Tone Yao Lee Counseling Psychology Scholarship Fund
New Scholarship: First recipient will be awarded in the 2022-2023 school year
The Tone Yao Lee Counseling Psychology Scholarship Fund provides scholarships for Santa Clara University students pursuing graduate degrees in the Counseling Psychology program. Preference is given to students committed to serving the mental health needs of children, adolescents, and young adults, and especially to those committed to working with young people struggling with depression.
Learn a little more about Tone Yao Lee
Tone was born in Singapore, but lived the majority of his life in the Bay Area. Throughout his adolescence and young adulthood, he became a strong leader and solidified a commitment to service. He became engaged in student leadership, participated in service trips, and began to raise his voice to speak out against the stigma sometimes associated with mental illness.
As an outspoken mental health advocate at Santa Clara University, Tone touched the lives of many. He embodied so much of SCU's Jesuit values and its commitment to forming men and women for others. Tone’s dedication to helping others, despite his own struggles, was an essential part of who he was.
The mental health needs of children and adolescents have never been greater. Even ten years ago, mental health researchers estimated that half of all young people will experience a diagnosable mental illness by the time they reach 18. With the added stress of the Covid-19 pandemic and isolation, we are finding that young people are at heightened risk for severed depression and anxiety. The Lee family gift, in honor of Tone Yao Lee, enables the School of Education and Counseling Psychology to establish itself both as a leading preparer of high quality therapists to serve our young people and a public voice advocating for the needs of youth.