VCU undergraduate honored for mental health advocacy with a national reach

By Haley Tenore

As a third-year biology major in the College of Humanities and Sciences, Varsha Penumalee is progressing on her path to become a physician. But she already has made an impact - at Virginia Commonwealth University and beyond - as an advocate for mental health, and her work was recognized recently at the national level.

In February, Penumalee traveled to Washington, D.C., to receive the NEA Foundation's 2026 Student Voices Award on behalf of Active Minds, a national nonprofit that combats the stigma of mental illness and supports the mental health of young people. In addition to leading its VCU chapter, Penumalee serves on the Active Minds national student advisory committee, helping chapters on other campuses expand mental health advocacy.

"Growing up, I saw family members and friends who struggled silently and were navigating systems that weren't necessarily built with compassion or accessibility in mind," Penumalee said. "I also experienced what it felt like to have to hide parts of myself to fit in. Some of these early experiences shaped my understanding of how deeply mental health is intertwined with identity and community. At VCU, I've dedicated a lot of my work to reducing that stigma and expanding access to mental health resources."

Founded by educators in 1969, the NEA Foundation is a nonprofit that advances public education. It established the Student Voices Award in 2023 to celebrate youth advocacy and empowerment, and Penumalee's recognition was a chance to reach a large audience.

"I was able to go onto a stage and present to 750 professionals about the importance of mental health, the importance of what Active Minds does and my reason for joining the organization… it was an incredible opportunity, for sure," she said.

Penumalee noted that college can be an extremely vulnerable time for young adults. They often are living away from their families for the first time, forming new relationships, balancing academic pressure, and for many, confronting symptoms of mental health conditions that are emerging.

"It's important to recognize that campuses are not just academic environments. They're really like front-line mental health environments, because it's the first time that students are navigating independence," Penumalee said. "This combination of stress, identity formation and uncertainty can amplify things like anxiety, depression, burnout and substance use. Even high-achieving students who may not be as loud about how they're affected can be struggling quietly."

Penumalee is also president of NAMI Virginia's Youth MOVE Virginia youth advisory board. NAMI is the National Alliance on Mental Health, and its MOVE initiative - Motivating Others through Voices of Experience - is a platform to highlight youth perspectives.

In that role, "I provide insight on programming and outreach for mental health events to engage with youth, … and a space for youth and young adults to feel safe, seen and heard," she said.

Originally from Michigan, Penumalee came to VCU to ultimately study medicine, with an eye toward integrating mental health into her practice. (As part of a guaranteed admission program, she will enter the VCU School of Medicine upon graduation.) Her parents are immigrants, and Penumalee is particularly interested in studying how mental health impacts immigrant families - and improving mental health awareness in these households.

"I think a huge portion of that stigma came from culture… My parents grew up in India, and immigrated here for higher education… For them, the idea of mental health in general didn't really exist, … and resources like therapy just were not even an option for my parents and generations before," she said. "I think that also has definitely motivated me in terms of making people aware that you can simultaneously be culturally aware and also push for mental health changes and battling stigma overall."

Penumalee focuses much of her student research on the link between mental health and socioeconomics, such as poverty. She looks forward to being attuned to such factors as a physician.

"At the end of the day, I really feel like my work is driven by one belief," she said, "which is that mental health care should be accessible, culturally responsive and, ultimately, grounded."