b'WILLIAM JAMES COLLEGE 25STUDENT PROFILEDeon Mowatt Grateful for Faculty Mentorship, Professional Development, and Scholarshipeon Mowatt has dedicated his careereducation, or professional development you can D to giving back to his community,receive goes a long way in this field. Learning how to working with children and familiesnetwork and build partnerships really helps to expand through school systems, in-homeyour view of what the needs are in the community therapy, and community health clinics. It wasand makes you think about how you can be helpful.in his position at the Home for Little WanderersMowatt has especially appreciated the support he where he was inspired to pursue furtherhas received from Dr. Natalie Cort, co-director of the education in counseling and psychology.Center for Multicultural and Global Mental Health Since then, Mowatt has continued to provideand director of the Black Mental Health Graduate behavioral health services in a variety of Boston- Academy, and Gemima St. Louis, vice president for based organizations including the Commonwealthworkforce initiatives and specialty training. Cort and Mental Health and Wellness Center and theSt. Louis spearheaded the STAR Fellowship program, Lighthouse Behavioral Health and Wellness Center.one of many College initiatives designed to meet the His most rewarding work so far, he said,needs of underserved communities.was at the Harvard Street NeighborhoodI cant tell you how much I admire their Health Center in Dorchester, where he helpedwork, Mowatt said. What they have done at facilitate testing for clients spanning a wide蜜桃tv: bringing in students range of ages, backgrounds, and needs.of color, really expanding the Black Mental That was definitely an eye opener, he explained.Health Graduate Academy, and also bringing Working in a community health clinic, you prettyin the money to support these students.much see everything. It wakes you up to the needsAs a student of color himself, Mowatt noted that of a community and how critical therapists andengaging with the Black Mental Health Graduate psychologists really are. Academy made him really feel at home, adding that Mowatts dedication to serving underservedseeing the work and success of the other Scholars populations earned him a spot in the inauguralinspires him to keep going. At the end of this year, cohort of the HRSA-funded Specialized TrainingMowatt will graduate with his PsyD in Clinical and Academic Retention (STAR) FellowshipPsychology and the ability to make an even greater Program. Providing students from underrepresentedimpact in the community. backgrounds with scholarships, mentorship, andMy hope is to go into private practice, partner with culturally focused training opportunities in clinicalcommunity agencies, and continue to work with the psychology, the STAR Fellowship aims to addressBlack and brown communitythe community that disparities in communities and increase diversity I grew up in since I was 16 years old, he said. Just in the behavioral health workforce.seeing how unsupported young men like myself were, Ive been grateful for that program, said Mowatt.I hope to go back to that community I came out of and Not just the financial part of itthough that reallyprovide that support. helped a lotbut any kind of additional training,'