Bringing Change To Asian and Black Communities by Kaitlin

Bringing Change To Asian and Black Communities by Kaitlin - June 2020 Scholarship Essay

I grew up in a household where mental health was practically nonexistent. It was, (and still is), a household that is built off of tough love and traditional values. My parents, as well as the vast majority of my relatives, do not believe in mental illnesses or seeking therapy when it is necessary. Upon this realization, I’ve asked fellow friends that are African-American who told me their experiences. I was taken aback by the similarities in the way they were taught the same things. I would like to use my passion for psychology to break this sequence. When I took my first psychology course on a whim and out of curiosity, I had no idea how much it would change my life.

Today, I am on a journey to rid the negative stigma that is attached to seeking therapy and mental health in general. I hope to be a voice to those in the Asian and Black communities that are too afraid to get the help they need because of their peers and family members. Naturally, I have a passion for wanting to help others in any way I can. I feel that becoming a psychologist in the long-run would be my purpose in life and will bring real change to my family and others that feel mental health is simply “in your head” and that it can brushed off. It is my dream to be able to establish my own office and to be able to make those who come in feel truly heard and understood.