2024 Mental Health Essay Contest Awardee: Honorable Mention
Hope to Bridge the Gap
Minsung, Georgia
Mental health affects people in our society in every unique context. Starting from someone who struggles on their school tests, there could be someone experiencing a traumatic event that lasts for a long time. My unique context as an immigrant child has been a significant factor in shaping my mental health journey.
What made me anxious the most was realizing that I was the one leading my family in this unknown world, as my parents were not used to English. At the age of thirteen, I had to call the insurance company for our healthcare to translate it for my parents and order all the menus for my family at a restaurant. The fact that I could not rely on my parents for things truly made me scared and depressed. The anxiety stemming from immigrant parents' ignorance of American society was a big challenge in my old days that often conflicted with my school life as well. Whenever I got in a class, I felt the isolation that my peers gave me, as well as bullying and teasing about my broken English accents. After school every day, I trudged home, shoulders heavy with the weight of cultural and linguistic barriers I faced.
With countless obstacles, the most challenging time of my life was during the COVID-19 pandemic. As an Asian American, I was always used to the vulnerability that I had to face whenever I stepped outside my house. Sharp attention and eyes were always attacking me with full of anger just because of my skin color. This amplified my anxiety and depression from my linguistic barrier and made me often think about what is the point of living in this harsh environment.
However, even with all these hardships, one activity rescued me from staying in my dark room all day: Volunteering. Whenever anxious and sad, I headed to my local church, where I teach Korean to little kids and foreign people who want to learn it. From this valuable experience, my cultural stigma was broken into pieces, as I started to recognize that even though I was not fluent in this language, many other people were not fluent in my proud language. This barrier was not natural, but one I created in my mind. This truly impacted my perspective and gave me the confidence I needed to overcome the mental health stigma. Not only this, but volunteering for other people sincerely gave me a lot of support, especially through the empathy I felt while doing a good deed.
Something big that I realized from my experience was that it wasn’t only myself who was experiencing this mental health stigma and illness around me. Many of my classmates from school, friends from churches, and many non-relatives from my community are experiencing the same problem. To evoke empathy and spread awareness of this issue, I created a non-profit, “Equity Minds,” that aims for equitable mental health care for minorities through activism, advocacy, and diverse campaigns. My Equity Minds consist of virtual campaigns through viral usage of social media apps such as Instagram, Facebook, and especially TikTok for the younger generations. These campaigns motivate us to achieve the goal of “finding a shelter of mental health tips” through activity workshops such as meditation and yoga, guest speakers like professional counselors, and free letter writing to relieve our stress and anxiety.
Other than a campaign, my additional motivation with Equity Minds would be coordinating volunteering for the underrepresented communities suffering from mental health issues. From a minority’s perspective of myself, even with all the challenges, there was always ‘my family’ who supported me, listened to me, and felt empathy with me. Someone being there next to you and helping you truly relaxes you and is a significant method to treat mental illness. From my volunteering experience, I learned that doing a good deed for others will return to you in a greater deed for others. I truthfully believe that volunteering for mental health care inequalities will evoke empathy and could raise awareness of mental health in our community.
What we value the most in our lives is our health. Health includes many aspects, but mental health is a growing challenge for everyone, whether you are rich or poor, American or Korean, or a company CEO or a restaurant employee. We all experience this matter. Through collective efforts, I aim to contribute to our community where mental health care is accessible, equitable, and destigmatized for everyone, regardless of their background or circumstances. Just like what Mahatma Gandhi told the world, “Be the change that you wish to see in the world,” my sincere passion for advocating mental health awareness will be my unique ‘change.’ I believe that my small activities and desire for changes could eventually benefit the community and become a small force to move the world.
My essay explores my perspective on how mental health impacts individuals within diverse societal contexts. As an immigrant child, I share my journey, delving into the challenges of leading a family in an unfamiliar culture, facing linguistic and cultural barriers, and combating anxiety and depression. The narrative reveals my experiences during the COVID-19 pandemic, highlighting the additional vulnerability faced as an Asian American. This essay takes a positive turn as I discover solace and purpose through volunteering, breaking cultural stigmas, and gaining confidence. The creation of my non-profit, "Equity Minds," becomes a powerful tool for advocacy, fostering empathy and awareness through virtual campaigns and community engagement. This essay concludes with a passionate call for accessible, equitable, and destigmatized mental health care, emphasizing my goal to be the change they wish to see in the world.
NIH recognizes these talented essay winners for their thoughtfulness and creativity in addressing youth mental health. These essays are written in the students' own words, are unedited, and do not necessarily represent the views of NIH, HHS, or the federal government.
Page published May 31, 2024
