Research Internship
Donation protected
Hello Everyone,
My name is Deshawn Dazevedo and I am a Junior at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill studying Psychology, double minoring in Spanish with the Medical Professions and History. I aspire to work in a non-profit organization post grad, specifically one that serves minority student populations to ensure that they are receiving all of the necessary resources to be successful. After this, I plan to receive my Master's Degree in Social Work and continue to receive my Doctoral Degree in Counseling Psychology. My ultimate goal is to open my own office (I can see Dazevedo's Clinic now lol) in a high minority population area to provide mental health services and resources to these communities. I hope to provide awareness for mental health and engage the community through programming to teach them about mental wellness, emphasizing the importance of mental wellbeing. Through this programming I hope to alleviate financial barriers, because I believe that everyone should have access to mental health care, whether they can afford it or not.
This summer, I have been offered an opportunity to travel to Costa Chica, Mexico and study the afrolatinx identity. I will be working with Africa AC, an organization that works towards elevating the voices of those who are of African descent. With this organization I will be exposed to how systems of oppression are materialized in other countries, and issues that Black people face outside of the scope of the United States.
Throughout the internship, I will be documenting the lives of the people living in this region, in the end creating an animated documentary that will provide a genuine depiction of the afrolatinx identity of the people of Costa Chica. This organization has given me the honor of being the pioneer of this project, and I am overly excited!! My only barrier thus far is financial. Due to the trip being a personal project, I do not qualify for study abroad scholarships which denies me access to a lot of funding. I am also a first-generation college student from a lower socioeconomic status, so I do not have the money to fund the trip myself. I have applied for grants, and I am currently waiting to hear back but as with most application processes, these are not guaranteed. I have solidified most of the logistics with the organization that I will be interning with such as housing, food, and transportation while there. The most expensive portion of the trip is the plane ticket which is roughly $600 and increases as time passes.
This opportunity would be beneficial in so many ways! I would be able to travel abroad for the first time in my life, which is an experience that many have recommended. I will be able to immerse myself in an afro-latinx space which resonates with me on a personal level. I am of afro-cuban descent, but I have not been able to connect with that portion of my identity. I’ve only been able to take Spanish courses offered through school systems, but those have only focused on language and less on culture. This trip will allow me explore the Latinx portion of my identity.
Another benefit is that I will be able to engage in activism outside of the United States, which I know will strengthen me as a leader. The family that I will be staying with only speaks Spanish, so I will be forced to utilize my language skills and become a stronger Spanish speaker. Most importantly, I will be able to create a documentary that accurately depicts the afrolatinx identity without bias, which is a topic that has become recently popular in the media. However, there is still not much information publicized about this community. I will be able to portray them in a positive fashion, both highlighting the richness of their culture while educating those who view the documentary to construct a healthy concept of this identity. I hope that you all will consider donating to this cause, and I would love to share the documentary with anyone who is interested!
My name is Deshawn Dazevedo and I am a Junior at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill studying Psychology, double minoring in Spanish with the Medical Professions and History. I aspire to work in a non-profit organization post grad, specifically one that serves minority student populations to ensure that they are receiving all of the necessary resources to be successful. After this, I plan to receive my Master's Degree in Social Work and continue to receive my Doctoral Degree in Counseling Psychology. My ultimate goal is to open my own office (I can see Dazevedo's Clinic now lol) in a high minority population area to provide mental health services and resources to these communities. I hope to provide awareness for mental health and engage the community through programming to teach them about mental wellness, emphasizing the importance of mental wellbeing. Through this programming I hope to alleviate financial barriers, because I believe that everyone should have access to mental health care, whether they can afford it or not.
This summer, I have been offered an opportunity to travel to Costa Chica, Mexico and study the afrolatinx identity. I will be working with Africa AC, an organization that works towards elevating the voices of those who are of African descent. With this organization I will be exposed to how systems of oppression are materialized in other countries, and issues that Black people face outside of the scope of the United States.
Throughout the internship, I will be documenting the lives of the people living in this region, in the end creating an animated documentary that will provide a genuine depiction of the afrolatinx identity of the people of Costa Chica. This organization has given me the honor of being the pioneer of this project, and I am overly excited!! My only barrier thus far is financial. Due to the trip being a personal project, I do not qualify for study abroad scholarships which denies me access to a lot of funding. I am also a first-generation college student from a lower socioeconomic status, so I do not have the money to fund the trip myself. I have applied for grants, and I am currently waiting to hear back but as with most application processes, these are not guaranteed. I have solidified most of the logistics with the organization that I will be interning with such as housing, food, and transportation while there. The most expensive portion of the trip is the plane ticket which is roughly $600 and increases as time passes.
This opportunity would be beneficial in so many ways! I would be able to travel abroad for the first time in my life, which is an experience that many have recommended. I will be able to immerse myself in an afro-latinx space which resonates with me on a personal level. I am of afro-cuban descent, but I have not been able to connect with that portion of my identity. I’ve only been able to take Spanish courses offered through school systems, but those have only focused on language and less on culture. This trip will allow me explore the Latinx portion of my identity.
Another benefit is that I will be able to engage in activism outside of the United States, which I know will strengthen me as a leader. The family that I will be staying with only speaks Spanish, so I will be forced to utilize my language skills and become a stronger Spanish speaker. Most importantly, I will be able to create a documentary that accurately depicts the afrolatinx identity without bias, which is a topic that has become recently popular in the media. However, there is still not much information publicized about this community. I will be able to portray them in a positive fashion, both highlighting the richness of their culture while educating those who view the documentary to construct a healthy concept of this identity. I hope that you all will consider donating to this cause, and I would love to share the documentary with anyone who is interested!
Organizer
Shawn Dazevedo
Organizer
Chapel Hill, NC
