According to the Active Minds (https:// www.activeminds.org/about-mental-health/ statistics/), 39% of students in college experience a significant mental health issue, 67% of people ages 18-24 with anxiety or depression don’t seek treatment, 1 in 5 adults have a diagnosable mental health illness, and 50% of the population will experience a mental health condition in their lifetime. These are alarming statistics. Sophomore Randi Schuster from Roslyn, S.D., double majoring in special education and elementary education, knew mental health was a problem on campus and wanted to bring awareness to it on campus and show support for those who suffer from a wide variety of mental health issues. “The mental health tree was something that I thought of after doing the Out of the Darkness walk here in Aberdeen. It made me truly think about what was going on around me and how I could bring awareness to campus about mental health,” Schuster stated. “I decided that I wanted to do something where people could write down what they were feeling, people's names, or whatever they felt like writing. I decided that I wanted to do a ‘tree’ of sorts, and put it in the Student Center. I thought that doing hearts would be a cute addition and really show support and love.” Besides letting students and staff write their thoughts or names down, she also had resources from many different places in Aberdeen and on campus that people were able to take. Schuster thought “this also helped establish the community and support that we have. My hope is that people see the tree and know that they are not alone! I plan to continue doing this and making it bigger and better to show that mental health is not something that people are going through alone and to break down the stigmas behind it.” Mental Health Awareness Tree Northern State University Honors Newsletter 6 Mental health awareness tree with messages of love and caring to show support for those suffering.
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