Psychology student works to destigmatize mental health in the Black community

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Cherish Graham, a third-year Penn State student majoring in psychology, has found a way to combine her academic interests with her commitment to advocacy.

The North Brunswick, New Jersey, native is a first-generation student whose parents were born and raised in Ghana, she said she has developed a passion for mental health advocacy through her coursework and her involvement in a number of campus organizations.

“From the very beginning, in my freshman year, I gravitated more towards the African community. I even found myself really deepening that part of my identity here at Penn State,” Graham said. “I was just able to really delve deep into the African community, and that also helped me in my own personal growth.”

Graham serves as the co-membership chair of the African Students Association, where she focuses on sustaining the group’s image while welcoming new members into the community. She said she hopes to take on other leadership positions in the future to increase her impact.

Outside of the African Students Association, Graham is involved in the Unity Christian Campus Ministry and Light Fellowship. She credited these organizations with helping strengthen and share her faith, while also giving her a sense of community that balances her African heritage with her American upbringing.

In addition to her campus involvements, Graham is a lead teaching assistant for "SOC/PHIL/PSYCH 120N" Knowing Right From Wrong" taught by Professor of Sociology and Criminology Eric Silver.

“This position has given me the space to be a leader and get the backgrounds of learning, teaching and a classroom setting that encourages students to speak on their knowledge and thoughts without judgment,” she said.

Graham said her experiences as a teaching assistant the last couple semesters have been some of her favorite growing and learning opportunities at Penn State.

“This class allows students to be thoughtful thinkers and discover within themselves what their definition of morality is,” Graham said. “The class is taught by my favorite professor — Dr. Silver is amazing and has given me the space and confidence to share my perspectives.”

These experiences also drive Graham’s academic pursuits as a research assistant. Graham works in an obsessive-compulsive disorder study lab with a team of other assistants under the direction of psychology graduate student Valerie Swisher. In the lab, Graham is responsible for recruitment and psychological assessments, and she said she is learning a lot about mechanisms that maintain obsessive-compulsive symptoms to inform future research and interventions.

In another lab, Graham is a research assistant for Teaching Professor of Psychology Alicia Drais-Parrillo, who has become a mentor to Graham. Graham is responsible for observing classrooms using a tool designed to help educators create more inclusive classroom environments.

“The professors will use our feedback from our observations to make an efficient and advantageous learning environment for every type of student,” Graham said.

Graham said she plans to begin applying for graduate programs to pursue a doctorate in clinical psychology, with dreams of one day having her own private practice. She hopes to practice both domestically and internationally, with intentions of opening a wellness center in Ghana.

Graham said much of what she has learned in her educational and research spaces has opened her eyes to the lack of mental health services for minority communities.

“My biggest goal is to help educate my African American and African brothers and sisters on the true reality and importance of mental health,” she said. “I would love to be part of a movement that destigmatizes having a mental health disorder and seeking professional psychological help, especially within the Black community.”

Reflecting on her time at Penn State, Graham said she is thankful for the academic scholarships she has received from the College of the Liberal Arts. Since her first year, Graham has been a repeat recipient of the Virginia “Jake” Coskery Craig Trustee Scholarship. Each year, Graham has the opportunity to share her appreciation with Craig.

“It has been a huge blessing to me, my family, and just a great financial support in that sense. I am really grateful for that,” Graham said. “I always look forward to writing a letter to Mrs. Craig every year, since it is a continuous scholarship.”

Graham is also a resident assistant, where she has built essential skills for interacting with people. Through the program, she receives a meal plan and housing discount — another weight lifted off her family’s shoulders. Overall, Graham said she enjoys the position because it has allowed her the space and time to make positive and transformative impact on residents’ lives.

“I shocked myself on how just being there for underclassmen was not just a small impact for a specific time, but beyond that and their college time and personal life journeys. I’m so pleased and grateful for all the people I’ve met through being a resident assistant,” she said.

Graham said she is proud of the work she has done at Penn State and is excited to go into her field post-graduation.

“I would just love to be a light and a respected clinical psychologist who touches many hearts and minds for the better,” she said.