone to relate to or support them. Because of this, I created the TLC Zone, a mental health podcast that seeks to create a space in which those in the Black community and our allies can have an honest and vulnerable conversation about experiencing a mental health disorder. Also, I plan on creating a scholarship for high school and college students who have experienced a mental health crisis and needed to take a medical leave.

On November 3rd, 2018, people who cared for me noticed that my behavior was very erratic. I was eating and sleeping less but still felt like I had drunk 3 cups of coffee. I became more easily irritated and agitated with my close friends and mentors who were not doing anything wrong. It turns out I was experiencing my first manic episode. And after multiple people contacted Student Care & Outreach, my scholarship director drove me to the emergency room of a local hospital. While there I was diagnosed with Bipolar 1 Disorder and my life was never the same. Once released, I took a medical leave from my university because that’s what everyone recommended, but I didn’t have any real direction. My family didn't know what to do. I didn’t know what to do. I stopped taking the medication I was prescribed because it caused me to be severely depressed. I didn’t have a psychiatrist or a therapist. I was just going about life, floating and not really engaged. Eventually, I became more engaged and self-sufficient to work full-time. Things were good for a while, but then another manic episode happened. No one could deny my diagnosis or dismiss it as a one-time thing anymore. So, I got connected to a psychiatrist and therapist and went to a bipolar support group. Over the next 3 years, I would have 2 more manic and depressive episodes. In between that time, I returned to my university but had to take another medical leave. I was told by my scholarship director that if I took leave and returned my scholarship will not cover my last semester and I couldn’t fail or withdraw from any classes. He suggested that I should transfer. When I was told this, I felt fear and anger, and then I settled for determination. I believed in a college education, and I knew that God wants me to be at my university. So, I agreed to the stipulations, and I committed to getting better and returning to college in the fall of 2022. During my second medical leave, I had to self-advocate for trying a different medication regimen. After being stable for a couple of months, I started working full-time. After a couple more months I completed a program to become a certified nursing assistant. A month passed and I moved out of my mother’s house. Then I got another job. All the while I was attending therapy weekly, going to the gym, and eating healthy. While working at Target, I met a person that co-founded a nonprofit called Psybriety. I shared my story with the co-founder, and she asked if I wanted to be interviewed and if I wrote a script before. She encouraged me to give it a shot. So, I wrote a script titled “Sorry for What I Said While Manic.” That short film will be released in May of this year. This experience caused me to change my major to psychology and minor in communications and African & African-American studies. Through this experience, I wondered how many other students have been through something similar and wish they had someone to relate to or support them. Because of this, I created the TLC Zone, a mental health podcast that seeks to create a space in which those in the Black community and our allies can have an honest and vulnerable conversation about experiencing a mental health disorder. Also, I plan on creating a scholarship for high school and college students who have experienced a mental health crisis and needed to take a medical leave.

Living in a time where you're no longer sheltered from the problems of this world but constantly reminded of individuals who have quickly amassed influence and wealth at a young age, addressing social problems can be overwhelming for me. I often find myself comparing myself to more successful nonprofit founders and social entrepreneurs, punishing myself for not doing enough or more. I was freed from this mental anguish once I adopted this one quote by Theodore Roosevelt, “Do what you can, with what you've got, where you are.” Hi, my name is Noah Dyson, and I am the founder of The Love Catalyst, a nonprofit that seeks to end the stigma of mental illness within the Black community and connect Black people with mental health resources. For years when working on building this organization, I jumped from one big idea to another, never fully following through on my ideas because of their size. One year, I wanted to host a mental health expo, and another, I wanted to create a mobile app that helps Black people find affordable and culturally competent mental health providers. I never could figure out why I couldn’t follow through. I always just blamed my lack of discipline. But then I heard that quote, and I couldn’t get it out of my head. Theodore Roosevelt is one of the most highly regarded presidents in our country’s history because of all the advancements and challenges he helped guide this country through. I asked myself why he would say to just do what you can; it just seemed so mundane, not fitting for someone so successful. I talked to my mentor about it, and he explained that I shouldn’t despise small beginnings. That doing what you can just means you are doing what is within your means. I’ve come to understand this quote as meaning to do what you are physically, emotionally, and mentally able to do, using the resources at your disposal to impact the environment you are currently in. This epiphany has not only helped to shed the weight of feeling like I am not doing enough but also given me a sense of direction. My goal for the past two years has been to increase my means by forming key partnerships and completing a manageable project that aligns with my organization's mission. In 2022, I partnered with a not-for-profit organization called Psybriety that promotes mental health awareness through creating & producing short films, interviews, and graphics. During the month of May, which is Mental Health Awareness month, Psybriety has released an interview with me detailing my experience with bipolar disorder. This May, we are planning to premiere a short film I wrote titled, “Sorry for What I Said While Manic.” Over this year, I hope to partner with Mental Health First Aid to offer training to student organizations at my college on how to identify and respond to someone having a mental health crisis. The project I am currently working on is a podcast called the TLC Zone, a mental health podcast that seeks to create a space in which those in the Black community and our allies can have an honest and vulnerable conversation about experiencing a mental health disorder (MHD). I release content weekly on Spotify and Instagram. It's been incredible to follow through on my ideas. By adopting this philosophy, I have renewed my faith in creating a world where Black people do not fear but have access to mental health care.