I am a first-year MA Thesis student in Second Language Education with a Gender and Women's Studies Option.  My academic interests include gender +/- LGBTQ2SIA + justice, language development, cultural studies, racial justice, how different groups use language, and the impact of Western binarist language and society on queer and transgender identities.  I initially joined CMH because of my lived experience with mental health related issues, but I was pleasantly surprised on the group's interdisciplinary, professional development focus.  Just within these past few months, I have learned so much about the various mental health issues in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, and beyond, the different approaches that people take to it, and the work that still needs to be done.  I have gotten the chance to meet people that I would not have been able to meet otherwise.   As a member of CMH, I hope to continue to make personal and professional connections and to apply what I learn to my research.