We Study Everything Except Ourselves by Jaycee

We Study Everything Except Ourselves by Jaycee - June 2025 Scholarship Essay

In a world that’s more connected than ever, we’ve never felt more alone. Anxiety, depression, burnout, and self-doubt silently follow students from the hallways to their homes. Yet, while we learn to solve for x and diagram sentences, we’re never really taught how to solve what’s going on inside our own minds. That’s why I believe mental health should be more than a buzzword or a counseling office pamphlet. Mental health should be a required class.

Imagine a class where students learn what anxiety feels like before it becomes paralyzing. Where coping mechanisms are as common as math formulas, and emotional intelligence is valued just as much as test scores. In this class, we’d talk about setting boundaries, navigating relationships, managing stress, and even the neuroscience behind our emotions. We’d normalize conversations that often feel too vulnerable, big, or too scary to say out loud.

Some might argue this belongs in a counselor’s office, but not every student has access to one, and many struggle to have the courage to ask for help. Making mental health a required subject levels the playing field. It sends a message to each student on campus: Your mind matters.

Mental health education could reduce bullying, improve focus, prevent self-harm, and help students support their friends. It wouldn’t be a class where people are graded on how they feel, but on how they grow, reflect, and gain tools that last a lifetime.

We are already teaching students how to survive the world. Why not also teach them how to survive themselves?