ST. GEORGE — Students, staff and the community have been working together through a seminar series to break the stigma that sometimes surrounds mental health.
The fourth and final event of the semester was open to all on April 6 at Utah Tech University in the Kenneth N. Gardner Student Center.
Each event becomes a conversation between a student and a successful leader who has lived with a mental health condition and is willing to share their story.
The most recent guest speaker was Deondra Brown, a member of a music group called The 5 Browns.
Tiffany Wilson, chairman of the board of trustees at Utah Tech, told St. George News that when she created the seminar, she saw it as a chance for people to open up, share their stories and speak freely of their challenges.
“Remove the reason to hide, break the barrier, break the stigma,” Wilson said.
She said the past 30 years have been a process of overcoming and embracing her own mental health struggles and that her experiences spurred her to take action.
“If I don’t do anything to try and help other people’s situation, then my experiences will all have been for nothing … and that would be tragic,” Wilson said. “I want so badly to create positive opportunities for growth and to support students who have their own mental health challenges to deal with.”
Her goal for the series is to bring in leaders from various industries to share their experiences and teach the audience that it is possible to be a successful leader even if they are struggling with their mental health. Wilson said she wants people to see themselves as more than just someone struggling with mental health.
“Because I have mental health challenges does not mean that I can’t be a good leader, and because I’m a leader does not mean I couldn’t possibly have mental health challenges,” Wilson said. “I’m both and it’s OK.”
Miss Utah Tech Zoe Sewell had the opportunity to share her story during one of the seminars and told St. George News it was an experience that helped not only the audience but herself.
“I felt like it was something I needed to help me heal from my experiences,” Sewell said. “It creates an open door for people to connect.”
The seminar creates an environment of healing, learning and conversation for everyone involved.
“When you walk out of there, a burden is lifted and someone else is helping you carry it,” Wilson said. “When we put it out in the universe, we don’t have to hide behind a facade anymore.”
Wilson plans to continue the seminar series in the fall and may start a podcast to allow more people to share their stories. Anyone willing to share their story as part of the Breaking the Stigma Seminar Series should email Tiffany Wilson.
A recap of all of the sessions of the seminar series can be found on Utah Tech’s Community Education Channel YouTube channel.
Copyright St. George News, SaintGeorgeUtah.com LLC, 2023, all rights reserved.