Relaxation is paramount to supporting one's mental health. I had heard mediation was helpful for people to recenter and bring calm into their lives. As a naturally anxious person, I explored many different mediation classes and apps, but found no respite. In 2018, when my nephew was born, I found the answer to what I had been searching for through cross-stitching. Cross-stitching is one of the more under-rated forms of crafting. Many brush it off as something their grandmothers would do, but I found that by embracing my inner grandmother, I found my soothing hobby. Cross-stitching movements are repetitive and calming, giving me the meditative, soothing sensations I had been searching for. I used to have trouble sleeping, staring at the ceiling for hours until my brain finally silenced. Since taking up cross-stitching, my time is for one hour before bed, I have been able to fall asleep within a few minutes of my head hitting the pillow. But, what makes cross-stitching so wonderful goes beyond the mental health benefits. There are hundreds upon thousands of designs varying in levels of complexity to bring out your inner artist. Or even your inner class clown through silly sayings. I have yet to make one for myself, but give each one to friends and family members. It is a wonderful way to give sentimental gifts to your loved ones. I have made Moana for my nephew, Frida Kahlo for my mother, The Rosebud Hotel for my father, a picture of my boyfriend's cat, Gracie, and many more. Finally, I am lucky enough that one of my best friends also cross-stitches, so we come together weekly to "stitch and bitch" to reconnect at the end of the week. Cross-stitching has changed my life by giving me calm, creativity and connection.

I have seen how better mental health can save lives and improve quality of life. I lost one friend and actively played roles in saving two others from suicide. By speaking openly about my own recovery from an eating disorder and physical trauma and encouraging those around me to seek therapy, in good and bad times, I work tirelessly to end the stigma about seeking help. My commitment to wellness is why I loved my work at The 36-24-36 Project and started volunteering at The Neighbor Network to call seniors to combat loneliness during Covid-19. As an English teacher in Israel on the Jordanian border, I watched my colleagues give up on a bully. Talia had no friends and was routinely kicked out of class for her outbursts. Drawing on my own experience, I sensed her behavior stemmed from deep pain. With permission from her mother and approval from the administration, weekly, I’d take her to a candy store or a local bakery. My aim was to develop a connection through sweets. As chocolate melted through her fingers she relayed her father had abandoned her mother and six siblings, her mother’s struggle through recovery, often going without food. In time, she shared her favorite songs and gingerly started using English in our conversations over baklava. A few months into our meetups, I asked for a volunteer to read a passage in class. Talia’s hand shot into the air. The class sat stunned as Talia read a paragraph of two elephants dancing through a puddle. Her smile lit up the room as we cheered her success. By the end of the year, she was no longer disrupting class, had made friends and passed English. I am proud of Talia, but I was the one that learned the most. I garnered cooperation among teachers, family and school administrators for Talia’s benefit by communicating across cultures within a school system I was unfamiliar with. Differences can be mitigated among stakeholders, we just need the wherewithal to listen. My fascination with people and enthusiasm for mental health led me to study psychology and volunteer at an outpatient eating disorder clinic. An interdisciplinary team supported each patient on their journey to recovery. My job was checking in on former patients. Many could not afford further services; others felt they had not received proper care. Their concerns made sense: the therapists were stretched thin, saddled with administrative work. Poor business management affected the quality of care patients received. The work was rewarding, but I began to worry: as a therapist, would I be able to deliver quality care under similar circumstances? Here, I decided to change course to address these macro problems among patients and providers. With this as an impetus, I am pursuing an MHA/MBA. I will be attending Cornell University and have received their prestigious Forte Fellowship and Sloan Leadership Fellowship, where I hope to bring my passion for mental health to Cornell's campus.

Access to healthcare is the biggest barrier to addressing mental health. We have come a long way fighting the stigma against addressing mental health, but we still have a long way to go in America serving our communities. One practical solution to helping more people struggling with mental health is to require counselors, therapists, and clinics to provide a set amount of pro bono work. In New York State Court of Appeals require 50 hours of pro bono work to qualify for the bar. To be licensed or certified, mental health companies and therapists should be required to do the same. This will open opportunities to people struggling with mental health without insurance to access resources, without waiting until emergencies, and bogging down crisis hotlines like The Trevor Project. Before therapy can become integrated into our health insurance, like eye care or dental, we need to help by providing free resources.