Ellie R.

Ellie is a 22-year-old student at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte. She is pursuing a degree in Psychology with plans to graduate in May of 2025. She is originally from the small town of Bowling Green, Ohio, where her family still resides today. Ellie works as a bartender and nanny in the Charlotte area. Working as a nanny has allowed her to follow through with her passion and gain experience in working with children as she hopes to one day earn her Master’s Degree to fulfill her career dreams of becoming a Pediatric Occupational Therapist. 

Growing up, Ellie was raised in a loving household with two thoughtful parents and an older sister. Although there were challenges that any normal family dynamic faced, her parents worked hard to provide the best life they could for their children. Ellie learned gratitude from her parent's hard work and credits them for being her support system no matter what the circumstances presented. Playing sports was a huge part of life for Ellie and her family as both she and her sister were involved with multiple sports. She tried playing everything from soccer to tennis to track but eventually stuck with basketball and volleyball as her main focus. She played in prestigious club volleyball and basketball teams and was even named an All-American in her junior year of high school. Playing sports provided Ellie with a sense of friendship and community that would help her develop a higher standard of social skills because communication is the biggest aspect of team dynamics. Being a natural-born leader, her teammates looked up to her as a friend but also as a role model because of the high expectations she held for herself as well as others. 

Through her perseverance and dedicated work ethic, Ellie earned a scholarship to play volleyball at Belmont Abbey College —a Division II school located near Charlotte, North Carolina. She maintained her status on the volleyball team until her junior year of college when she started to experience burnout as a result of being involved with playing sports her entire life. “There were a lot of good memories made but it was time to move on to the next chapter of my life,” Ellie stated, explaining why she decided to step back from her athletic career. She knew she wanted to make a change from playing volleyball to being a regular student but also loved being in the Charlotte area so she decided to attend the University of North Carolina at Charlotte for the rest of her junior year up until her graduation in May of 2025. Leaving the volleyball team also allowed her to expand her resume and work new jobs that would provide her with a stable means for the independent lifestyle she always strived for. Working as a nanny for a small child also helped her realize her true passion for working with children and helping them through the vital developmental stages each child goes through. 

When asked about her short-term and long-term goals, Ellie went into more depth about her career goal of becoming a Pediatric Occupational Therapist, starting her own family, and traveling. She values the idea of being content with life and taking one step at a time in making decisions that will be best for her and her future family. Making memories and creating meaningful connections with others describes her overarching personal goals and attributes she has to build a fulfilling lifestyle. Although she planned out her goals and path for the future, Ellie keeps an open mind and remains flexible as she realizes that plans can change depending on what happens during the different stages of life that everyone experiences eventually. Being loyal, kind and an overall good person are the qualities that Ellie describes as being the most significant to achieving success and maintaining healthy relationships. 

Ellie emphasized her belief that mental health resources should be accessible to everyone. Society has worked tirelessly to destigmatize concepts related to mental health but there are still courses of action that would spread awareness of mental health for the greater good. She stated, “A lot of people either don’t have access, don’t have the time, or don’t have the resources” to maintain a healthy mindset during mental health challenges. Ellie was transparent about her personal experiences of anxiety, depression, and traumatic events such as her friend committing suicide at the young age of 16. Speaking about her friend committing suicide, Ellie recounted the devastating memory which prompted her to think more deeply about mental health and the surrounding challenges people face behind closed doors. People never really know the circumstances behind other people’s thought patterns or behaviors because of the complex nature of how the human mind operates. 

According to Ellie’s perspective, people should take the time to go through self-reflection methods to understand one’s motives and behaviors. Although taking time to reflect on one’s self may be easier said than done, Ellie reiterated the need for society to change the stigmatization surrounding the concept of mental health. Everyone is expected to continue with their life and be okay, which is not always the case for individuals.“When it becomes more normal and more acceptable, that will change the perspective of a lot of people,” Ellie stated when talking about the need for people to go through self-reflection as an effort to form healthy mental habits. She also expressed the need for society to implement mental health in the educational environment, starting with children learning basic aspects of mental health. The earlier the awareness of mental health occurs, the more likely healthy habits will form from being educated on the subject which also goes back to society normalizing and acknowledging the importance surrounding mental health. 

When asked about any advice she would give to people facing mental health challenges, Ellie explained the need to “Remind yourself you're not alone, use any resources that you may have…use your village and don’t be ashamed of it.” Surrounding oneself with a reliable support system of trusted individuals helps a person realize that they are truly not by themselves in facing their issues. Reliable support systems are built based on the values possessed by the members of individual communities. This emphasizes the need for societies to put in the work of spending quality time together to form meaningful connections that all the people of that community can rely on for any situation that may arise. “Going through mental health is normal, it’s a part of human nature,” Ellie expressed as what she wants others to take away from her story and perspectives. 

Ellie’s background in Psychology has helped expand her horizon regarding mental health concepts. Her story and perspectives provide meaningful insight into how to help society destigmatize aspects regarding mental health and what interventions could be put into place for the betterment of a healthy mind. Educating children on basic mental health concepts may be the first step communities need to take to help people form healthy habits and lifestyles. Ellie’s story can help everyone see the powerful role education has on awareness of mental health and interventions. Through her inspiring passion to help the younger generations, Ellie will eventually embark on a journey to change the standards society has made on mental health to create a more cohesive, like-minded community.