Myla Vera is a rising senior at Williams College studying Psychology. Her interest in mental health stems from her firm belief in its profound impact on a person’s quality of life and power to save lives. After growing up in communities where mental health was stigmatized or dismissed, she was motivated to learn more about how to work toward solutions that not only increase access to mental health resources but also foster cultural shifts that prioritize mental well-being worldwide. Her interests lie in the intersection of education and mental health, where she believes that learning and development are powerful tools for individual empowerment.
This summer, Myla worked under the supervision of Dr. Claire Greene on a project that examined the impacts of USAID cuts on mental health and migration in Colombia. Her responsibilities included refining interview data from migrants, humanitarian actors, and national stakeholders, and then conducting open-coding to build concepts and categories in preparation for the creation of a codebook for qualitative analysis.
Myla is grateful for her time with CCGMH, and appreciated the kindness and support of fellow interns, her incredible mentor, insightful speakers, and the wonderful management team.