Growing up in a Black household, mental health was rarely discussed—it was considered taboo, and often ignored or dismissed. I remember telling my mother in middle school that I hated myself, and she just stared at me before for a few seconds and then turned on the TV. It wasn’t until high school, as I made more friends, that I realized many of them were facing similar struggles. One close friend shared that her counselor had seen her self-harm scars and that she feared her mother’s reaction, as her family believed that struggling with mental health was a sign of weakness. This revelation opened my eyes to the widespread issue in Black communities and sparked my passion for creating change. In high school, I joined a club called Active Minds, which focused on reducing the stigma surrounding mental health. We put up affirmations in the bathrooms, aiming to brighten someone’s day and remind them they weren’t alone. This was the beginning of my advocacy journey. During undergrad, I joined a club called Black Mental Health, where Black students could meet and talk about their mental health in a non-judgmental space. We focused on self-care practices and destigmatizing mental health struggles. Being part of this group inspired me to help children in Detroit, where mental health is often a silent struggle. That summer, I taught social-emotional learning to 3rd through 12th graders at a local recreational center. Many of these children had experienced loss and abandonment, and helping them learn coping skills was vital to their emotional well-being. I also worked as a telemarketer, raising funds for MSU’s Counseling and Psychiatric Services, which provides free individual and group therapy. After the school shooting, I saw how many students’ mental health deteriorated, and Counseling and Psychiatric Services played a crucial role in helping them process their trauma. The experience reinforced my dedication to the mental health field, as it became clear to me how deeply gun violence affects people, whether it happens at school or in their neighborhoods. During this time, I felt privileged that my university provided free counseling to support students in the aftermath of the shooting. Unfortunately, many people of color in low-income communities don’t have access to similar services. Now, as I pursue my MSW to become a child therapist, I am committed to helping young people in Detroit navigate their emotions and cope with challenges at home. I hope to give back to my community and provide the support many marginalized individuals need. My personal experiences, combined with my professional background, have equipped me with the tools and empathy necessary to make a meaningful impact on communities in need. I believe I am an excellent candidate for this scholarship because my lived experiences have shaped my dedication to mental health advocacy, and my career goals are rooted in making a difference in underserved communities. I am eager to continue this work and bring healing to those who need it most.

I have been paying for my school supplies and everything else education related since I was thirteen. I grew up without much food and running water and my mother was an alcoholic. So, I did not have much help ensuring that I furthered my education. I had to motivate myself to go to school each morning and complete my work. That is because I refused to be in that position again. Not only did I struggle financially, but emotionally as well. I was severely depressed growing up, but no one noticed or showed that they cared. I had a conversation with my friends and realized that I was not the only person my age struggling. Learning this made me aspire to become a Clinical Child Psychologist. I have put in a lot of effort to ensure that I accomplish my goal to become a Clinical Child Psychologist. To do this, I have to further my education after receiving my bachelor's, which has already put me in a lot of debt. This year alone, I became the Vice President of a service organization that gives back to underprivileged people in the community, I became a part of the Psychology Scholars Program which is for the top students who major in Psychology at Michigan State, and I had an unpaid internship working with youth in the Juvenile Justice system. I did all of this while also working as a telemarketer for my university to raise funds for different programs on campus. I am currently going into my junior year and wanted to receive as much experience as possible so I can get accepted into an excellent graduate program. Receiving this scholarship would allow me to do more things related to my career so that I have a good chance of getting accepted into a master's program. Before I graduate, I want research experience because it is very beneficial, and I want to expand my horizons. However, I have not had the time because I have to work a lot so I can afford to continue my education. This scholarship would lessen my financial burden and allow me to focus on building my resume. I have always had to worry about money and if I will be able to graduate college because of the cost. I have been self-motivated since middle school and I will not give up until I reach my goals. Receiving this scholarship would be a great investment in my future.

I grew up in a low-income community where classes were overpopulated, and the teachers could not possibly give all of their students enough attention. This is a common issue in low-income communities which are populated with majority Black and Hispanic students. This has led to many students going through middle and high school without knowing how to read. Many kids could not read at their age level, and I saw quite a few get bullied for it. I first noticed this phenomenon while I helped my little cousins with their reading homework. They were very behind, and the only thing I could think of is “Why has no one tried to spend more time with them to help them improve their reading comprehension skills?” So, I decided to take matters into my own hands to help reduce this. As a junior in high school, I wondered what I could do to help decrease this phenomenon. So, I got connected with someone who works at a recreational center where they focused on learning. I started volunteering at a recreational center where I would help kids with their homework and work on their reading comprehension skills after school. They would all take turns reading a passage out loud in a comfortable setting and answer questions about it afterward. I have worked there for three years, and it is wonderful seeing how much they have improved. The kids who attend this recreational center come from a very unsafe area and have tons of trouble going on at home. The place not only improves their reading but allows them to play sports and be creative such as learning how to play instruments or paint. This takes kids out of the street and gives them something to do, which I believe is imperative in low-income communities. Growing up in poverty comes with plenty of challenges. Schools are overcrowded, teachers cannot pay attention to every single student, and growing up surrounded by drug dealers and gangs can lead to them believing that they cannot escape their situation. This then leads to them not valuing their education and not wanting to reach out for help when they are behind. No one pays attention to kids in rough areas. They have the potential to be whoever they want and create great things, but they do not have the resources or support to make it happen. I want to see a change in people caring for children in rough areas, which can lead to them getting the help in reading that they deserve and getting connected to opportunities their community does not get them. I want these kids to have hope and believe they can do the same things that people in neighborhoods with more resources can do.

Three words that stuck out from my childhood are pineapple extra smooth- the name of my mother’s favorite alcoholic drink. I remember going to the store with my mother before and after school, and I would hear her ask for a Pineapple Extra Smooth over and over again. After a while, I started to believe that she cared more about drinking than he did me. Her addiction consumed her and distracted her from her duties as a mother. I never received help on my homework, had school clothes on time, had birthday or Christmas presents, or received enough attention. I felt like my mom did not care about me, and I hated her for it. There were times when neither I nor my two other siblings had food to eat, but my mother had enough money to buy cigarettes and alcohol. I started saving the allowance my father used to give me, which was $5 every week. I put my money in one of my favorite books at the time, The Fault in our Stars, and would only go back to it to see if it was still there. One day my mother stole all of my savings. Why would a mother steal from her child? I hated my mother for this, but as I got older, I realized she was sick and needed help. The following year my mother ended up in the hospital. We were living with my aunt, and my mother threw up blood. She had surgery and ended up with tubes in her stomach. I was worried for my mother and thought that I could lose her. After this, my mother decided that it was time to get sober. Ten years later, she is sober and has not relapsed. During this time, I researched addiction and discovered that it creates a chemical imbalance in the brain and can cause the person to act like a different person. I began to feel sympathy for her once I learned her story. All of the trauma I faced as a child was a cycle. My mother once told me that grandma was an alcoholic and would leave for months, while her four kids were left to provide for themselves. My grandma turned to alcohol because she was a product of rape, and her grandmother would physically abuse her. My mother turned to alcohol because the people closest to her were murdered. Her sister died young, and her mother was shot in the face by her boyfriend. I realized that both my mother and grandma turned to alcohol because they felt like they had no one. “Black women are strong”, society says. Nobody is there to help them when they need it, so they turn to other sources like drugs and alcohol. Noticing the behavioral pattern in my family made me want to study psychology. I plan to start my own practice in my hometown, Detroit, where I will work with children who have had traumatic childhoods. I believe that it is vital for people to get help early before it turns into something worse. If my mother and grandmother had help for the trauma they undersent while thy were children, they may not have turned to alcohol or in the first place. I will use my voice to destigmatize people with addictions because they are in need of help. Black people already have odds against them from a young age, especially if they live in a poor neighborhood as I did. Therefore, we must do all we can to save them from themselves.

For most of my life, my family did not have enough money to provide for me. I have had many school years where I would not be able to go the first day because I did not have any school clothes and school supplies. There were times where I could not go on a field trip because I did not have enough money. If I could afford to go, I did not have enough money for a lunch. This caused me to be worried about money at a young age. Therefore, I could not wait till I found a job so that I would not have to worry about anything. One day during my junior year, my English teacher announced to the class that someone was at the school to conduct interviews for a recreational center. I desperately wanted a job, so I scheduled an interview during my lunch hour. When it was time for my interview, I was nervous, but also excited because I have never had a job before. After the interview, she said I did a good job and that she would email me if I got it in a few days. I was happy because I took it as a sign that I got the job. So, when I received the email confirming that I got the job, I was not surprised. I was elated so I finally told my mother that I got the job. She was happy for me, but when I told her what days I would work and the time I would get off, she said that she would not be able to take me. So, I called my father, who is retired, if he was able to pick me up and he also said no. Getting a job was one of my biggest achievements and I was not able to do it. I sadly emailed the person that interviewed me and said that I would have to decline the position. Although I was sad about it, I did not give up. Senior year comes and the same lady that interviewed me last time was at my school again, but I found out after she left. So, I emailed her and talked to her to see if I could get an interview because I wanted to work there. This time I had someone who could pick me up, so I did not have to worry about it. She agreed and allowed me to have an interview the following day at the recreational center. When I went into her office, I remembered her, but she did not remember me. I answered all the questions and at the end of the interview, I told her that I was interviewed with her before, but I could not do it since I had transportation issues. That is when she remembered and said that I am hired. This experience taught me that timing is always right and that people should always go out of their way to try and seek an opportunity. Maybe it was not my time to work their junior year, but I was able to do so during my senior year, which was probably for the best since I had a lot of testing to do that year. If I did not email her to ask her for an interview, I might not have worked there. In the future, I hope that I can have better opportunities so that I can develop more skills that are needed in my career. This will allow me to become more well-rounded so that I can have better and higher-paying jobs.