Kaylah Beltran

2023 Steinberg Institute Champion

Kaylah Beltran

Champion Kaylah Beltran courageously shares her story to help California youth prioritize mental health

Like most middle schoolers, Kaylah Beltran is comfortable on the soccer field. On any given afternoon following class, Kaylah will be with practicing with her teammates. But Kaylah is also comfortable addressing something that many of her peers (and even adults) aren’t: mental health.

As a young child, Kaylah was anxious. Her parents saw it, but it wasn’t something that she immediately identified. It wasn’t until she was a little older, during the COVID-19 pandemic, that Kaylah’s anxiety worsened. She suffered a panic attack while taking a test. Therapy helped her identify what negatively impacted her mental health and gave her simple tools to address it.

Inspired by her journey, Kaylah wrote a book titled “My Anxiety Journey.”

Champion Kaylah Beltran courageously shares her story to help California youth prioritize mental health
Video/photography by Autumn Payne of Ethical Narrative

She entered her book in the Fresno County Superintendents of School’s Young Author’s Faire. All elementary schools in Fresno County received a copy of the book, thanks to The Fresno County Department of Behavioral Health, which published 1,000 copies. Kaylah visits elementary schools to read her book and discuss prioritizing mental health.

We salute Kaylah for her courage and determination to help her peers!

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Transforming California's mental health and substance use care systems through education, advocacy, accountability, and inspired leadership.
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