As a 19-year-old Jamaican-Haitian woman navigating life with a psychological disorder, it has been quite a journey, filled with highs and lows. But I can confidently say that it has shaped me into someone who's incredibly passionate about mental health advocacy and community service. Living with a psychological disorder has given me a unique perspective on the importance of mental health awareness and support, especially within marginalized communities like the Jamaican and Haitian diaspora– of which I am part of. I've seen firsthand how stigma and lack of access to resources can exacerbate mental health issues, and I'm determined to make a difference. In addition to the damaging effects of this stigma, the perception of getting help specifically in Haitian families is somewhat grounded upon. It makes it extremely hard for Haitian children and adults to seek the help they would very much benefit from. Completing my medical degree is just one step in my journey towards serving my community. With the knowledge and skills I gain, I hope to become a psychiatrist specializing in culturally competent care. I want to create safe spaces where individuals from diverse backgrounds feel heard, understood, and supported in their mental health journey. Beyond clinical practice, I aspire to be actively involved in community outreach programs, providing education and resources to those who need it most. Whether it's organizing mental health workshops, advocating for policy change, or simply being a compassionate listener, I want to be a catalyst for positive change in my community. Ultimately, my goal is to break down the barriers that prevent people from seeking help and to foster a culture of acceptance and support around mental health. I believe that through community service and advocacy, we can create a world where everyone has the opportunity to thrive, regardless of their psychological struggles.

Living at the intersection of multiple identities has taught me the importance of representation, understanding, and support within communities that often face stigma and discrimination. My experiences have ignited a passion within me to pursue a career in medicine, with a focus on serving marginalized communities, particularly within the context of Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs). These institutions hold a special place in my heart, as they not only celebrate the richness of Black culture and heritage but also serve as beacons of hope and empowerment for individuals like me. Upon completion of my medical degree at an HBCU, I aspire to leverage my education and experiences to make a meaningful impact in the realm of community service. One of my primary goals is to destigmatize mental health within minority communities, where discussions surrounding psychological disorders are often met with silence or shame. I envision establishing community-based mental health initiatives that prioritize culturally competent care and holistic approaches to wellness. This includes providing resources, fostering safe spaces for dialogue, and implementing educational programs aimed at increasing awareness and understanding of mental health issues. Furthermore, I hope to actively engage with local organizations and grassroots movements to address systemic barriers to healthcare access and advocate for policies that promote equitable treatment for all individuals, regardless of their background or circumstances. Through my work, I aim to inspire others to embrace their own stories, break down barriers, and collectively work towards building healthier and more resilient communities.

As a 19-year-old Jamaican-Haitian woman navigating life with a psychological disorder, it has been quite a journey, filled with highs and lows. But I can confidently say that it has shaped me into someone who's incredibly passionate about mental health advocacy and community service. Living with a psychological disorder has given me a unique perspective on the importance of mental health awareness and support, especially within marginalized communities like the Jamaican and Haitian diaspora– of which I am part of. I've seen firsthand how stigma and lack of access to resources can exacerbate mental health issues, and I'm determined to make a difference. Completing my medical degree is just one step in my journey towards serving my community. With the knowledge and skills I gain, I hope to become a psychiatrist specializing in culturally competent care. I want to create safe spaces where individuals from diverse backgrounds feel heard, understood, and supported in their mental health journey. Beyond clinical practice, I aspire to be actively involved in community outreach programs, providing education and resources to those who need it most. Whether it's organizing mental health workshops, advocating for policy change, or simply being a compassionate listener, I want to be a catalyst for positive change in my community. Ultimately, my goal is to break down the barriers that prevent people from seeking help and to foster a culture of acceptance and support around mental health. I believe that through community service and advocacy, we can create a world where everyone has the opportunity to thrive, regardless of their psychological struggles.

As I begin my journey to becoming a physician, I imagine playing a prominent role in ensuring that medicine is going in the right direction. Perpetuated by racial essentialism, racism in medicine– unethically determining the quality or route of treatment solely based on race– impacts thousands of lives each year. There are too many lives lost to preventable illnesses and disorders due to the emotions underrepresented groups hold towards the field of medicine and healthcare altogether. If I could change the course of history, I would initiate efforts to reestablish trust between people of color and the medical system. Although race and background do play a role in diagnosing disorders and illnesses, it is not to be the sole factor in the determination. Patients of color should be assured that they are getting the care they came to receive, in the hopes be in good hands. Instead, patients are sent home without proper diagnosis, leading to worsened conditions. In addition to being morally wrong, perpetuations of racial essentialism increase the number of people of color, specifically black people that lose their lives to neglect per year. Just last year, I remember reading a published article by four doctors from Chicago, Illinois published a read that discloses that health inequalities still prevail as there’s an average of “74,402 excess Black deaths annually”. This is a statistic that needs to be at zero. The medical system is supposed to heal each individual seeking treatment, hindering the need for conversations on inequalities in medicine. Unequal treatment that is a product of racial essentialism inhibits people of color from not only receiving proper care but prevents them from seeking that care altogether. After going to my local hospital for excessive menstrual pains, my mother grew infuriated upon facing inquiries about my “possible drug usage” or my “likelihood of just being pregnant”. I was 13. The doctor did urine tests and checked for pupil dilation when I came in to see what was going on with my ovaries. The tests came back clear, my pupils were dilating, and I was prompted to increase my water intake and go on about my day. Two physicians and many painful days later, I was diagnosed with ovarian cysts that were to go away over time. While not the worst-case scenario, it could have been. I could have had a cyst rupture in the presence of the first physician and lost more than a pain-free week. Upon knowing this, I feared showing symptoms and possibly going to the ER again. More physicians of color in the field would decrease the number of bias-based practices in the field. People who are part of these underrepresented communities will be working along the same lines as those who still perpetuate racial essentialism and raise awareness. My goal as an aspiring physician is to become a resource for my community, inspiring other underrepresented aspiring physicians to pursue medicine. We are needed for every individual in every disadvantaged community to feel cared for by physicians.

To be where I am today, I had to overcome and heal from a whole lot that I rarely speak about to the people closest to me. When I was younger, not even in middle school at the time, my parents separated. It was hard for me to see because all of my friends had both parents, and both parents came to all of the functions at school. For me, I rarely had either parent come either due to work, or due to their busy schedules outside of work. My father was a security guard so he worked pretty long shifts and my mother worked in healthcare, both occupations come with crazy hours which left me with many other family members, and more often than not, spending extra time at school with extracurriculars or after school programs to help with homework and/or upcoming projects. Now that I am older, I understand that it was beneficial because now my work ethic isn’t too bad. However, back then I felt really out of place, I felt that I was barely home and none of my school friends were ever in the same programs I was in, so it felt like I wasn’t as cool as them. In middle school, I was moving around a lot due to my parent’s busy schedules. I was living with my aunt for a while and though I had cousins my age, they were boys and I didn’t really feel like I related to them, and they couldn’t relate to me. It was hard to make friends at school at this time because I didn’t have a home that I could invite my friends to, and everyone was going to each other’s homes at the time. It made me feel like an outcast again. Altogether, there were many many points in my life from age 5 to age 17 (current) that consisted of me feeling like I don’t belong because I don’t have as much as the next person, or I don’t act like the next person so I won’t ever feel the happiness that they feel or get the same outcomes they seem to get. In the future, I want to pursue a career in neurology, psychology and/or psychiatry. They are two similar but different practices that I hold dear to me. I’ve always had an interest in the brain, how the brain functions, and as I grew up and realized that people process things different, and act upon different conflicts differently, I became interested in the category. The challenges I included don’t hold much significance to neuroscience or psychology, but the challenges that do, I will need way more than just 600 words to express. Through my career I plan to get help and information about rarely spoken situations into hard to reach places. I plan to get my research into the hands of those that can widely spread it, it’s a career that I can’t go into with an empty support system and I keep note of that everyday. I plan to make a big difference in neuroscience, and in psychology, especially when it comes to Black individuals and their neurological and psychological health. It is extremely important to me and making an impact through my work is always going to be my main goal, it will always be checkpoint as well, never my end point because there are many more impacts to be made and it can start with me. This scholarship will help me tremendously, and it will especially help me as a low income student who knows they will need it.