Inspired to Make a Change

CORAL GABLES, Fla. – It was a high school class that initially piqued his interest.

Michael Redding III was a senior at IMG Academy in Bradenton when he dove into his first psychology textbook. As he began his first studies of the mind and how it works, he realized he’d found something fascinating.

These days, he realizes he may have found a calling.

A third-year redshirt freshman receiver for the Hurricanes, Redding is intent on playing football as long as he can. He aspires to not just star at Miami, but work his way onto an NFL roster, too.

But when his playing career is over, Redding intends to pursue a career in psychology as a licensed mental health professional.

He believes that by doing so, he can make a significant difference in the world at large and in the Black community, specifically.

“Within the Black community, we have this strong stigma about mental health and [people] see it as a weakness. I’m not going to say it’s the wrong perspective, but it’s not the best perspective about mental health,” Redding said. “I think if we change the way we view mental health and we’re able to kind of get away from that stigma, we all can feel more vulnerable and able to make ourselves better.

“One example I use with people a lot of times is mental health is just like physical health. If you hurt your shoulder, what are you going to do? You’re going to go to the doctor and go get it fixed. But when we hear about mental health or we say ‘I’m not feeling so good,’ we don’t know what to do or what we’re supposed to do. And instead of getting it fixed, you re-injure it, re-injure it, and it gets worse and worse…There’s people that are professionals that can help you, just as they would if you needed physical help. We’ve got to be able to change that perspective and that stigma around mental health.”