Interview with Raina Rooney by Bri Ryerson, Wellness Operations Intern

Mental health has become an important topic for many college students around the United States, especially during and after the COVID-19 pandemic. Isolation, online classes, and trying to transition into adulthood during a time of virtual socialization and education has created impacts for college students that we could have never imagined. I decided to take this opportunity to speak to college students with different backgrounds and majors to dive deeper into the topic of mental health and how we can further support and provide resources for young adults making the transition into higher education and their future careers. 

For the first blog of this series, I interviewed Ashley, a psychology major at North Carolina State University with a minor in entrepreneurship and another minor in business administration. I focused my questions on her perspective surrounding mental health, what self-care looks like for her, and how she believes universities and institutions can better support students. 

Ashley says that as a psychology major, mental health is an important topic in almost all of her classes and is something that she takes very seriously. The education and knowledge she has gained surrounding mental health has given her a more positive perspective on this topic and has lessened the negative stigma which really highlights the importance of mental health. Besides her major, Ashley says that being a college student has taught her that mental health needs to be a priority in order to succeed in your classes and outside of the classroom. “Taking care of yourself allows for better outcomes in all other aspects of your life. College has pushed me to learn how to balance my education, social life, work, and mental health which is an essential skill to possess”, Ashley asserts. 

When it comes to self-care and taking care of her mental health, Ashley likes to have at least some point in each day to focus on herself and tune out the noise from all other situations happening around her at the moment. Whether this be listening to music, going to the gym, or writing in her journal, she emphasizes the importance of taking time out of your day to do something that you enjoy away from the stress of school and other distractions that life brings. 

When it comes to what Ashley believes universities and institutions should implement for the betterment of student mental health, she emphasizes education on topics such as mental health along with providing a positive and safe environment where students feel empowered to seek help if needed. Ashley says that “a university being transparent and honest about mental health can create a more positive stigma surrounding topics related to mental health, so then students will be more willing to come forward and be less ashamed of problems they may be facing." Providing resources on a university-level as well as emphasizing mental health education could lead to a positive change in students’ well-being and how supported they feel on campus. 

While education and resource-related changes cannot happen overnight, providing insight from students and working to educate others can help push for the changes that universities need to see when it comes to mental health. This series aims to create an honest and open discussion surrounding mental health in young adults and allow for everyone's voices to be heard. 

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Project Passport is a proactive mental wellness company that aims to bring mental wellness retreats, workshops and other services to company teams. We also help individuals create joy in their lives every step of the way. To learn more about our company retreats and services, click here. Our travel retreats will resume in the future as the world reopens.