A perspective piece by Undergraduate Student Jailee Mendo
I’m a public health advocate on social media, and I share my thoughts with my friends and family. I also wanted my voice to inform people outside my community, so I started my own YouTube channel.
My content quickly grew with the support of my followers, and they encouraged me to continue. However, with the descent of the coronavirus pandemic and my increased workload, I wondered, “Is this the end of my YouTube career?”
Before I could process my next steps, my family and I were diagnosed with COVID-19, and my transition to online school became overwhelmingly stressful. Nonetheless, I pushed myself to finish the semester strong, and I noticed how others used the lockdown as an opportunity to tap into their creative sides.
I realized my unique voice is needed now more than ever, so I pushed myself to continue engaging with topics including COVID-19, mental health, and racism in the United States. I started a mini-series on my channel promoting mental health tailored toward Black and Indigenous people of color (BIPOC) who bear the heaviest burden of racism and COVID-19.
Pictured: A video cover from my YouTube- JaileeMarie titled “Mental Health vs. The Media"
Taking courses in global public health and childhood & adolescent mental health enabled me to see just how much these topics intertwine. For instance, many people of color receive far fewer diagnoses of mental illness than non-Hispanic white people, due to stigma and cultural perspectives. This persistent public health issue results in BIPOC being diagnosed either late or not at all, leading to adverse health outcomes.
In order to prevent this, I believe we must work to educate everyone on how to safeguard their mental health. I see online health communications as the most helpful way to access information for those people who already use the internet for a multitude of things such as school, work, and social media.
I plan on creating more content on mental and public health and continuing my outreach to underserved communities that would benefit from robust health information. However, right now I’m working as a Public Health Ambassador at NYU’s Brooklyn and Manhattan campuses. And I’m also a mentor to BIPOC first-year students at the College of Arts and Science’s Academic Achievement program.
Pictured: Me working as a Public Health Ambassador for New York University.
Even though I’m not consistently uploading online content, offline I strive to continue to educate through these roles. We should all do the same! We just need to be willing to take the next step.