Fatou Toure

I grew up in The Gambia, one of Africa’s smallest and most beautiful countries, and then moved to America permanently around the age of fourteen. It was daunting at first, as even at fourteen it is easy enough to recognize the major differences in culture, societal norms and cues. Yet, in that difference came clarity, an intuitive understanding of the universality that is the human condition. Both in The Gambia and America, I was raised by my large family in communal fashion, which had a profound impact on learning what it meant to give care. These experiences eventually produced a realization that I wanted to help people, help them better understand themselves, their afflictions, and the world around them.

Academically, I am most interested in further developing my education within psychotherapy, abnormal psychology, and assessment of behavior, all while developing the skills necessary to become a master in social work. My previous coursework in abnormal, health psychology, and research all piqued my academic interests. I am enthralled by the human experience, learning about the how and why humans act the way we do. Through furthering my education I seek to develop a deeper understanding of the necessary foundations that will provide me with a platform to affect positive change in the very peoples’ lives that helped my own, both in its past and present.            

 Growing up in West Africa, mental health does not exist in our vocabulary. Unfortunately, people in my country are very superstitious, which overrides their logical thinking. When they see a person walking around on the street talking to themselves, or simply acting abnormally, they immediately avoid that person as if they had the plague. Gossip spreads about spirit possessions throughout the town. These people are shunned, as they receive no help until their mental health deteriorates beyond repair. Similarly, my time spent in the Army has illuminated the more modernized approaches to suppression of mental well-being, with depression, anxiety and PTSD running rampant throughout the soldiers I personally know. These experiences have shaped who I am and they are the very reason why I want to become a licensed social worker so I can help the people that I know desperately need it. From developing education on mental health to clinically intervening, I want to affect change individually, even systematically, so that the next Gambian, the next soldier, or the next poor girl have the opportunity to learn about what it means to be human and to live a healthy life.