The behavioral and mental health fields always seemed quite complicated, which dissuaded me from working in either of those professions or an acute care setting. Yet, over time, I began to realize how important it is to maintain good health, not only physical but also psychological. Recently, through personal experiences, my interest in the mental health field has grown, particularly after becoming a survivor of domestic violence in 2018. Before my attack, I thought that I was mentally strong and could tolerate any kind of stress. Yet, I forgot to eat for two weeks after my mother-in-law and my ex-husband physically assaulted me, and they took my baby girl away from me. My situation has settled now, and my wounds have healed, but I still crave answers and explanations even two years and a half later. I am grateful to have met people in the Baltimore and Washington D.C. communities who were able to help me, but it was hard to find someone who could understand me as I am Japanese. Asian Americans are the fastest-growing racial or ethnic group in the United States. The nation’s Asian population rose to 11.9 million by 2000 and then nearly doubled to 23.2 million by 2019. Overall, Language fluency is 30.9 % of Asian Americans not fluent in English, and in 2019, 73.5 % of Asian Americans spoke a language other than English at home. Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders (AAPI) have the lowest help-seeking rate of any racial/ethnic group, with only 23.3% of AAPI adults with a mental illness receiving treatment in 2019. It is due to the many systemic barriers to accessing mental health care and quality treatment. It may also be driven by stigma and a lack of culturally appropriate and integrated care that holistically addresses mental health. However, I believe the language barrier is the biggest issue in AAPI populations. As I experience, language is strongly related to their culture. Research shows 32.6% of AAPI Americans are not fluent in English, and proficiency rates vary within specific subgroups: 44.8% of Chinese, 20.9 % Filipinos, and 18.7% of Asian Indians are not fluent in English. Additionally, 60% of AAPIs aged 65 years and older have limited English proficiency. The disparity between the high demand and poor availability of linguistically and culturally appropriate mental health service providers is a significant gap in accessing treatment. These disparities can lead to worsened symptoms and poorer quality of life due to the lack of delayed treatment (Asian American and Pacific Islander, 2021). I have spent much time thinking about what I can do to improve the lifestyle and health status of those AAPI populations. My goal is to gain the education needed to become a leader. Becoming a psychiatric mental health nurse practitioner will be a challenging yet perfect position for me and would allow me to contribute to the community’s bright future.

The behavioral and mental health fields always seemed quite complicated, which dissuaded me from working in either of those professions or an acute care setting. Yet, over time, I began to realize how important it is to maintain good health, not only physical but also psychological. Recently, through personal experiences, my interest in the mental health field has grown, particularly after becoming a survivor of domestic violence in 2018. Before my attack, I thought that I was mentally strong and could tolerate any kind of stress. Yet, I forgot to eat for two weeks after my mother-in-law and my ex-husband physically assaulted me, and they took my baby girl away from me. My situation has settled now, and my wounds have healed, but I still crave answers and explanations even two years and a half later. I am grateful to have met people in the Baltimore and Washington D.C. communities who were able to help me, but it was hard to find someone who could understand me as I am Japanese. Asian Americans are the fastest-growing racial or ethnic group in the United States. According to U.S. Census Bureau enumerators, in the 1870 census, roughly 63,000 individuals were classified as Asian. The nation’s Asian population rose to 11.9 million by 2000 and then nearly doubled to 23.2 million by 2019 – a 95% increase within two decades. Asians now make up about 7% of the nation’s overall population, and their numbers are projected to surpass 46 million by 2060, nearly four times their current total (Budiman & Ruiz, 2021). Demographically, the largest Asian American population in California, New York, Texas, New Jersey, Illinois, Washington, Florida, Virginia, Hawaii, Massachusetts. Overall, Language fluency is 30.9 % of Asian Americans not fluent in English, and in 2019, 73.5 % of Asian Americans spoke a language other than English at home. Asian Americans tend to obtain higher educational degrees, and the unemployment rate for Asians was 3.5 % in 2019. Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders (AAPI) have the lowest help-seeking rate of any racial/ethnic group, with only 23.3% of AAPI adults with a mental illness receiving treatment in 2019. It is due to the many systemic barriers to accessing mental health care and quality treatment. It may also be driven by stigma and a lack of culturally appropriate and integrated care that holistically addresses mental health. However, I believe the language barrier is the biggest issue in AAPI populations. As I experience, language is strongly related to their culture. Research shows 32.6% of AAPI Americans are not fluent in English, and proficiency rates vary within specific subgroups: 44.8% of Chinese, 20.9 % Filipinos, and 18.7% of Asian Indians are not fluent in English. Additionally, 60% of AAPIs aged 65 years and older have limited English proficiency. The disparity between the high demand and poor availability of linguistically and culturally appropriate mental health service providers is a significant gap in accessing treatment (Asian American and Pacific Islander, 2021). These disparities can lead to worsened symptoms and poorer quality of life due to the lack of delayed treatment (Asian American and Pacific Islander, 2021). I have spent much time thinking about what I can do to improve the lifestyle and health status of those AAPI populations. My goal is to gain the education needed to become a leader. Becoming a psychiatric mental health nurse practitioner will be a challenging yet perfect position for me and would allow me to contribute to the community’s bright future.

The behavioral and mental health fields always seemed quite complicated, which dissuaded me from working in either of those professions or an acute care setting. Yet, over time, I began to realize how important it is to maintain good health, not only physical but also psychological. Recently, through personal experiences, my interest in the mental health field has grown, particularly after becoming a survivor of domestic violence in 2018. Before my attack, I thought that I was mentally strong and could tolerate any kind of stress. Yet, I forgot to eat for two weeks after my mother-in-law and my ex-husband physically assaulted me, and they took my baby girl away from me. My situation has settled now, and my wounds have healed, but I still crave answers and explanations even two years and a half later. I am grateful to have met people in the Baltimore and Washington D.C. communities who were able to help me, but it was hard to find someone who could understand me as I am Japanese. Asian Americans are the fastest-growing racial or ethnic group in the United States. According to U.S. Census Bureau enumerators, in the 1870 census, roughly 63,000 individuals were classified as Asian. The nation’s Asian population rose to 11.9 million by 2000 and then nearly doubled to 23.2 million by 2019 – a 95% increase within two decades. Asians now make up about 7% of the nation’s overall population, and their numbers are projected to surpass 46 million by 2060, nearly four times their current total (Budiman & Ruiz, 2021). Demographically, the largest Asian American population in California, New York, Texas, New Jersey, Illinois, Washington, Florida, Virginia, Hawaii, Massachusetts. Overall, Language fluency is 30.9 % of Asian Americans not fluent in English, and in 2019, 73.5 % of Asian Americans spoke a language other than English at home. Asian Americans tend to obtain higher educational degrees, and the unemployment rate for Asians was 3.5 % in 2019. Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders (AAPI) have the lowest help-seeking rate of any racial/ethnic group, with only 23.3% of AAPI adults with a mental illness receiving treatment in 2019. It is due to the many systemic barriers to accessing mental health care and quality treatment. It may also be driven by stigma and a lack of culturally appropriate and integrated care that holistically addresses mental health. However, I believe the language barrier is the biggest issue in AAPI populations. As I experience, language is strongly related to their culture. Research shows 32.6% of AAPI Americans are not fluent in English, and proficiency rates vary within specific subgroups: 44.8% of Chinese, 20.9 % Filipinos, and 18.7% of Asian Indians are not fluent in English. Additionally, 60% of AAPIs aged 65 years and older have limited English proficiency. The disparity between the high demand and poor availability of linguistically and culturally appropriate mental health service providers is a significant gap in accessing treatment (Asian American and Pacific Islander, 2021). These disparities can lead to worsened symptoms and poorer quality of life due to the lack of delayed treatment (Asian American and Pacific Islander, 2021). I have spent much time thinking about what I can do to improve the lifestyle and health status of those AAPI populations. My goal is to gain the education needed to become a leader. Becoming a psychiatric mental health nurse practitioner will be a challenging yet perfect position for me and would allow me to contribute to the community’s bright future.

The behavioral and mental health fields always seemed quite complicated, which dissuaded me from working in either of those professions or an acute care setting. Yet, over time, I began to realize how important it is to maintain good health, not only physical but also psychological. Recently, through personal experiences, my interest in the mental health field has grown, particularly after becoming a survivor of domestic violence in 2018. Before my attack, I thought that I was mentally strong and could tolerate any kind of stress. Yet, I forgot to eat for two weeks after my mother-in-law and my ex-husband physically assaulted me, and they took my baby girl away from me. My situation has settled now, and my wounds have healed, but I still crave answers and explanations even two years and a half later. I am grateful to have met people in the Baltimore and Washington D.C. communities who were able to help me, but it was hard to find someone who could understand me as I am Japanese. Asian Americans are the fastest-growing racial or ethnic group in the United States. According to U.S. Census Bureau enumerators, in the 1870 census, roughly 63,000 individuals were classified as Asian. The nation’s Asian population rose to 11.9 million by 2000 and then nearly doubled to 23.2 million by 2019 – a 95% increase within two decades. Asians now make up about 7% of the nation’s overall population, and their numbers are projected to surpass 46 million by 2060, nearly four times their current total (Budiman & Ruiz, 2021). Demographically, the largest Asian American population in California, New York, Texas, New Jersey, Illinois, Washington, Florida, Virginia, Hawaii, Massachusetts. Overall, Language fluency is 30.9 % of Asian Americans not fluent in English, and in 2019, 73.5 % of Asian Americans spoke a language other than English at home. Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders (AAPI) have the lowest help-seeking rate of any racial/ethnic group, with only 23.3% of AAPI adults with a mental illness receiving treatment in 2019. It is due to the many systemic barriers to accessing mental health care and quality treatment. It may also be driven by stigma and a lack of culturally appropriate and integrated care that holistically addresses mental health. However, I believe the language barrier is the biggest issue in AAPI populations. As I experienced, languages are strongly related to cultures. Research shows 32.6% of AAPI Americans are not fluent in English, and proficiency rates vary within specific subgroups: 44.8% of Chinese, 20.9 % Filipinos, and 18.7% of Asian Indians are not fluent in English. Additionally, 60% of AAPIs aged 65 years and older have limited English proficiency. The disparity between the high demand and poor availability of linguistically and culturally appropriate mental health service providers is a significant gap in accessing treatment. These disparities can lead to worsened symptoms and poorer quality of life due to the lack of delayed treatment (Asian American and Pacific Islander, 2021). I have spent much time thinking about what I can do to improve the lifestyle and health status of those AAPI populations. My goal is to gain the education needed to become a leader. Becoming a psychiatric mental health nurse practitioner will be a challenging yet perfect position for me and would allow me to contribute to the community’s bright future. References Budiman, A., Ruiz, N. (2021, April 29). Key Facts about Asian Americans, a diverse and growing population. Pew Research Center. https://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2021/04/29/key-facts-about-asian-americans/ Profile: Asian Americans (2021). U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of Minority Health. https://minorityhealth.hhs.gov/omh/browse.aspx?lvl=3&lvlid=63

The behavioral and mental health fields always seemed quite complicated, which dissuaded me from working in either of those professions or in an acute care setting. Yet, over time, I began to realize how important it is to maintain good health, not only physical but also psychological. Recently, through personal experiences, my interest in the mental health field has grown, particularly after becoming a survivor of domestic violence in 2018. Before my attack, I thought that I was mentally strong and could tolerate any kind of stress. Yet, I forgot to eat for 2 weeks after my mother-in-law and my ex-husband physically assaulted me, and they took my baby girl away from me. My situation has settled now, and my wounds have healed, but I still crave answers and explanations even a year and a half later. I am grateful to have met people in the Baltimore and Washington D.C. communities who were able to help me and taught me how important it is to support vulnerable individuals such as minors and those with physical or mental disabilities. In Baltimore, where I currently reside and work, I have realized that there will be a need for many mental health professionals in this community in the near future. There is an ever-growing number of people with mental health illnesses. According to the Behavioral Health System in Baltimore, the number of overdoses has more than doubled since 2013. Likewise, trauma can result in a higher risk of suicide attempts, especially for people who have suffered from traumatic childhood experiences. The poverty rate in Baltimore is 22.4%. In contrast, the poverty rate across the state of Maryland is 9.7%, proving that Baltimore has a dramatically higher than the average number of residents who live below the poverty line when compared to the rest of Maryland. Poverty is known to result in poor physical and mental health and promote a higher percentage of substance abuse. Impoverished communities typically have a higher rate of violence, a higher percentage of substance abuse, lower educational achievement, a higher rate of childhood obesity, and poor overall health. People who live in poverty are often unable to experience what life is like outside of their community because of a lack of transportation or opportunities for upward mobility. Many children rarely spend a lot of time with their parents, who may have more than two jobs. I have spent much time thinking about what I can do to improve these impoverished people's lifestyles and health status. I set up to become a leader in the community, so I returned to school to be a psychiatric mental health nurse practitioner. I am a single mother of a 6-year-old daughter, a full-time Registered Nurse, and a full-time graduate student. This scholarship will contribute to my strong passion for helping those populations and expedite to graduation the school to start working as Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner. If my dream comes true, I could be a great model for her that proves it has never impossible if we keep striving for our goals.

Since I work in the ER in Baltimore city, I realized huge healthcare disparities. I have learned the U.S. is no longer the best healthcare globally due to higher medical expenses, increased population, diversity, and health inequities. Baltimore city, where I work and live, has a higher crime rate and increased number of substance users; therefore, I feel health promotion should start from the individual and family levels. I believe Advanced Practice Registered Nurses (APRNs) will play a vital role in leading the communities to aim goals, such as reducing risk factors (hypertensive and hyperlipidemia). It is essential to know that these disparities exist and learn how to best cope with them to improve patient outcomes. Most importantly, taking the time to teach and answer questions empower our patients to make effective health decisions. For instance, taking the extra time to teach young adults and adolescents about sexual health and safety in a setting in which is it is not atypical for a young person to come in for treatment of various STI’s multiple times. Another example would be to take the time to help a patient set up their online portal to receive their test results promptly. While one may believe this is only an access difficulty for the older population, it is still frequently difficult for younger generations. As APRNs, it is crucial to understand that a patient’s presenting condition may need to be addressed from multiple dimensions to promote a positive result and reduce healthcare disparities. I am a single mother of a 6-year-old daughter, a full-time RN, and a full-time graduate student. This scholarship will contribute to my strong passion for helping those populations and expedite to graduation the school to start working as Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner.