Give Back, Mental Health & Well-being, Scholarships
Pursuing a Life Fully Lived
5/1/2022
At a young age, Chiara “Kiki” Giannella, Colorado, faced mental health struggles, dealt with depression and navigated the stigma around going to therapy.
With therapy, Kiki got back on her feet and soon began to notice people around her who needed help too. It became her mission to create a safe space for those struggling so they too could focus on their mental health and well-being.
I am sincerely grateful for receiving this scholarship. It will allow me to pursue my passion of spreading awareness and helping the communities I am involved in end the stigma surrounding mental illness.
In November 2020, Kiki became the first director of wellness for Beta Mu Chapter, Colorado. “I knew I could actually make a difference and that’s what I’d been searching for in joining a sorority,” Kiki says.
There’s still so much Kiki wants to accomplish in the mental health field before entering the corporate workforce. With the merit-based scholarship she received from the Kappa Foundation, Kiki plans to pursue these passions the summer after graduating. “I am sincerely grateful for receiving this scholarship,” says Kiki. “It will allow me to pursue my passion of spreading awareness and helping the communities I am involved in end the stigma surrounding mental illness.”
With her sights set on her former high school, La Jolla High School in San Diego, Kiki hopes to re-establish a chapter of the National Alliance on Mental Illness high school club (NCHS), which empowers students to tackle mental health issues within their school by raising awareness and supporting their peers. “When I was in high school this club helped me so much,” Kiki says. “It gave me a community and made an impact.” In re-establishing NCHS, she hopes to provide students with education and resources so they feel empowered to navigate their mental health journeys.
