Gene Denton Essay 26

Today, mental health awareness is a widely discussed topic. Although the ideas surrounding mental health have evolved over time—from being a topic that was often misunderstood and looked down upon to becoming more normalized in discussions—a lot of people still hold misconceptions about it. But it does not matter who you are or what your status in life is; taking care of your mental health is extremely important. I have always had a passion for helping people, which then turned to a love for psychology. If awarded the Gene Denton Scholarship established by Youth Lead KC, I will use it to pursue my dream of earning a Doctorate of Psychology (PsyD). Ultimately, my goal is to open a clinic, providing a space for people to take care of their mental health and teach about the importance of doing so.

Since I was a young girl, my passion was to help and care for people. I always had a few ideas about what career I wanted to pursue, but I didn’t know exactly what I wanted to be. A teacher, a hairstylist, a doctor—I didn’t know. All I knew was that I wanted to be able to make a difference in this world. As I entered the stage of maturing, I began to see how individuals in my school and community were being affected by mental health. This led me to wanting to dive deeper into human behavior, how certain disorders affect people, and what strategies people can use to self-regulate.

In my community, I have been shown that the adolescence stage is generally the most difficult stage of one’s life. In this stage, children are beginning to discover who they are and find their purpose in life. What makes it difficult is that at this same time, we are undergoing cognitive changes and increased societal, academic, and peer pressures. Due to my compassionate nature and understanding that mental health is important, I have made sure that people can depend on me. People know that whether it’s for advice or if they simply need a safe space to open up about something that is bothering them, I am someone that they can talk to. When having conversations with my peers in school, I realized that many students are struggling silently and are uncomfortable with asking for help. Many of my peers have opened up to me about being overwhelmed by academic and peer pressure and family responsibilities. I’ve also noticed that it is very common for students to make jokes about themselves as a way of making light of their situations. For example, I frequently hear students joke about being “depressed” or “stressed,” masking how serious their struggles actually are. It is truly heartbreaking to see that humor is commonly being used as a coping mechanism simply because many students do not feel supported enough to openly express what they are going through. Experiences like these are why I am so passionate about becoming a psychologist. My goal is to see more individuals in my community living their lives, not just trying to survive.

Realizing how needed mental support truly is, I have made the decision that after high school, I want to pursue a degree in psychology. My hope is to start my own private practice, specifically working with adolescents. Based on my observations in my own community, I have been shown that mental health is more than a personal issue—it’s a community issue. When care is inaccessible or lacking, everyone feels the impact. It is important that we have enough people to specialize in this field, and I desire to be that person. My ultimate goal is to change the stigma around mental health and make people more willing to have conversations surrounding it with comfort. Awarding me this scholarship would be an investment in a student who is determined to pursue her passion in psychology and make a difference in the world.