High School Student Brings Psychology Awareness to the Forefront

When Brandon Shintani, a student at Ridgewood High School, started playing sports at a young age, he had no idea that it would lead to a focus on psychology. Like most kids, he knew that becoming a good player meant practice, practice, and more practice. But from personal experience over the years, Brandon realized that kids are only taught to train their bodies. There were no resources for them to train their minds on their own. Brandon took the initiative to combine his love of sports with his deep interest in psychology. In September 2020, he created Mind-Design Sports, an online organization that promotes mental health and sport psychology aimed specifically for young athletes.

The Mind-Design platform features blogs which enlighten readers about a variety of topics, and podcasts which feature guest speakers from different backgrounds including psychologists, former Olympians, sports trainers, and meditation teachers. With a focus on global awareness, Mind-Design Sports has a team of 75 high school and university students from over 30+ countries. You can learn more at Mind-Design Sports website (mind-designsports.org).

Not surprisingly, Brandon is the Sports and Wellness Editor for his school newspaper where he writes about current topics related to mental health and sports. However, Brandon’s devotion to psychology and mental health reaches beyond sports. He is also the founder and leader of the psychology club at his school, whose mission is to enlighten students about the vast field of psychology through guest speakers, movies, discussions, and volunteer opportunities. Brandon and his team are creating an organization called “Psychology Students Association” (PSA), with groups in high schools around the world.

Brandon hopes that all of his initiatives will show teens how psychology can benefit many areas of their lives. Brandon welcomes questions from other teenagers who may wish to get involved in his psychology activities and can be contacted via email at MindDesignSports@gmail.com