Teletherapy has begun to transform the way people access mental health support, and I often reflect on how different my own life might have been if this level of support existed when I needed it most. I became fully independent at 16, raising my one-year-old daughter while navigating shelters, sleeping in closets, surviving abusive relationships, and fighting through the instability of poverty. I experienced miscarriages, evictions, and years of uncertainty while trying to keep my children now ages 22, 19, 17, and 8 safe, supported, and loved. In the midst of all this, I spent six long years fighting my way through undergrad, determined not to let my circumstances silence my potential. Every degree I earn is a victory not just for myself, but for every mother who has been told “you can’t,” “you won’t,” or “you’re too far behind.” Completing my master’s degree will be a testament to the power of resilience, faith, and mental health support. It will show other mothers especially those from BIPOC communities that healing and success are possible, no matter where they begin. In January 2024, after years of pushing through survival mode, I reached a breaking point. I had to step back from work to care for my mental wellbeing. Instead of shame, I felt the Lord urging me to use that moment as a turning point to choose myself, invest in my growth, and prepare for the calling on my life. That calling is to serve others who feel unseen, unheard, or unworthy of help. Teletherapy creates opportunities for people who live the realities I once lived: those with no transportation, no privacy, no local providers, or no emotional safety in their environment. But challenges remain technology barriers, limited cultural representation, and gaps in culturally informed care. I believe the future of teletherapy lies in designing platforms that center community, culture, and accessibility. This includes multilingual tools, flexible communication options, trauma-informed virtual spaces, and outreach that meets people exactly where they are in shelters, in rural communities, in reentry programs, and in households fighting to survive. My mission is to use my degrees, my lived experience, and my faith to build a mental health landscape where every person especially mothers, survivors, and members of marginalized communities can access the support they deserve. I want my life to be living proof that healing is possible, purpose can come from pain, and no story is too broken to be rewritten.

As a BIPOC graduate student pursuing Clinical Mental Health Counseling, I am committed to expanding access to mental health care for communities who have historically been overlooked, underserved, or unable to afford support. Mental health has shaped my life personally and professionally, and as a single mother of four, I understand the urgency of making care available, affordable, and culturally relevant. My unique contribution to the world will be the development of trauma-informed, faith-integrated, and community-centered mental health programs that meet people where they are whether that means telehealth, in-home support, or virtual environments. I plan to create low-cost and sliding-scale counseling services with BIPOC-centered outreach, working to reduce stigma and increase early intervention for youth and families. Ultimately, my goal is to build a model of accessible mental health care that eliminates financial barriers, empowers individuals with practical coping tools, and uses education, art, spirituality, and cultural connection to promote emotional healing and wellness. By serving with compassion, creativity, and cultural humility, I hope to help reshape the mental health landscape so that every person, regardless of background or income, can receive the support they deserve.