14th Annual Smiling Senior Scholarship 2024 Winner

Growing up in a strict, traditional immigrant family, I was always told to shield my emotions from the outside world, that crying in public is a sin. This belief is so ingrained in me that I often struggle to show my true emotions, bottling them up until I am alone in the solace of my bedroom. For many immigrants and immigrant children, this is a common reality. We often struggle to express our emotions, feelings, and even our thoughts. With the rising levels of suicide and self-inflicted harm, our worldwide community is facing the next silent pandemic.

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One of the biggest challenges I have noticed with this deadly pandemic is that teenagers like myself have not been equipped to be self-aware. Many school, including my own, prioritize academic achievements over social-emotional learning (SEL). This gap leaves teenagers without formal education on how to handle emotions effectiveness, making it difficult for them to develop emotional literacy. During high school, I spent a significant part of my time advocating for the integration of SEL subjects into everyday conversation. This included advocating at the state level to mandate LGBTQIA+ inclusive SEL lessons on the Maryland Youth Advisory Council in Annapolis, at the county level to allocate time for mandated lessons to teach to young students around the county through The Scholarly Program. I believe that education is the first step to addressing this challenge.

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Emotional literacy fosters empathy, allowing teenagers to understand and connect with others who may be experiencing similar struggles. The ability to recognize our emotions allows us to detect them in others who might feel discouraged to speak up. By recognizing early signs of mental health distress, we can advocate for their care when they might not be able to, essentially walking in someone else's shoes. Teenagers can only receive care when they can vocalize their challenges by stepping forward and communicating their distress to parents, teachers, or mental health professionals. This stems from the belief that mental health victims often do not have safe spaces to express their emotions. This belief inspired me to establish the Healing Garden in our community, providing a sanctuary for families to share their stories and seek professional support. As a community, we must work together to create safes paces in school, community centers, healthcare centers, and even online. 

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Unfortunately, current SEL programs often fall short, employing outdated materials and ineffective strategies that fail to resonate with students. As a community, we should advocate for constant updates, science-driven strategies, and exposure from elementary school onwards to the constant changing landscape around us, especially with rapidly evolving technology and social dynamics. This is something I am passionate about incorporating in my own classroom one day.

In essence, the primary challenge in raising awareness about mental health is the lack of emotional literacy built into our educational system. ​Students are ill-equipped to tackle real-world challenges. This battle starts with learning what we are fighting. By prioritizing emotional literacy and integrating comprehensive mental health education, we can better prepare our teenagers to navigate their emotions and seek support they need.

Written by Dhruv Kumar Girish.