People fascinate me. As a kid, I spent hours at my father’s psychiatric office exploring the quirks of the human mind. I would curl up on the worn leather couch and listen attentively as he explained autism and other psychiatric conditions. When it was time for me to leave, I would often sneak items off of his bookshelf. I explored the neuropsychological functions of the mind as I perused This is Your Brain on Music, and I grappled with the fatality of eating disorders as I read THIN. Today, my actions remain driven by my desire to understand thoughts and emotions. I am most content when learning about people’s frames of reference by reading a memoir or discussing beliefs and biases with a friend. As I increase my understanding of how others perceive the world, I develop a truer vision of the world itself.

My father taught me that it is insufficient to study his patients’ behavior and cognition. A psychotherapist’s personal curiosity is futile without a commitment to heal through prolonged exposure therapy, cognitive therapy, or social skills training. Similarly, as I have grown older, I have come to appreciate the mind as more than a source of intellectual intrigue. I seek to understand how others experience the world in order to engage my empathy and affect causes greater than myself.

At Harvard, I would integrate my study of the human mind with my desire to create change through the Mindich Program for Engaged Scholarship (MPES). This new initiative allows students to link their academics with community needs. Its current courses explore topics ranging from the health disparities of disadvantaged groups to the experience of local Chinese immigrant communities. As a student at Harvard, I would seek to work with faculty towards the development of new courses that combine the study of psychology with public service.

I imagine formulating a class examining the intersection between mental illness and homelessness. When I visited Cambridge with my family, I was struck by the severity of the homelessness in an ostensibly prosperous community. As I walked down Mass Ave, I wondered, as I had many times before, what was at the root of this epidemic. According to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, approximately 25% of homeless individuals are severely mentally ill. Students of my Engaged Scholarship course would study the mental illnesses at the source of homelessness, including schizophrenia, addiction, and depression. They would enhance traditional learning methods such as readings and lectures with experiential work among Cambridge’s displaced populations. As they volunteered at Harvard’s youth shelter, Y2Y, and the Harvard Square Homeless Shelter, they would collect individual perspectives on mental illness, building their understanding of the homeless experience.

The class would culminate in a project — students would be tasked with developing a plan to address the mental health concerns of Cambridge’s homeless population. This plan might increase access to the Salvation Army Clinic mental health specialists or institute a youth- to-youth counseling program at Y2Y. Through this course and its final project, my peers and I would use psychology as a vehicle for change.

The MPES would allow me to meld the theoretical and applied study of psychology and achieve a deeper appreciation of human nature. Beyond this, it would develop my understanding of what it means to learn and act in the service of others. This knowledge would help me grow as a citizen-leader, empowering me to pursue a life dedicated to the common good.