Angelina Aubain is on a mission to improve mental health awareness among people of color in her community, but she’s still a 16-year-old girl at heart.
Angelina Aubain, a 16-year-old student from Wilmington and winner of Miss Black USA’s Talented Teen Competition, is not your average teen. The junior at The Sanford School in Hockessin and winner of a 4-year, full-time scholarship at Delaware State University, is on a mission to improve the nation’s mental health. Her vision is to educate young people on mental health awareness issues, particularly those of color.
Angelina won Miss Black USA on August 7 2022 at a pageant held in Washington D.C. The victory forms part of her plan to forge her career in the mental health space and assist people in underserved communities. Fundamentally, Angelina sees herself as a “change agent,” someone who is looking to improve the condition of the ordinary person. By studying for a medical degree and becoming a licensed psychiatrist, she hopes that she will be a beacon of hope in minority communities across the state.
Even now, Angelina is progressing towards her goals. She recently set up the Beyond the Stress initiative that will see her visit community centers across Delaware to discuss mental health issues.
“My initiative,” she says, “is a mission to educate young children and teens about mental health awareness in fun ways using positive affirmations, games, activities, and workshops to seed conversations.”
Angelina wants to take a positive approach to some of the most challenging problems that communities face, including bullying, eating disorders, body image issues for girls, and dealing with COVID-19. She is currently working with prestigious organizations, such as the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI), and hopes to work with more in the future.
But, of course, as a 16-year-old, Angelina has interests besides her work in mental health awareness. For instance, because she used to live in Singapore, she loves speaking Chinese. She also enjoys watching mystery shows with her family, playing hockey with friends, and “having dance parties in her room to Disney music.”
Angelina is pleased and grateful for her Miss Black USA Talented Teen 2022 victory. She believes it is a platform that will help her fulfill her mission to tackle some of the challenging mental health issues active in her area.
According to statistics collected by Angelina, one in five teens currently living in the U.S. has a severe mental health disorder. Furthermore, 50 percent of all mental illnesses begin by age 14 with 75 percent developing by the mid-twenties. Because of this, she believes that “children’s development of social, emotional, and behavioral well-being is central to their overall healthy development.” Her goal is to intervene early to prevent problems from developing more significantly in the future.