Content warning: Corwin’s story concerns physical abuse, mental health struggles, death and racial discrimination. If you or someone you know are looking for support, contact Student Counseling Services at 515-294-5056.
Alana Corwin is a junior studying entrepreneurship. In this installment of “Humans of Iowa State,” Corwin discusses the childhood experiences that brought her to develop her app, “Apricity.”
“I was adopted when I was three years old,” Corwin said. “My father was an immigrant from Mexico while my mother was from Iowa in Waterloo. He was deported before I was born, so I never got to meet him. He died of cancer in Mexico.”
Corwin shared her thoughts on Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) programs at Iowa State while urging students and faculty to take on leadership roles to stand up for underprivileged students.
“From there, I was adopted when I was three years old into my family,” Corwin said. “I and my younger brother were removed because of a child abuse situation.”
Throughout the film, Corwin shares the importance of mental health care in her life. She said she didn’t have access to mental health support until her first year of college, driving her to create her CyStarter award-winning mental health app, “Apricity.”
“I went to a really small school,” Corwin said. “My graduating class was 72. I was one of two or three women of color in my high school. That was very interesting.”
Corwin also shared what inspires her to continue pushing through life. She attributed her inspiration to the diversity of the human race, saying that the way humans interact is “beautiful.”
“I started to struggle a bit with my mental health in high school,” Corwin said. “I struggled a lot with my own identity and struggled a lot with the taboo of what I’ve been through. [I also struggled with] the stigma of having that conversation with people explaining my past or things that I do because of these things.”
To have a chance to be the next Human of Iowa State, apply using this link.
To view Corwin’s story, click the watch link at the top of the article.
