Founder's Story
Srobona Banerjee:11th Grader at Panther Creek High School in Frisco Texas.
Something I have struggled with is the fake promise of tomorrow, that YET. Everything I wanted, everything I hoped to become, existed somewhere in the distance. The word yet felt harmless- optimistic, even- suggesting that my dreams were simply waiting in my horizon. But over time, “yet” became a barrier instead of a bridge. It convinced me that life would only begin once I became the person I hoped to be, leaving me stuck in a perpetual state of waiting. One of the early obstacles I found in researching this specific topic was the absence of concrete data and information. The unfortunate truth is - Psychology and Mental Health research is severely stigmatized. There are negative stereotypes or judgments that make people feel ashamed of seeking help, or even researching this field of sciences in the first place. Along with this from the beginning of this course I knew I wanted to involve my love for the fine arts into my career research somehow, and in researching developmental psychology, I also deeply analyzed the correlation between arts education and better overall mental-being, self-confidence, and important developmental skills (that I will elaborate on later). Again I drew a personal connection to remembering how grateful I was as an Asian American to grow up in a family that nurtured arts education and pushed me to surround myself with the arts which culturally was different from my predecessors who all focused on sending their children into STEM career pathways and pushing them into stem hobbies and limiting them from arts education. Through my research, I have come to the conclusion that stigmatization of mental health is an extremely dangerous thing. Stigma around mental health is harmful for parents because it makes them less likely to seek help for their children or even recognize when something is wrong. When parents fear judgment, they may ignore early signs, downplay their child’s struggles, or avoid talking openly about emotions. This can delay treatment, increase stress at home, and make kids feel like their feelings are something to hide instead of something to understand. I hope to educate parents on symptoms and early signs of mental health disorders so that they understand the seriousness of it along with the true benefits. I NEED to help these parents understand action signs so that their child grows up in a household where they feel safe to share their needs and are nurtured to success.
I hope that through my research, I am able to “be the change” in just a small portion of these deserving children’s lives and nurture them to become better versions of themselves everyday.