“The Power of Vulnerability" by Dora

“The Power of Vulnerability" by Dora - June 2025 Scholarship Essay

A class I think should be mandatory--especially in these times of hardship--is “The Power of Vulnerability”. The main question for the course would be “Why do humans reject vulnerability when we depend on it to survive?"

Growing up in Mexico, I attended a Catholic school. Because of this, I constantly went to multiple spiritual retreats. I once went to a spiritual retreat in which Kids were expected to open up with the question “have you felt defeated?”. When this was asked, the room encountered polished answers that barely scratched the surface. I thought about speaking up, but the fear of judgment held my hand down. Making me realize how often we avoid vulnerability regarding its importance. If our survival depends on trust and connection, why avoid the very thing that fosters it?

This question matters to me as I've experienced the harm of avoiding vulnerability. Growing up bulimic in a community where mental health was judged upon, I have suffered in silence. Additionally, many family members in my family have experienced mental health problems which were led by the lack of vulnerability. For example, my aunt died from a stress-induced stroke when i was a kid and later on my grandmother passed away from depression. As a psychologist, I want to find the answer to this as well as making it a source of strength, not weakness—as it is only then when we can create the valuable connection our society thrives with.

These experiences affected me both personally and physically, which I take as a representation of how this affects people on a larger scale. In this course, there would taught a mix of psychology and biology–highlighting how the lack of vulnerability is the cause of many mental health problems (if a person does not express their emotions, they will feel them more deeply and these will become a heavy in their mind), how these mental health problems lead to physical problems (mental illness very often have negative effects on the body), and the evolution of humans through vulnerability (how their survival through the years depend on each others support and express of vulnerability).

This course would be great as it would allow students to understand their emotions to a deeper level as well as find connection with one another, encouraging community engagement. Additionally, it would developing a sense of empathy that unfortunately lacks in today's age.