Our education goes far beyond what we learn in the classroom.

Though the ultimate goal of an undergrad is to earn a degree, there is so much more to gain from a college experience than enhanced knowledge, especially at UVM.

College is about the trials and tribulations of learning to overcome personal struggles. It’s about figuring out the best way to tackle a packed workload and an argument with a friend.

Most importantly, it’s about maintaining a healthy lifestyle, physically and mentally, in an environment that often breeds high levels of stress.

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One is allowed to admit they are not doing ok; having an honest relationship with one’s mental state shows strength, not weakness.

We are lucky to live in a community which understands and emphasizes the importance of mental health; being able to have an open and honest conversation about the realities of this is the best way to reduce the stigma around the topic.

At the same time, there is still room for improvement beyond our campus. As students of a University which makes mental health a primary concern, it is our obligation to carry our comprehensive understanding of the issue with us everywhere we go.

Self-care is not selfish, it is timeless: is a skill we will use for the rest of our lives.

College is a wonderfully overwhelming time flooded with new experiences about the surrounding world. Students are fully expected to have existential crises and, luckily, UVM is well-equipped to help those under the pressures of discovering themselves.

We commend the University for taking its students’ mental wellbeing into account with everything it does, especially at the end of each semester.