Yesterday was nothing but life changing. For the first in my life I told my story in public in front of a group of people.
I spoke about my traumatic childhood and the bipolar disorder of my mother.
I spoke about my struggles as a first-generation student, who lost all hope and my suicide attempt.
I spoke about the domestic abuse I experienced.
I spoke about grieving my father during my PhD.
I spoke about the loss of my baby during my post-doc.
I could start a conversation and create a safe space. The group could listen and share.
The trust and the feedback were incredible.
Many came afterwards to me and thanked me for being so brave, strong and an inspiration.
They told me that they found it healing and such an important, courageous step towards breaking the stigma of mental health/illness in academia.
This is only the beginning of what I would like to see and create for my university.
I truly believe in positive change in academia and a supportive community at my local campus.
Thank you so much to everyone involved. I am so grateful for doing this work.
