Imagine going to glamorous parties, getting top grades in your class, being accepted in a sorority/fraternity, and meeting your one soulmate. These ideals that glamourize college differed from my freshman year experience. The reality was, it was tough transitioning from the academic rigor and balancing a job at the same time. I never had a friend group, and grieved separation of old friendships. Craving acceptance, I instilled weak boundaries, failed to advocate for my needs, and accepted unjustifiable behavior. At the end? I completely lost myself. And the worst part? I didn’t know how to get back up.

 

In this process, two things saved me. First was therapy. Therapy in the beginning was scary, but I realized that having someone to simply listen to my experiences and process the tough emotions is extremely healing. Every week, checking in on someone who just gets it made me feel less alone, and the motivation to improve myself grew. But beyond therapy, finding a purpose outside of myself was critical for me. That purpose was demystifying the stigma against mental health, and providing a safe space to uplift people during moments of struggle.

 

REVIVL is where I fulfill my purpose. Through building the peer mentorship program with evidence-based research, my goal is to provide accessible counseling for people who either find it difficult to reach out first or experience insurance/financial related barriers to counseling. Understanding how therapy isn’t as simple to obtain, I strive to create accessible mental health services that provide a sense of  safety and hope during dark times. For this, I am excited to grow this strong and healing community and be there every step of the way toward your mental health journey!