When the Overflow Heals
She survived sexual assault and a suicide attempt, substance abuse, and an autoimmune disease diagnosis. All of these things could define Mardae Castro, but this human services major is shifting her identity beyond survivor to helper and advocate, focused on serving the Filipino community.
“My culture doesn’t believe in mental health. Getting help just isn’t something that exists for us,” Mardae admitted. Faced with all this, some might give up entirely, but after surviving a failed attempt on her life, Mardae chose a path to restore herself and others. And thanks to financial support from the College of Education’s field experience scholarship, she’s focusing on changing mental health mindsets on addiction and family services.
When Healing Becomes the Priority
After being diagnosed with Graves’ disease and post-traumatic stress disorder, Mardae took a hiatus from her initial path toward a nursing career to focus on her own health. She connected with social workers and therapists, and while these human service professionals were helpful, something was still missing. “None of them looked like me, and so much of my therapy journey was me trying to explain the cultural aspects behind what I was going through.”
From the Front Desk to the Front Lines
Five years later, as she took baby steps to get back into the rhythm of life, she resumed her studies while working as a receptionist at the UNLV PRACTICE—a community mental health clinic.
The experience opened her eyes to the real impact culturally-responsive mental health professionals could have. “I could see the students coming in regularly, and how it was actually making a difference.” From there, she transitioned to working at various private practices in Las Vegas, where she was the first point of contact for people seeking help—guiding them through uncertainty and connecting them to the right clinician.
Healing that Starts with Awareness
Mardae knows firsthand that managing stress and anxiety without healthy coping skills is next to impossible and can lead to unhealthy behaviors. While experiencing the highs and lows of her initial academic pursuit, she knew when something was off. “I noticed that I couldn’t handle the stress [of school] or any stress at all.” She felt the toll academically, socially, and mentally. The strain of everyday tasks led her immune system to attack itself.
Her work now aims to get ahead of situations like this for the populations she works with. She also serves as the human services honor society president, a UNLV Human Services Advisory Board representative, a Filipino-American Student Association member, and mom to a 6-year-old son.
Pouring Into Her Purpose
With most of her coursework done, she’s beginning to put theory into practice. In her internships, she shadows therapists in both individual and group settings—particularly with young adults. “Watching their progress and seeing how much they trust their therapists, I knew I wanted to be part of that kind of healing.”
Students often hit a financial roadblock when they reach the field experience requirement of their program. For a single mom like Mardae, the financial support she’s receiving from her scholarship helps her balance her academic, professional, and family commitments. “I didn’t have to pay out of pocket for these last two semesters. And my son loves doing homework because he sees me doing it too. He’s like, ’Mommy, we can do homework together!’”
Mardae’s journey to fulfilling her dreams continues to challenge her, but she’s working to strike her perfect balance. However, it’s filling up her cup and her purpose that drives her to be her best self. “In this field, all we really do is pour into other people. So I think it’s super important to participate in all the things I do because they fill my cup so that I’m not pouring from empty.”