Three graduate students from Stony Brook University have been selected for the SUNY/OMH Scholarship Program, joining 15 other State University of New York (SUNY) students who are pursuing degrees in mental health fields. The program is part of a partnership between SUNY and the New York State Office of Mental Health (OMH), launched in August 2022 by Governor Kathy Hochul. Its goal is to increase the number of mental health professionals from diverse backgrounds, especially those serving communities that have had limited access to quality care.
“Helping students from all backgrounds join the ranks of mental health professionals will mean more New Yorkers are able to access these vital services going forward,” said SUNY Chancellor John B. King Jr. “Mental health is important to all communities, and the SUNY/OMH Scholarship Program empowers more students to enter and thrive in this essential field. We are thankful to Governor Hochul and our partners at the New York State Office of Mental Health for developing programs like this scholarship to expand care across our state.”
The three Stony Brook recipients are doctoral student Jadyn Trayvick and master’s students Christopher Cajamarca Ortega and Anne Lins.
The scholarship provides up to two years of support per student, as well as paid internships, fee waivers for graduate school applicants, and additional resources aimed at supporting retention and completion among undergraduate and graduate students enrolled in mental health degree programs.
Eligibility requirements include U.S. citizenship or permanent residency, New York State residency, enrollment at a SUNY campus in a mental health discipline, full-time status, at least second-year undergraduate or first-year graduate standing, and maintaining a minimum GPA of 2.5. Preferred candidates include Pell grant recipients, veterans, AmeriCorps alumni, first-generation college students, and multilingual individuals.
In addition to the scholarship program, SUNY has allocated nearly $10 million annually to expand mental health services at its state-operated campuses serving over 200,000 students across 29 locations. Another $3 million in recurring annual funding supports mental health services at community colleges.