Top 100 Women Scholarship winner devotes time to Black mental health advocacy, prevention strategies

Janiah Fields, a senior at McDaniel College majoring in psychology with a minor in Africana studies, is a Baltimore native who devotes her time to Black mental health advocacy with a focus on culturally responsive suicide prevention strategies. She is the 2025 Top 100 Women Scholarship winner.

Currently serving as a research assistant in the Department of Mental Health at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, she is part of the GRACE Lab, which focuses on researching mental health disparities in Black communities. Her work in the lab centers on understanding how racialized experiences influence suicidal thoughts and mental health outcomes using a community-based mixed-method approach.

She has held numerous leadership and mentorship roles at McDaniel, including serving as an EDGE Mentor to first-year students transitioning from Baltimore City Public Schools, on the President’s Advisory Council of Students and acting president of the Psychology Honors Society. Her core priority is to ensure that students of color feel seen, supported and empowered throughout their academic journeys.

Beyond McDaniel’s campus, Fields collaborates with organizations such as the Black Mental Health Alliance, Healing Youth Alliance, SAMHSA and the George Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Disabilities. At just 19 years old, Fields was invited to the White House for the release of the 2024 National Strategy for Suicide Prevention and Federal Action Plan during the Biden-Harris administration for recognition of her work to raise awareness about Black youth suicide and the importance of addressing race in mental health initiatives.

After graduating from McDaniel, Fields plans to pursue a master’s degree and a doctorate in Psychology. She has always been drawn to the idea of wearing many hats. With a master’s degree and doctorate, she wants to be a researcher and clinician and hopes to be a professor one day. She knows earning a doctorate will lead her to follow in the footsteps of the most inspiring women in her life. With her advanced degrees, Fields is committed to continuing her advocacy for Black youth and advancing culturally grounded approaches to suicide prevention.

The Daily Record interviewed Fields about how she got here and where she is headed:

How did you feel when you found out you were the Top 100 Women Scholarship winner?

I was completely shocked. I didn’t even know I had been nominated. It truly warmed my heart. That day hadn’t been the best; I was feeling overwhelmed with concerns about graduate school and how I would finance my education. Then I received the call. It felt like a powerful reminder to keep going, because you never really know the impact you’re making in the world. It’s a moment I’ll never forget.

When you were younger, what did you want to be when you grew up?

When I was younger, what I wanted to be changed so much. I wanted to be an artist of some kind because I was extremely creative. I remember making paper dolls out of magazine clippings and robots out of cardboard boxes. I even made my American Girl dollhouse out of industrial shelves when I was about 10. I loved crafting and spent a lot of time with music and theater, so I thought maybe I would become a famous singer or actor. I thought surely I’d end up studying something in the fine arts, I started taking piano and violin lessons at 4 years old and I was heavily involved in theater, so it just made sense. After going to Baltimore Polytechnic Institute for high school, I continued to explore the arts, but more as a hobby rather than a career path.

What inspired you to major in psychology and Africana studies?

I decided to major in psychology and minor in Africana studies after losing someone close to me to suicide. My entire perspective on mental health has shifted. I began to see how deeply it was affecting Black youth and how systemic racism plays a pivotal role in the declining mental health of Black individuals. I think it is important to understand mental health and racism holistically. I chose to study both disciplines because issues that arise amongst both happen somewhat concurrently. Black people are underrepresented in psychological science because systemic racism has created barriers etc. There is a plethora of social and historical contexts that must be considered to understand psychology and the African diaspora fully.

Where do you see yourself in the next 10 years?

I envision myself not only working as a clinician but also as a community-engaged researcher. I am deeply committed to using community-based participatory research to elevate the voices and lived experiences of individuals, allowing their community knowledge to inform both research and clinical practice. Given the lack of Black clinical psychologists, particularly those engaged in research, my goal is to help shift the paradigm. I want to contribute to the development of more equitable mental health care that acknowledges and respects cultural differences. Ultimately, I see myself continuing to be both an advocate and a mentor, supporting the next generation of Black youth as they learn to prioritize their mental health and well-being while using their community and culture as an asset to healing.

How did your mentors shape who you are today?

I hold my mentors in such high regard. They taught me the importance of sewing into the next generation. I’ve seen my mentors like Janel Cubbage, Brandon Johnson and Leslie Adams give me the opportunity to “show up as the expert I am.” They’ve given me a platform that bolsters my confidence, and they constantly remind me that I deserve to be in every space that I’ve ever occupied.

What is a quote you live by?

There are so many quotes that resonate with me but being raised by God-fearing women in the African Methodist Episcopal Church, I usually come back to scripture. I constantly remind myself of Psalms 30:5, “Weeping may endure for a night, but joy cometh in the morning.” I live by this verse because it is a reminder to hold on, to be patient and to trust that everything will work out as it should. My aunt would say “Trouble doesn’t last always,” but this verse restores my hope and comforts me knowing that something great is waiting for me.