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PUBLIC TESTIMONY
Testimony by High School Student and Youth Advocate from Asian American Student Advocacy Project
4:57:43
·
3 min
A high school student at LaGuardia High School and youth advocate for the Asian American Student Advocacy Project's Mental Health Campaign, testified about the mental health challenges faced by AAPI students in performing arts schools and the need for increased mental health support in NYC schools.
- She highlighted the pressure and anxiety experienced by AAPI students in performing arts, exacerbated by stereotypes and cultural stigma.
- She emphasized the inadequate number of social workers in schools, calling for the recommended ratio of one social worker per 250 students.
- She advocated for increased funding for mental health support, including hiring more diverse social workers, investing in student wellness programs, and centering students' voices in addressing mental health issues.
High School Student
4:57:43
Good afternoon.
4:57:44
First, I wanna thank chair Joseph and the rest of the council for allowing this conversation.
4:57:49
My name is Ella Wang, and I am a student at LaGuardia High School.
4:57:53
I'm also a youth advocate at the Asian American Student Advocacy's Project Mental Health Campaign.
4:57:58
Being at a performing arts school has significantly affected my mental health Due to the competitive and demanding nature of school shows and frequent auditions, I've fallen into a hole of anxiety and self doubt.
4:58:12
I remember one moment during a choir rehearsal when my choir director pulled me aside and talked to me about singing a solo that I had never seen or heard before.
4:58:21
Immediately, I was nervous.
4:58:23
I struggled to produce the sound she wanted.
4:58:26
My anxiety only grew from there.
4:58:29
I constantly questioned myself.
4:58:31
I felt a lot of pressure trying to meet her expectations for me.
4:58:35
I kept my anxiety to myself because I felt alone, like no one cared or would understand my emotions.
4:58:42
In addition to performing well academically, teachers always had high expectations and I was under constant pressure to be better.
4:58:49
As an AAPI student, I felt like my teachers only saw me as someone who was doing well in school and did not care about my mental wellness.
4:58:58
As an AAPI student in performing arts, I faced even more judgments from others because they were surprised that I was not in the math or science field.
4:59:07
I felt alone and as if I had done something wrong.
4:59:11
Oftentimes, my friends and other AAPI students who are also experiencing mental health issues are ashamed to talk to others about their feelings and struggle in silence, hesitant to share their feelings due to cultural stigma.
4:59:24
We would pretend to be okay due to the fear that we would receive judgment from them.
4:59:29
These thoughts are a reflection of common stereotypes amongst AAPI students, and we have no one to turn to when needing a space to just talk.
4:59:38
There are over 2,000 students at my school and only two social workers, yet the two social workers feel like a luxury in New York City.
4:59:48
Taking care of our mental health should not be a luxury or wish list item.
4:59:51
It is essential, and the funding for mental health support should never be at risk.
4:59:56
We need to hire more and diverse social workers.
4:59:59
The recommended ratio between social worker and student is one to 250, and we need the city and DOE to make this a reality.
5:00:07
The funding for mental health support is not just hiring more and diverse social workers, but it must include other areas, such as investing in student wellness programs and intentionally collecting students' feedback as part of the evaluation process.
5:00:22
When schools are addressing mental health, we want the schools to center students' voices and experiences.
5:00:27
We need to understand that mental health is more than the absence of clinically diagnosed mental illnesses.
5:00:32
Mental health is also the presence of well-being.
5:00:35
We ask the school and the city to take these problems more seriously and fully support students' needs.
5:00:40
We need to recognize the diverse needs within AAPI communities to not only improve mental health well-being, the mental well-being of AAPI students, but to strengthen the entire school community.
5:00:50
Thank you.