Blog Posts by jessicamayorga
When “Giving Up” Means Winning
I’m a fairly stubborn person. I always have been. I literally taught myself how to tie my shoelaces when I was little because I wouldn’t let anyone else help me. I mean, I was that hard-headed… Recently, I withdrew from my capstone class (you know, that one specific class I need to graduate) a day…
Managing Wellness During Exam Season
It’s that point in the semester again. The pages of your agenda are filled with due dates of midterms, papers, and group projects. The amount of hours you sleep dwindles and the cups of coffee you consume skyrocket. You manage to go to your 9 am lecture while running on four hours of sleep and…
Tips for My Freshman Self
Everyone has advice for you when you first go to college: Avoid taking 8 am classes. Go to every class. Learn how to resolve conflicts with roommates. Don’t schedule more than an hour between classes. etc. etc. Freshman year was hard for me. I had moved out of state, was going to a school where…
Did You Hear about the Rose that Grew from Concrete?
“Did you hear about the rose that grew from a crack in the concrete? Provin Nature’s laws wrong it learned how to walk without Havin feet Funny it seems but, by keepin its dreams It, learned to breathe FRESH air Long live the rose that grew from concrete When no one else even cared No…
Borderline Personality Disorder Month: Practicing Compassion
Stacy is a member of the Active Minds Speakers Bureau. Bring her to your campus to speak about mental health. Of all the quotes I saw in the wake of Prince’s death — and I’m a Prince fan to the core — this is the most beautiful and resonant to me: “Compassion is an action…
Student Mental Health and Media: When is it Time to Unplug?
Catching up on the news can sometimes leave us feeling more pessimistic than informed. Some may avoid the media altogether to spare themselves the stress, while others are glued to their screens, unable to disengage from the 24/7 coverage. How can we balance our mental health with staying up to date on current events? What…
Life After Active Minds: Pursuing a Career as a Mental Health Advocate
This post is the second in a two-part series on life after Active Minds. Have you ever considered Active Minds to be more like a second major or part-time job than an extracurricular activity? Has your time with Active Minds in college made you consider a career in mental health advocacy? Are you seeking any…
Life after Active Minds: 5 Ways to Continue Your Mental Health Advocacy After Graduation
This post is the first in a two-part series on life after Active Minds. Have you wondered how you can continue to advocate for mental health awareness and suicide prevention post-graduation, even if you don’t plan on making a career out of it? Are you about to graduate and looking to contribute to a workforce…
Mental Health in College Athletes
About a month ago, I would have had my collegiate senior game. A day that I had been both dreading and anticipating ever since I started playing my sport. It is a day to honor student-athletes that will be playing their last collegiate match, but it is far more than just celebrating their last game….
Life is not a Trajectory
This morning, as I sat down at my brand new cubicle here at the Active Minds National Headquarters, I realized that I forgot my mug in the lobby of my apartment building. I quickly texted my mom to see if she could grab it for me. She replied that she could, and I started to go…
Active Minds is the largest nonprofit in the United States mobilizing youth and young adults to transform mental health norms across society.