SHREVEPORT, LA — Active Minds awarded LSU Shreveport with the Luke Beischel Chapter Jumpstart Scholarship during the 2022 Active Minds National Conference. LSUS student Alyssa Garza also received the Emerging Scholars Nash Family Scholarship from the organization.
Since 2003, Active Minds has worked towards making a positive impact on the mental health of young adults. The nonprofit organization has developed over 600 campus chapters and has reached more than 1.9 million students.
The Luke Beischel Jumpstart Scholarship award includes outreach materials and a mentorship from Luke Beischel, an Active Minds chapter alumnus. LSUS received this award for establishing “Mental Health Monthly Check-Ins,” providing Validate-Appreciate-Refer® training during Suicide Prevention Month, hosting a campus-wide mental health speaking event featuring Michael Zibilich, and incorporating Active Minds into the Week of Welcome festivities at the start of the school year. Angie Pellerin, Director of Counseling Services at LSU Shreveport, looks forward to watching the student members accomplish even more through Active Minds this year. “With the recently awarded Luke Beischel Jumpstart Scholarship, this year’s officers hope to build on already gained momentum by bringing campus-wide collaboration to mental health awareness events, including the nationally travelling display, Send Silence Packing, scheduled at LSUS for November 1, 2022. We hope community members will be inspired to join their cause and personally invest in bringing more visibility to college student mental health.”
Tiffany Robinson, president of Active Minds at LSU Shreveport, shared her experience with the mentorship aspect with Luke Beischel. "It was an amazing opportunity and gave my chapter a lot of insight and ideas on how to further our chapter. This award will allow us to put a lot of our on-paper ideas into action and be able to reach more students. I'm very thankful for Luke Beischel and the Active Minds team for giving us this opportunity."
Active Minds also awarded Alyssa Garza, an LSUS student and Active Minds campus representative, with the Emerging Scholars Nash Family Scholarship. This scholarship is given to three students who show a dedication to healthcare equity, a commitment to their studies, and have a passion for mental health. “I am very grateful to be able to receive such an amazing award from Active Minds and the Nash Family, I cannot thank them enough,” said Garza. “This award will do so much more than support my graduate career but also my life goal of being a therapist. I found my interest in mental health at a young age as it affected me personally and my family. I knew I wanted to get more involved in the field when I started at LSUS and started working at the LSUS Counseling Office. Active Minds at LSUS was another accomplishment that helped me express my passion for mental health.” Garza will use this scholarship towards her Master of Science in Counseling degree at LSU Shreveport. Her post-graduation plans include assisting individuals of minority populations, women of color, and survivors of domestic abuse.
