Helen is a student at the University of Minnesota and is majoring in Psychology. She has been a GGAL intern and mentor since January 2020. Helen recognizes that there is a need for mental health services in our communities and hopes that her undergraduate studies in Psychology will propel her towards her dream career as a military psychologist.
Why did you choose your major?
I chose my major because I have always been interested in studying mental illnesses and especially since there has been a growing need for mental health services in recent years, I want to be part of a field that works to support our communities.
What are your plans for after college or what is your dream career? My plan after college is to go to graduate school to get a masters in clinical psychology. My dream career is to be a military psychologist. What led you to intern/mentor at WISE? I heard about WISE through APARC’s newsletter (Asian Pacific American Resource Center). I was interested in being an intern because I was really touched by WISE’s mission of empowering immigrant and refugee women. Although I am not a first generation immigrant, my own experiences with embracing my identity as a POC have shaped the way that I interact with the world and I wanted to guide other girls through that process. My goals as an intern are to form relationships with immigrant and refugee girls and to be an example for them of a POC who is confident in their identity and successful in pursuing higher education.
“Although I am not a first generation immigrant, my own experiences with embracing my identity as a POC have shaped the way that I interact with the world and I wanted to guide other girls through that process.”
What did you learn or take away from your experience with WISE? Through my experience with WISE, I learned more about the communities that surrounded the Twin Cities, their needs, and their stories. After working with the girls at Oromo Community Center and Washington Tech, I was able to have a more intimate understanding of what it means to be a first generation immigrant in today’s society. Tell us about a memory or experience that was significant to you during your internship. One of the most memorable moments of my internship was when we caught a mouse at OCM. The mouse would appear every 10 minutes or so and we would all start screaming but Ililli and Halima were so nonchalant about it. We tried using food to lure it out of its hiding spots and even reorganized part of the room to prevent it from escaping. It was such a distraction that day but we ended up trapping it in a trashcan. This was a significant moment to me because there was so much silliness and joy in the room that day - it was just an incredible and unique bonding moment.
Comments