Become a Nunchi Health Fellow

Healing begins with you.

The Nunchi Fellowship is a selective training program, where students engage in a series of interactive mental health workshops. All sessions are virtual, and participants commit to attending weekly sessions for 7 weeks.

Applications for the Spring 2026 Fellowship Cohort are now closed. Sign up for our mailing list to receive updates and early access to future cohorts.

A woman with curly hair smiling and gesturing while sitting on a blue sofa using a laptop with a Windows logo.

What is it?

The Nunchi Fellowship is a structured, community-based program designed to help students build skills in emotional intelligence, peer support, and culturally responsive mental health leadership. Through weekly live workshops, Fellows join a small cohort of students from across the country to learn, reflect, and grow together.

As a Nunchi Fellow, you will play an important role in strengthening your own healing journey while supporting others who share similar backgrounds and experiences.

Where to Get Started?

1. Apply to the Nunchi Fellowship
Join a seven-week virtual program guided by trained Nunchi Facilitators. Through interactive weekly sessions, you will learn peer support skills, practice group facilitation, and deepen your understanding of mental health across cultures and identities.

2. Join the Nunchi Community
After completing the Fellowship, you will be welcomed into our national community of Fellows. Graduates may also be invited to become Nunchi Facilitators, helping lead future cohorts and empowering even more students.

If you have already completed the Fellowship, you may be eligible for additional leadership opportunities within Nunchi Health, including facilitation and campus engagement roles.

When are the Fellowship Information Sessions?

  • Session 1: January 14, 2026

  • Session 2: January 29, 2026

View Recorded Session

Who’s Eligible for the Fellowship?

To join the Nunchi Fellowship, you must:

  • 13–29 years old (as of Jan 1, 2025)

  • Able to attend all 7 sessions

  • Identifying with immigrant, international, multicultural, or diaspora backgrounds

What’s the Format?

  • 7 weeks of virtual workshops

  • 1.5 hours per week on weekday evenings

  • Small groups (5–6 students) across different schools

  • Open to high school, college, graduate students, and unenrolled students aged 13–29

  • Curriculum designed specifically for immigrant-identifying students

What are the Spring 2026 Cohort Dates?

  • Session 1: Week of February 23rd

  • Session 2: Week of March 2nd

  • Session 3: Week of March 9th

  • Spring Break (no session): Week of March 16th

  • Session 4: Week of March 23rd

  • Session 5: Week of March 30th

  • Session 6: Week of April 6th

  • Session 7: Week of April 13th

When’s the deadline to apply for the Spring 2026 Cohort?

The deadline for applying to the Nunchi Health Spring 2026 Fellowship Cohort was February 8th, 2026.

Sign up for our mailing list to received updates and early access to future cohorts!

What Our Fellows Are Saying

Real experiences. Real growth. Real community.

Two quote cards with green quotation mark icons. The left card contains a quote: "I didn’t expect to feel so understood by people I had never met before. Every session felt like a space where I could finally breathe, open up, and not feel judged for once." attribution: Fellow. The right card contains another quote: "The Fellowship helped me realize how deeply my identity and upbringing shape my mental health. I walk away feeling more grounded, more aware, and more connected to who I am becoming." attribution: Spring 2024 Cohort.
Quotes from a Spring 2025 Cohort facilitator, emphasizing growth in confidence, leadership, and supporting others, with a large red quotation mark and two smiley faces.
Two quotes about the positive impact of fellowship. The first quote reads, "I used to struggle so much with naming my emotions, but the Fellowship gave me tools that I now use daily. I'm finally able to express myself and support the people I care about in healthier ways," attributed to a Fellow. The second quote, from a Fall 2025 Cohort, reads, "I learned what it means to support others without overwhelming myself. The Fellowship gave me confidence to show up for my community in healthier, more compassionate, and more sustainable ways." The quotes are displayed in black text on white, rounded rectangle backgrounds, with large green quotation marks. The background is black.
Quotes on a dark background, with two quote cards overlayed. The first quote says, 'Being with people my age who shared similar cultural experiences was so powerful. It felt like we were all on this seven-week journey together, learning from one another and building trust with every session.' The second quote says, 'I've never been in a space where facilitators listened so openly and without assumptions. It felt safe—like my story had value and like every part of me was welcome.' Both quotes are attributed to the Fall 2024 Cohort and are accompanied by smiley face icons.
Two quote cards with testimonials, one says 'The conversations we had every week were deeper than anything I've ever experienced in a school setting. We talked about culture, pressure, expectations, and things I didn't even know I needed to process.' signed 'Fellow.' The other says 'This was the first time I felt truly seen as a first-gen student navigating two cultures. It validated so many feelings I've kept to myself for years and helped me understand that my experience is worth acknowledging.' signed 'Summer 2025 Cohort.' Both cards have green quotation marks and are set against a black background.
Two quote cards with testimonials about a program, featuring red quotation marks, a smiley face icon, and a label indicating 'Facilitator.' The background is black.

From Fellow to Facilitator. Lead the Change.

Our facilitators are selected from graduates of the Nunchi Fellowship — leaders who represent diverse cultures, academic paths, and lived experiences. United by the belief that healing is collective, culturally grounded, and community-led, they are reshaping how mental health support reaches our communities

When you join the Fellowship, you’re not just participating in a program — you’re stepping onto a leadership pathway. Fellows who complete the program can become Nunchi Facilitators, guiding peer circles, mentoring future cohorts, and building healing spaces across campuses and communities.

If you’re ready to grow as a leader and create real change in youth mental health, this is where your journey begins.

Meet Our Facilitators

FAQs

  • This fellowship is open to people interested in exploring mental health, leadership, identity, and storytelling in a collaborative environment. The program centers international, first- and second-generation, and DACA/undocumented students, but individuals from all backgrounds who share this mission are encouraged to apply.

    9 out of 10 Fellows are likely to recommend the Nunchi Fellowship to a friend or colleague

  • The Nunchi Fellowship allows Fellows to learn mental-health tools, practice emotional awareness, and offer a mode for reflection. One of the highlights of our Fellowship is Healing Stories in Solidarity (HESS), which offers Fellows an opportunity to share their story with their peers. Fellows will also have a chance to present on a topic within mental health, allowing them to practice research and presentation skills. Overall, the Fellowship is designed to encourage Fellows to go on to become mental health leaders within the various communities they are a part of.

  • Fellows meet weekly in a small cohort, engage in guided discussions, practice mental health tools, and learn how to approach advocacy through a culturally inclusive lens. The fellowship is a 7-week virtual experience that meets at the same time each week.

  • No mental health experience is necessary to apply, but if you feel that you have relevant experiences that you would like to share, we strongly encourage you to do so!

  • At the end of the fellowship, you will be invited to fill out a form if you would like to hear about our facilitator application for the next Nunchi Fellowship cycle. All Fellows who have successfully completed the fellowship are able and invited to apply!

  • Given the limited number of sessions in our Fellowship, we strongly recommend that all Fellows attend each session. However, we understand that certain unavoidable conflicts may arise. Therefore, if you know you will miss a session, please inform your facilitators in advance. In the case that this is not possible, please reach out to your facilitator as soon as possible to touch base regarding your absence.

  • Yes, the Fellowship is entirely free. In fact, Fellows who successfully complete the Nunchi Fellowship will receive a $20 gift card to credit their commitment to the Fellowship.

  • We welcome your questions — please reach out to nunchihealth.fellowship@gmail.com.