Montgomery County, Maryland is a proudly diverse county. Here at the Universities of Shady Grove (USG), this sentiment is reflected. Many people in the world don’t have that experience or know the importance of community is essential. But what if we don’t have that advantage or support to reach out when we’re in need?

“My mom thankfully is pretty open to the idea of mental illnesses or just a kind of mental health. I feel like that’s not necessarily the case for a bunch of older generation’s Latin parents. I feel like especially if they’re religious.” Brenda Dubon is a USG alumnus who graduated from UMBC at USG as a Political Science major.

Currently, Dubon works at USG as Program Management Specialist Wellness for the Center for Counseling and Well-being. Originally from El Salvador, she is fortunate to have a family who understands mental health and seeks support during difficult times. Something Dubon did to maintain good mental well-being as a college student was visiting USG’s Center for Counseling and Well-Being.

Although many have acknowledged that mental health concerns are an issue, there is still a stigma, specifically within BIPOC and immigrant communities. According to the NIH, stigma is one of the factors that many immigrants in the U.S. experience, as well as “lack of trust in formal mental health care… significant barriers to access including English language fluency, limited awareness of mental health services, high cost of mental health services, [and] lack of health insurance.”

Licensed Clinical Professional Counselor Kheia Hilton has been working at USG primarily focusing on individual and couples counseling. In addition, she does classroom visits to promote the resources at the counseling center. “Oftentimes, what I see more than anything is fear of the unknown… and really not normalizing mental health as just a normal part of everybody’s being,” Hilton says.

USG’s Chief Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Officer Jeffery Ash advocates for people to share their thoughts and feelings, even if they are not going through a tough time. “Just creating a space for folks to arrive as their authentic self … to share their truth…that’s ultimately a place I envision,” Ash says.

“So while it may be difficult, the best way to advocate is to at least try to normalize [mental health] as much as possible” Hilton states. “What that looks like …it could really look [as simple as] asking someone, ‘how are you doing today?’…and they may say ‘you know I’m actually having a pretty tough day today.’”

In terms of normalizing mental health awareness and acceptance, Dubon wishes that the topic would be destigmatized now rather than later. “We ourselves within our own generation go to therapy, but then encourage our children or whoever [descends us] to do the same.”

“It’s okay to need help, whether it’s academically related, or not.  Whatever it is that you need help with, there are people on the USG campus whose job it is to help you so you never suffer alone.” Ash adds.

From using resources such as the counseling center to even reaching out to fellow staff and students, USG offers immense support to foster community and well-being. Coming off of Mental Health Awareness month in May, let us continue to listen to students and our community.