Our Advisors

Simeon Sylvester is a recent graduate of The Pennsylvania State University with a major in Finance and a minor in Corporate Innovation and Entrepreneurship. He joined the Steve Fund Youth Advisory Board because he believes that the vision and actions that the Fund embodies are universal. The struggle with minority college students and mental health is real and action towards bettering it needs to be taken. Mental health is important to him because he knows how it feels to be in college and also to struggle mentally in some aspects. Getting over that obstacle in his life encourages him to help other students strive forward.

Oladele Osisami is a senior at the University of Alabama at Birmingham majoring in Biology with minors in Psychology and Chemistry. Oladele believes that mental health is just as important as physical health, possibly even more important. Oladele feels that people of color should have greater access to mental health services as chronically stigmatized populations have greater needs for these services. He joined the Steve Fund YAB to increase access to mental health programs on his campus and in his community

Melina is a first-year graduate student of social work at The University of Texas at Austin. After losing her father to suicide during her freshman year of college, she spent her last two-and-a-half undergraduate years conducting research in college student mental health and suicide, as well as advocating for increased mental health awareness and resources on campus. A first-generation Latina student, Melina joined the Steve Fund YAB to help identify and address the mental health needs of college students of color across the country.

Kyle is a senior at Baruch College majoring in Finance. He believes that it is his duty to give back to his communities, as he has been a product of the combined efforts of others. Being able to collaborate and learn with like-minded students and graduates from around the country is something that he always embraces. To be able to do that and promote the importance of the education around mental health and emotional well being with The Steve Fund Youth Advisory Board is exactly what Kyle is passionate about.

Kenna Chick is a sophomore at Georgetown University who is creating her major in Global Mental Health Legislation. Her passion for mental health stems from both personal experience and the experience of those around her. Kenna is currently the Chair of the Mental Health Policy Coalition of the Georgetown University Student Association and the Director of Outreach for Project Lighthouse, an anonymous peer-to-peer chat line that provides support to students. She joined the Steve Fund Youth Advisory Board in order to conduct research and work on legislation focusing on the mental health of people of color.

Jazmin Pruitt is a junior at Georgetown University majoring in Biology of Global Health and minoring in African American Studies. I joined the Steve Fund YAB because I believe it will provide a platform to allow for decisively breaking the stigmas surrounding mental health as well as finding ways to improve the sometimes toxic climate students with mental health challenges find themselves in. These stigmas and climate are inter-related and addressing them both synergistically will provide an environment where students can thrive instead of having to adapt to a specific environment that is often flawed.

Jada Hill is a 2016 graduate of The Pennsylvania State University. She received a Bachelors of Science in General Science. During her undergraduate career, Jada developed a passion for pursuing educational and social equity and increasing knowledge around mental illness and wellness in communities of color. Experiencing the challenges of maintaining mental health strengthened her resolve to make a change in how these communities approach mental illness. She is eager to work with the Youth Advisory Board to close the gap between being a student and moving into post-undergraduate life in a healthy manner.

Idris Mitchell, a senior at Yale University studying Political Science and Psychology, joined the Steve Fund Youth Advisory board because he knows the importance of positively addressing mental health especially among youth. Being diagnosed with bipolar disorder several years ago, Idris hopes to confront the stigma surrounding mental health concerns, encouraging dialogue and understanding of how mental health affects everyone’s daily life. He is passionate about opportunity and achievement gaps experienced by young people of color, and truly believes that mental health support and emotional well-being make up the foundation upon which any progress—both individual and communal— can be made.

Gowri Jagadeesh is a freshman at Monmouth University majoring in health studies. After personally noticing the disparities in mental health services for people of color, she became interested in advocating for equal access to good mental healthcare. She believes that good mental health is vital to lead a fulfilled life, which is why it is important for young people of color to have the right resources. Gowri is enthusiastic to serve for the Steve Fund to help bring initiatives forward.

Dazialee Goodwin is a graduate student at Saint Louis University focusing in Clinical Psychology. Dazialee aims to reshape the negative perception and stigma associated with mental health services while educating others of the benefits that such services can provide. She joined the Steve Fund Youth Advisory Board to encourage and enhance the mental health services and resources available for people of color at colleges, universities, and the larger community.

Brittany Washington is a senior at Georgia State University majoring in Psychology and African American Studies. I joined the Steve Fund Youth Advisory Board, because I am very passionate about eliminating the negative stigma that mental health has in many communities of minorities, especially within the black community. Since the Steve Fund is the only non-profit organization that advocates for this, I decided that this was the perfect match for me. Mental health is an extremely important topic that gets hardly any major attention, even though it affects a majority of individuals at some point in their lives. And I feel that we me, and all of the other members of this amazing organization, we can make a change for the better while saving many lives in the process.

Alyssa Ince is a sophomore at Yale University majoring in Political Science and African American Studies (prospective). Passionate about social justice and equity in higher education, I was drawn to the Steve Fund’s mission to legitimize the mental/emotional health disparities faced by students of marginalized identities. As a member of the Youth Advisory Board, I look forward to creating meaningful programs while jumpstarting dialogue surrounding mental health on college campuses.