As a first generation Mexican American, I had very skewed views with the topic of mental health because it was always brushed off meaningless. My upbringing challenged me in many different ways and paved the path of my interest in wanting to provide support for my community. I have catered my research and services to marginalized communities and being fluent in Spanish is a strength that I have to offer. Based on my current research, individuals with a language barrier are more likely to hold off on seeking support. I want to be able to offer the aid and guidance that they lack. My expansive objective is to synthesize research in psychological areas with ethnic minorities due to them continuously suffering in silence because of intergenerational trauma and I am now able to offer the support and guidance that they have been lacking. With the diversity that I carry proudly, I believe that being able to provide therapy and assessments to individuals of the same nature is very important and hope that my future research will contribute to the promotion of resilience in mental health disparities.

As a first generation Mexican American and a single mother, I had more of a non traditional experience as an undergraduate student working towards my bachelor degree. I had very skewed views with the topic of mental health because it was always brushed off meaningless. Being exposed to a new community when I began my college career steered me to see that this matter was much more prevalent among my culture. My upbringing challenged me in many different ways and paved the path of my interest in wanting to provide support for my community. I was drawn to this specific research due to my own lived experiences of cultural barriers hindering positive mental health. Being the first in my family to seek out mental health services was difficult because mental health in my cultural is not something that is believed to be a prevalent issue. In the process of getting answers, I was misdiagnosed three times until I finally got diagnosed with severe ADHD with secondary anxiety. Personally, experiencing the culturally insensitive research increased my sensitivity to the subject and the distorted beliefs I grew up believing had been diminished. Minorities are at higher risk of mental health disparities and since there are far less studies done on them to support any sort of interventions for positive mental outcomes. Previous psychological research was conducted through a Western-specific lens, therefore research among minorities needs growth. Since I want to cater my research and services to marginalized communities, being fluent in Spanish is a strength that I have to offer. Spanish was the first language I learned and is still the main language I speak in. I can offer reassurance that these individuals lack to be comfortable to speak their native language. Based on my current research, individuals with a language barrier may be hesitant in seeking help because of the fear of not being able to communicate their experiences clearly. I want to be able to offer the aid and guidance that they lack. My expansive objective is to synthesize research in psychological areas with ethnic minorities, with a focus in my ethnic group which is Mexican Americans. These minorities continue to suffer in silence because of intergenerational trauma and if given the opportunity, I would want to offer the support and guidance that they have been lacking. With the diversity that I carry proudly, I believe that being able to provide therapy and assessments to individuals of the same nature is very important and hope that my future research will contribute to the promotion of resilience in mental health disparities.