Executive Overview
In an era defined by a youth mental health crisis, digital saturation, and shifting cultural paradigms, the non-profit sector stands at the frontline of community care and advocacy. Among the most influential organizations championing this cause is Active Minds, the nation’s premier premier mental health organization supporting young adults. By empowering students and young professionals to speak openly about psychological well-being, Active Minds has transformed how a generation approaches mental health.
At the engine of this nationwide movement are the organization’s semesterly cohorts of interns—passionate student advocates who infuse fresh perspectives, rigorous academic training, and tireless dedication into the organization’s multifaceted initiatives. The Summer 2024 Intern Cohort proved to be one of the most dynamic groups in the organization’s history. Hailing from universities across the United States, these emerging leaders contributed to critical domains spanning chapter coordination, digital marketing, graphic design accessibility, development operations, higher education policy, and K-12 youth programming.
This comprehensive report explores the journeys, motivations, and professional aspirations of the exceptional individuals who comprised the Summer 2024 Active Minds intern class. Beyond standard resumes, this deep dive examines why these young leaders chose to dedicate their summer to destigmatizing mental health, the unique intersections of their personal backgrounds with their advocacy work, and how their contributions are shaping the future of mental health care and public policy in America.
Detailed Chronology and Departmental Impact
The Active Minds internship experience is designed not merely as an educational placeholder, but as an immersive, high-impact professional deployment. Operating across various specialized departments, the Summer 2024 interns were integrated directly into projects that expanded the organization’s national reach, refined its digital footprint, and strengthened its financial and structural foundations.
Bridging Communities: Chapter Support and Higher Education Policy
Empowering local chapters has always been the heartbeat of Active Minds. Sara Valencia, a neuroscience major with a certificate in human rights at Duke University, stepped into the Chapters Team. Hailing from Orlando, Florida, Valencia brought a rigorous scientific and human-rights-focused lens to her work. Driven by a dream of becoming a psychiatrist and global mental health researcher, Valencia’s work underscored a fundamental truth of modern advocacy: clinical understanding and grassroots community organizing must go hand-in-hand.
On the policy front, Trace Terrell, a rising junior at Johns Hopkins University studying public health and writing seminars from La Pine, Oregon, took on a pivotal role within the Higher Education and Policy teams. Terrell’s commitment to Active Minds runs deeply personal; as they shared, Active Minds played a vital role in saving their life during high school. Contributing to the policy team allowed Terrell to investigate how postsecondary mental health legislation directly impacts student wellness. With aspirations of serving as a policy advisor in state or federal government agencies, Terrell’s summer work directly informed legislative strategies designed to protect student well-being nationwide.
Amplifying the Message: Marketing, Communications, and Creative Advocacy
Modern non-profit advocacy cannot succeed without effective communication and compelling design. The Summer 2024 cohort featured powerhouses in digital marketing and visual arts who redefined how mental health conversations are packaged and presented.
- Sam McCracken, studying Clifton Builders Management at the University of Nebraska–Lincoln and hailing from Scottsdale, Arizona, joined the Marketing and Communications (MarComm) team. Recognizing the unique intersection of modern technology and the youth mental health movement, McCracken applied his digital platform expertise to amplify mental health awareness, balancing his professional aspirations in digital marketing with his trademark enthusiasm.
- Amanda Michael, an upcoming senior in graphic design at the Kansas City Art Institute from Kansas City, Kansas, brought a vital intersectional perspective to the graphic design department. As a young Egyptian woman navigating a community where mental health carries heavy stigma, Michael focused on designing with accessibility and audience retention in mind. Inspired by creators who champion multilingual perspectives, such as designer Mohamed Samir, Michael utilized her creative talents to dismantle cultural barriers and initiate vital mental health conversations for younger audiences.
- Anna Gefke of Bethesda, Maryland, a Wellesley College alumna with a degree in Studio Art and a minor in Mathematics, joined the Development Team focusing on Individual Giving and Community Fundraising. Gefke brought her artistic sensibility to donor communications, helping structure peer-to-peer fundraising campaigns that empower everyday individuals to become financial pillars for the mental health movement.
Fueling the Mission: Development, Operations, and Strategic Growth
Sustainable advocacy requires robust financial pipelines and seamless internal operations. Several interns dedicated their summer to ensuring that Active Minds remains well-resourced and structurally sound.
- Krystn Whitty of Summerville, South Carolina—pursuing a master’s degree in marriage, couples, and family counseling education at the University of South Carolina—served as a development intern focusing on foundations. Having previously led her university’s Active Minds chapter as Vice President, Whitty expanded her campus-level passion into institutional fundraising. With a dream of balancing a private family therapy practice with a homestead, Whitty’s insider perspective from chapter leadership to foundation funding added immense value to the development team.
- Langdon Janos of Los Angeles, California, a Psychological and Brain Sciences major at Washington University in St. Louis, served as the Development Operations intern. Drawing on his experience as a peer counselor on his university campus, Janos sought to understand the behind-the-scenes mechanics of non-profit management. Recognizing that many students still hesitate to seek help, Janos leveraged his role to support funding streams that keep campus resources alive and accessible.
- Aubrey Hill of Newmarket, New Hampshire, a Communication and Public Relations major at the University of Delaware, joined the Operations department. Gaining a holistic view of interdepartmental coordination, Hill applied her communication skills to understand the corporate and logistical infrastructure required to run a major national health advocacy non-profit.
Reaching Earlier: K-12 Youth Programming and Data-Driven Insights
Preventative mental health intervention must begin long before college. Recognizing this critical window, the Summer 2024 cohort included targeted interventions in youth spaces and analytical measurement.
- Shay Desai of Houston, Texas, a psychology major at the University of Texas, stepped up as the K-12 intern. Desai focused intensely on the mental health challenges confronting youth, specifically advocating for demographics that historically underreport psychological struggles, such as young males and people of color. With aspirations to open a private clinical psychology practice focused on youth and adolescent boys, Desai’s work helped lay the groundwork for earlier, more inclusive mental health interventions.
- Keanu Villagonzalo of Queens Village, New York, a Mathematics of Computation major at UCLA, brought analytical rigor to the Measurement Team. Driven by the tragic loss of a high school classmate to suicide—stemming from a collective inability to detect early warning signs—Villagonzalo utilized advanced data analysis and emerging technologies to evaluate the efficacy of Active Minds’ programs, ensuring that future crises can be intercepted before tragedy strikes.
- Pilar Parker of Charlotte, North Carolina, a psychology major at NC State University, interned with the Workforce Development department. Focusing on building effective communication strategies and gaining workplace readiness, Parker channeled her deep-seated passion for mental health education into preparing the next generation of mentally resilient professionals.
Supporting Context & Metrics: The State of Youth Mental Health
The urgency driving the Summer 2024 Active Minds intern cohort is validated by extensive public health data concerning youth and young adult psychological well-being. According to national health surveys:
- The Collegiate Landscape: Over 70% of college students report moderate to severe psychological distress, with anxiety and depression remaining the leading impediments to academic performance.
- The Stigma Barrier: Despite rising rates of mental health diagnoses, marginalized groups—including young men, first-generation students, and culturally diverse communities—continue to face disproportionate barriers to care due to social stigma.
- The Preventative Imperative: Studies consistently demonstrate that early intervention during middle and high school significantly decreases the lifetime severity of mental health conditions. Initiatives like Active Minds’ K-12 programs and higher education chapter networks are directly responsive to these epidemiological findings.
The integration of diverse academic disciplines—ranging from neuroscience and public health to graphic design and data science—illustrates that tackling the mental health crisis requires a multidisciplinary workforce. The Active Minds internship model explicitly mirrors this reality, training future clinicians, policy advisors, marketers, and researchers to address mental health through a systemic lens.
Official Statements and Personal Reflections
The philosophy of Active Minds is anchored in authentic storytelling and the power of shared experiences. When asked about what drew them to the organization, the Summer 2024 interns consistently highlighted the mission to dismantle stigma and humanize psychological struggles.
"Active Minds helped save my life in high school, and to now help expand its reach for others to have the same opportunity is one of the greatest experiences of my life."
— Trace Terrell, Higher Education and Policy Intern
This sentiment of personal connection to the cause echoed across departments. For interns like Amanda Michael, the mission was deeply tied to cultural representation:
"As a young Egyptian woman who comes from a community where mental health is stigmatized, I wanted to get the conversation around it started. Being an intern at Active Minds gave me hands-on experience with that from a design perspective."
Similarly, Shay Desai emphasized the necessity of inclusive advocacy:
"The mission of Active Minds to change the conversation surrounding youth mental health deeply resonates with me. I want to provide a voice to groups who are often afraid to speak out about their mental health struggles, including young males and people of color like myself."
Future Outlook: The Next Generation of Mental Health Changemakers
As the Summer 2024 internship concludes, the impact of this exceptional cohort reverberates far beyond the organization’s headquarters. Armed with hands-on professional experience, technical skill sets, and a renewed commitment to advocacy, these students are returning to their respective universities and entering the workforce as seasoned mental health champions.
Whether stepping into roles as clinical psychologists, non-profit executives, governmental policy advisors, or creative directors, the alumni of the Active Minds Summer 2024 cohort embody the future of public health advocacy. Their collective work proves that when young people are given the platforms, resources, and trust to lead, they do not just participate in the conversation—they completely redefine it.
For individuals interested in joining this legacy of advocacy, applications for upcoming semesterly cohorts with Active Minds remain open, offering aspiring change-makers the opportunity to shape the future of mental health awareness nationwide.
