My journey into mental health is deeply personal. As a black and white biracial child growing up in a predominantly white neighborhood, I often felt out of place. I was teased, questioned, and left wondering if I truly belonged. At the same time, I struggled with anxiety, depression, and adverse childhood experiences. This history sparked a lifelong curiosity about human behavior, the effects of trauma, and the power of feeling seen and safe. Over time, I discovered practices that helped connect me to my true self, psychotherapy, daily meditation, and yoga. These tools transformed my life, helping me build self-confidence, inner peace and resilience. I became a yoga teacher, mindfulness instructor, and certified holistic health coach, sharing what I had learned with others. My lived experience has shown me both the pain of exclusion and the profound impact of being welcomed and supported. As a mental health provider I aspire to be a compassionate presence for my clients offering practical accessible tools for growth. If I could make one significant change to the mental healthcare system, it would be to integrate mental health education into schools from an early age. For the past 10 years I have taught yoga and mindfulness in NY and NJ public schools. I have seen the benefits of teaching social emotional skills, including empathy and self-regulation, in K-12 schools alongside the 3 R’s. Elementary students can practice mindfulness skills and naming their emotions. Middle schoolers can explore the stress response, brain development, and healthy friendships. High schoolers can learn about human development, identity formation, relationships, and decision-making. Normalizing mental health in schools can reduce stigma and encourage young people to seek support before they’re in crisis. Teletherapy is a powerful tool for expanding access to mental healthcare. I experienced this firsthand as an undergraduate, when in-person therapy was too difficult to coordinate. Teletherapy can remove barriers like transportation, scheduling conflicts, and stigma, making support accessible to more people. It also allows therapy to be seen as a resource for living life with clarity, emotional intelligence, and resilience. One challenge of teletherapy is building genuine client-therapist connections through a screen. One idea to address this is school-based teletherapy wellness hubs. In these wellness hubs students could meet with counselors or social workers virtually in a safe, familiar environment, overseen by their school counselor. These hubs would connect students to supportive professionals, offer check-ins, mindfulness exercises, and skill-building sessions. Combining teletherapy with school-wide mental health education could help create a generation that is more self aware, resilient, and more confident in seeking help when they need it. I am currently a first-year Master of Social Work student, though I am considering transferring to a Master of Education program to become a K-12 school counselor. Both paths align with my passion for providing school-based counseling, social-emotional learning, and mindfulness instruction. Through my experiences and training, I aspire to be a mental health provider who blends knowledge with compassion, helping individuals feel seen, supported, and empowered to live fully. Ultimately, I hope to contribute to a mental healthcare system that is accessible, inclusive, and proactive.The Therapist Impact Fund: NextGen Scholarship would go a long way in helping me realize my aspirations!

As a biracial child attending an elementary school in a predominantly white neighborhood, I learned what it feels like to not belong. My brown skin and tightly curly hair stood out among my peers who teased me and asked intrusive questions. Those early experiences planted the seeds for the work I do now. I create spaces where young people from marginalized communities feel seen, valued, and emotionally supported. My interest in mental health began as a young adult during my own struggles with anxiety and depression. When I first attended community college in 1999, I was interested in psychology but lacked the mental health supports I needed to succeed. I eventually left school to focus on healing. Through psychotherapy, yoga, meditation, and mindfulness, I learned tools to regulate my emotions, build confidence, and find peace. These practices became the foundation of my personal and professional life. For the past decade, I have taught yoga and mindfulness to students from kindergarten through high school in New York and New Jersey public schools. Many of my students are from marginalized communities where stress, racialized experiences, and instability are part of daily life. I’ve seen students carry emotional burdens that are far beyond what most adults realize. I’ve also seen how mindfulness, emotional regulation skills, and a compassionate presence can help students feel grounded and empowered. I believe that mental wellness is a fundamental right and that all children deserve access to the tools to navigate their inner worlds, regardless of race, class or other barriers. These experiences have shaped my activism as well. I volunteer at a community-based food pantry, supporting local families experiencing food insecurity. My activism is grounded in the belief that equity begins with meeting people where they are and offering allyship. I returned to school to complete my BA in Psychology at SUNY Empire State University, graduating with a 4.0 GPA. I began my MSW coursework at Rutgers School of Social Work in Sept 2025. While I’ve always wanted to work directly within school systems and my passion lies in school counseling. I want to be part of a school community helping students navigate identity, family challenges, social pressures, trauma, and academic demands. My career aspiration is to work as a NYC DOE school counselor serving diverse student populations. I want to integrate evidence-based counseling skills with mindfulness and social-emotional learning. I want to help students build resilience, self-awareness, and confidence. I am committed to creating environments where students from marginalized communities have access to crisis support as well as emotional care and guidance. As a school counselor, I hope to be the adult I needed as a child. Someone who listens deeply, honors identity, supports emotional growth, and creates safe spaces for students to be themselves. My lived experiences, my activism, and my professional work have prepared me to make a meaningful impact within marginalized communities. I am hopeful that the Arnetha V Bishop Memorial Scholarship will help support me in my academic and professional endeavors.

I began practicing yoga and mindfulness over 20 years ago during a period of deep personal struggle. While I was studying psychology as an undergrad, I was also dealing with anxiety and depression. My mind was very busy and it was hard to focus. I often felt overwhelmed and unsure if I belonged in college. I thought my difficulties meant I wasn’t smart enough to be there. That belief led me to take a break from college to focus on healing. It was during that time that I took my first yoga class at a local yoga studio. The instructor’s guidance to synchronize the yoga poses with my breath felt like a moving meditation. I left each class with a calm and quiet mind and a body that felt stronger and more at ease. It was a turning point in my life. Over time, therapy, daily mindfulness practice, and yoga helped me feel grounded and whole again. I often wonder how different my childhood might have been if I had access to those tools earlier. As someone from a low-income background, I understand how much stress young people carry into the classroom. Unfortunately feelings of disconnection and overwhelm may remain unseen and impact children's mental health and ability to learn. My journey toward healing and self awareness inspired a deeper purpose. My purpose became sharing these tools with young people, especially those navigating challenges like the ones I faced. That’s what led me to become a certified holistic health coach, registered yoga teacher, and mindfulness instructor. For the past 11 years I’ve taught yoga and mindfulness to children in New York and New Jersey public schools. Every class starts with a mindfulness practice to help calm and ground the students as well as myself. I never skip my morning mindfulness or my morning coffee. They fill my cup in different ways! Mindfulness helps me regulate my nervous system so I can attune to what’s happening with the children in front of me. Sometimes the most impactful thing I can do for a child is to be present. One day in a first-grade class, we had just finished our mindfulness practice when I noticed “Gloria”. She’s a student who worked with the school counselor to manage big emotions. She was quietly squeezing imaginary lemons- a tense and release mindfulness technique. Her face looked like she had just tasted a real lemon, and I could tell tears were on their way. But I was calm. I walked over and softly asked, “Heyyy, what do you need? I see you.” She looked up and said, “I think I need a hug.” So I tucked her under my arm and kept teaching while she cried into my side. She stayed there for several minutes, until her body softened and her breath slowed. Then she quietly returned to her spot. If I had been dysregulated or distracted, that moment could have gone very differently. Moments like that one remind me of why I chose to pursue a Master of Social Work at Rutgers. My goal is to become a school-based therapist or school psychologist. I want all students, especially those dealing with trauma and anxiety, to have access to mental health support. I also want to bring in research backed holistic tools like mindfulness and yoga. I want to be the kind of adult I needed when I was younger. Someone calm, present, and willing to sit with a child’s pain. I believe schools should be places where everyone feels seen, supported, and valued. That starts with how I show up. My work over the past decade, and my decision to go to grad school, are rooted in that belief. Like Sierra, I believe in the power of kindness and presence. That belief continues to guide the work I do now and the work I hope to do in the future.

In the life of my dreams, I wake up with a sense of purpose and peace. In the life of my dreams I create spaces where healing feels possible, especially for Black and Brown people who often miss out on quality holistic health care. In the life of my dreams I run a community-centered mental health practice that integrates talk therapy with mindfulness, movement, nutrition and spirituality. It’s a warm and welcoming space filled with sunlight, plants, and locally sourced artwork. People walk in and feel like they can exhale. In this vision, I’m a licensed clinical social worker offering sliding scale, trauma informed therapy to young people and adults. My practice is grounded in the belief that healing should address mind, body, and spirit. Some clients find comfort in guided meditation or breath work, others in somatic tools, or in being listened to without judgment. My diverse and compassionate team will reflect the community we serve. Outside of private practice, I plan to partner with schools to develop programs that make mental health care accessible to children early on. I will help train educators in mindfulness, emotional regulation, and trauma-informed teaching. I will also mentor new therapists of color and contribute to research focused on equity in mental health care. In this life, I remain a lifelong learner, always open to growth and expansion. Higher education and self study have been important parts of my own healing. I trust my love of learning will support me in deepening my clinical skills, exploring new therapeutic models, and learning from the wisdom of the people I serve. Approaching life with an open heart and mind helps me stay grounded and committed to doing this work. I will still find time to sit in silence, meditate, and walk in nature. I will have time to travel, enjoying my family and my friends. My life is balanced, rooted in meaning, joy, and connection. At 43, I’ve returned to school after a long and nontraditional path. I work full time for non-profits teaching mindfulness in schools. I also volunteer at a food pantry in my Brooklyn neighborhood. I’ve worked hard to heal my own wounds so that I can help others heal. Earning my Master of Social Work from Rutgers University is a step toward bringing my vision to life. Receiving the Dr Jade Education Scholarship would help reduce the financial burden of graduate school and allow me to stay focused on my mission. It would help me create the life I imagine for myself and the many people I hope to serve. In my dream life, healing is not a luxury. I believe I can make that dream a reality.

Returning to higher education in my 40’s has been one of the most meaningful decisions of my life. I didn’t follow a traditional path, but every step of my journey has shaped the person I am today and the social worker I’m becoming. As a black biracial child raised in a predominantly white neighborhood, I struggled to feel like I belonged. I was often teased or made to explain myself in ways that left me feeling small and unwelcome. I also carried the emotional weight of childhood trauma, anxiety, and depression. I began college at 18, eager to study psychology and understand the mind. But my mental health challenges made it hard to focus. Over time I started to believe I wasn’t smart enough to succeed in school. I eventually left college to focus on healing. Through psychotherapy, daily meditation, and yoga, I learned skills that eventually led to self love and acceptance. I became a certified holistic health coach, mindfulness instructor, and yoga teacher. I’ve spent the past decade working with students in New York and New Jersey, bringing mind and body wellness practices into public schools. My goal has always been to create spaces where children feel safe, seen and empowered. As I worked with students facing anxiety, grief, and trauma, I saw the limits of what mindfulness alone can do. I needed more training to support my students. That realization brought me back to school after over two decades. I earned an associate degree from Borough of Manhattan Community College, and at 43, completed my bachelor’s in psychology at SUNY Empire with a 4.0 GPA. As an undergraduate I served as a Mental Health First Aider and wellness advocate. I currently do volunteer work at a local food pantry as well as at New York Insight, a meditation center. My volunteer experiences have deepened my belief that healing and justice are interconnected. Now I’m pursuing my Master of Social Work at Rutgers University. My goal is to become a licensed clinical social worker who specializes in school-based mental health. I want to help build systems where students of all backgrounds have access to quality holistic health care. This scholarship would help ease the financial burden of graduate school and allow me to stay focused on community service, scholarship, and wellness. I work part-time for a nonprofit and live on a modest income. I’m proud of how far I’ve come, and I’m excited to keep showing up with mindfulness, care and a commitment to justice and healing for all.

My passion for mental health is rooted in my personal experiences. As a black-biracial child growing up in a predominantly white neighborhood, I felt like I didn’t belong. I was often teased and singled out. At the same time, I navigated childhood wounds, anxiety and depression. These early struggles led to my curiosity about human behavior and the impacts of trauma. I began studying psychology in community college at 18. I was a bright student, however my mental health challenges made it difficult to stay focused. I began to question my academic abilities, eventually leaving school to prioritize healing. Through psychotherapy, daily meditation, and yoga, I discovered skills that helped me learn to love and accept myself. The mental health difficulties I experienced became the foundation for my future. I became a yoga teacher, certified holistic health coach and mindfulness instructor. I have spent the past decade bringing wellness practices into schools. Since 2014, I’ve taught yoga and mindfulness in New York and New Jersey public schools. My goal has always been to create peaceful, inclusive spaces where all children, regardless of race, income, or ability, feel empowered in their bodies and minds. I’ve worked in under-resourced and affluent districts advocating for trauma-informed approaches. Over the years I’ve realized that mindfulness alone is not enough. Many of the students I work with are coping with anxiety, grief, and trauma that require deeper clinical support. This realization led me back to school after a 20-year hiatus. I recently completed my bachelor’s degree in psychology at SUNY Empire with a 4.0 GPA. While at SUNY I served as a Mental Health First Aider and student health advocate. I currently volunteer at a local food pantry and a meditation center. My volunteerism highlights my belief that healing and justice are interconnected. I’m pursuing my Master of Social Work at Rutgers University with the goal of becoming a licensed clinical social worker who specializes in school-based mental health. I want to help create systems that serve children's minds, bodies, and spirits. All students, including those from under resourced communities, deserve access to quality mental health care. I want to help change the systems that fail too many students. As a social worker, I’ll advocate for mental health programs that reflect the life experiences of the children and families they serve. I also hope to support future practitioners of color and bring mindfulness and social emotional learning programs into schools and therapy spaces. I plan to contribute to research and care that is culturally responsive and equity-driven. I carry a deep understanding of what exclusion feels like and how powerful being welcomed and included can be. The JoyBridge Mental Health and Inclusion Scholarship would allow me to pursue graduate study with greater stability and strengthen my ability to serve diverse communities with compassion, skill, and cultural awareness.

As a black child growing up in a predominantly white neighborhood, I often felt like I didn’t belong. My curly hair and brown skin stood out among my classmates. I was frequently met with teasing, hostility and intrusive questions. These early experiences of exclusion sparked a lifelong desire to understand myself and others, and to experience a sense of belonging. My healing journey led me first to yoga and mindfulness, and later to the study of psychology. I began college in 1999, majoring in psychology, but left school to focus on my mental health. I had internalized the belief that the anxiety and depression I struggled with meant I wasn’t smart enough for higher education. It took years of therapy, meditation, and personal development to change my limiting beliefs. I became a certified holistic health coach, registered yoga teacher, mindfulness instructor, and Reiki practitioner. Since 2014, I’ve worked with public school students from kindergarten through high school in New York and New Jersey, teaching mindfulness and yoga. Mindfulness and yoga techniques provide tools for emotional regulation and self-awareness. I strive to create spaces where everyone belongs. My classrooms are inclusive spaces where students, regardless of race, gender, or socioeconomic status are seen, heard, and empowered. However, I’ve come to realize that wellness practices alone aren’t enough to address the deep trauma and chronic stress many young people face. My desire to become a clinical social worker brought me back to college after a 20-year hiatus. In May 2025, I will graduate summa cum laude with a 4.0 GPA and a BA in Psychology from SUNY Empire State University. I was recently accepted into the MSW program at Rutgers University! There I will gain the clinical skills and policy knowledge necessary to provide holistic, trauma-informed care. My goal is to help close the equity gap in mental health access and ensure that all children have the support they need to thrive. Volunteering and community service are a big part of my life. I support my Brooklyn community through service at a local food pantry in Red Hook. There we distribute healthy groceries to more than 100 families a week. I also volunteer at New York Insight, assisting with community meditation programs. These programs make mindfulness practices accessible to all. My experiences with community service have strengthened my belief that healing happens in community. Returning to school as an adult learner has been rewarding but has also come with financial challenges. I work part-time and live on a modest income, which makes funding my graduate education difficult. Receiving the Michele L. Durant Scholarship would provide much needed and much appreciated financial assistance. My goal is to support children and families in under-resourced areas, like my neighborhood Red Hook, Brooklyn. I want to help my community members by offering counseling services that combine therapy with mindfulness, playfulness and joyfulness.