“Be the person you needed when you were younger,” is the thought that propels Ebony Rempson, 21, as she mentors her students at Cardozo Education Campus in Washington, D.C.
Rempson is the winner of the second annual Samuel Halperin Youth Public Service Award, and her award-winning essay describes her struggle with depression, her struggle to find a purpose in life, and how mentoring youth has given her a mission.
Ebony hopes to one day found a nonprofit that focuses on mental health well-being for young African American women “With depression being a taboo in the Black community, and many other communities of color, my goal is to validate young Black women’s experiences with mental illness and emotional trauma through art and literature,” she writes in her essay.
The Halperin award serves to recognize outstanding examples of dedication to youth, public service, and education. Learn more about the annual Halperin award and lecture series.
