Redwood Student, Leena Aziz, Starts A Mental Health Website: Alifea

Leena Aziz, a junior at Redwood High School, designed a website called Alifea. Alifea’s focus is on the mental wellness of others, while also educating people about the importance of mental health.

By: Megan Yang

Leena Aziz ’23, started off her website, Alifea, on January 2021.

Aziz says that Alifea stands for “Wellness” in Ararbic.

Aziz “wanted to curate an outlet where [she] could not only provide an interactive, non-judgmental basis for people to relate to one another… but also where [she] could share [her] research and [her] own personal insight.”

Aziz plans to have Alifea “go global, so it can help as many people as possible. [She has] already successfully reached people in Asia and Australia.”

As Aziz discovered more about the complexities of mental health, her “number one goal was to open discussions about one of [her] longtime passions.”

Aziz says, “I am a very social person, so the sudden change of isolation and quarantine, took a lot of personal adjustment. This was difficult for me as I felt alone and constantly stressed and anxious as I tried to understand all of the changes happening in the world and my personal life.”

“One of my main goals would be to remove the negative stigma surrounding mental health, and that takes the contribution of anybody who is willing to listen,” she adds.

Aziz’s top priority “is to make it known to all, that in a world that can seem unforgiving and cruel, [she is] always going to be available as a friend to make them feel heard.”

Aziz says that, “In order to make a difference within our own health and wellness as well as within a community, one of the most crucial steps is to educate the public on what mental health really entails so a judgement free space is created for people to feel validated in their struggles.”

Nicole Gonzalez, a licensed family therapist, came onto Alifea and discussed mental health, while also answering questions that people had submitted to Alifea’s Instagram page. The discussion was posted on Alifea under “Blog”.