Inez Adelina Gallegos
2024
I was born and raised in the Mission District in San Francisco. I attended Buena Vista Horace Mann, a dual-language K-8 that not only celebrated the value of being biliterate but also what it means to stand up for and represent community. Starting in second grade, I began playing basketball for the Mission Recreation Center (MRC) girls AAU basketball program. Through my participation in this program and training in different spaces and across various levels of competition, I have developed an interest in learning about performance anxiety and mental health in women’s athletics. For my initial project with the i2 program I hope to explore this further.
Conditioning Inner-excellence in the Context of Mental Health: The Trajectory of Female Athletes
Recently, there has been more public focus and attention devoted to acknowledging mental health challenges among athletes, particularly those at and aspiring to be at the elite level. Because women athletes face social and structural inequities and challenges in participating in sports, there are complexities to understanding mental health struggles among this population. This research project will explore how to disentangle factors that contribute to adverse and protective mental health outcomes among women and young women athletes. It will do this through a documentary format incorporating key informant interviews and research and media coverage in this area . This project will help provide information and concrete steps for people to take in order to create more opportunities and establish systems that are aimed at helping women excel in sports.
Project details