Youth Mental Health Academy Announces 2024 Student Capstone Awards

This year marked a significant milestone for the Child Mind Institute’s Youth Mental Health Academy (YMHA) — a community-based program that provides hands-on knowledge and skills development to underserved youth. After a successful pilot in Los Angeles in 2023 with a 160-student cohort, YMHA expanded into San Diego and the San Francisco Bay Area in 2024 and welcomed over 900 eager and talented students into the program.

During the summer, YMHA students participated in five weeks of academic enrichment activities and project-based learning, culminating in the presentation of group capstone projects on a chosen mental health focus.

Over the final weeks of August, YMHA participants and staff reviewed the capstone projects and selected those they would like to award with special recognition.

Congratulations go out to the 2024 winning teams and their projects:

The Over-Normalization of Mental Health
Sama Alfakieh, Calari Bradford, Paul Chen-li, Seerena Griffin, Janice Lee, Rowyn Zupo

How Do Pre-Existing Stigmas Influence Generation Z Women’s Self Perception
Katelyn Trieu, Millaray Gonzalez, Isabelle Su, Alan Ho

Injustice of Substance Abuse in Minority Communities
Melissa Garcia, Gertty Nolasco, Yanellie Gonzalez, Genevieve Paz-Vitela

The Stigmatization of Mental Health Within Minorities
Mike Guerrero, Haydee Dominguez, Sabrina Ayala, Daniel Hernandez

The Neuroendocrinology and Plasticity of Parental Cognition
Aanya V. Shenoi, Adya Krishna, Anika Kurkut, Cathy Chen, Srimythri Gandhi, Tatiana Tinnin

Solitary Confinement and Inmate Mental Health
Ayleen Zavala, Carolina Nguyen-Garay, Gianyna Brantley, Amanda Siao, Ashley Vazquez, Isaiah Perry

COVID-19 Pandemic Mental Illness During Isolation
Breanne Arrieta, Reese Sarmiento, Luis Medina, Adalyn Yang

Effects of Trauma on Four Types of Memory
Cooper Morris, Emily Laws, Kaylene Boyer, Nicole Pataluch, Nikita Anand

Social Media and Body Dysmorphia
Gabby Shore, Joyce Ling, Joshita Mothi, Emily Sison, Heidi Storey

Stress-Related Disorder in High School Students
Amy Seo, Joanne Lee, Jiwoo Lee, Jeana Hong, Priya Khalsa

The Bright Side of Being Blue: How Latinos Teens Feel Hue
Gensis Quiroz, Giselle Rocha, Myriam Gonzalez, Elaine Picado, Rachel Orozco

Effects of Added Sugar on the Brain
Nithiyashri Chandran, Kali Ho, Harini Iyer, Katie Rockwell, Nicolas Womack

Substance Abuse in California: An Analysis of Drug Use and Its Relationship to Mental Health
Alex Mariscal, Serena Koopmans, Siwoo Rhie, Taylor Tran

How Racial Injustice Impacts Mental Health in the U.S.
Ja’niaya Berry-McMillan, Lynn Hwang, Yairy Martinez, Mari Rodriguez-Ramos, Evangeline Terrill

Relationships Between Psychopaths and Non-Psychopaths
Alejandra Albizar, Audrey Fuentes, Leslie Avelar, Kassandra Gutierrez, Tania Guardado

Gambling Addiction and Socioeconomics
Sera Kim, Ayden Pargal, Avery Ruff, Amanda Yan, Jax Zeevi

Watch the capstone presentations

With support from California’s Department of Health Care Access and Information (HCAI) and the Child and Youth Behavioral Health Initiative (CYBHI), the Youth Mental Health Academy aims to inspire and cultivate the next generation of diverse and culturally sensitive mental health care providers.