Georgia College grad makes mental health a priority

A painful experience shaped senior Anna Agyao’s years at Georgia College.

While she was a student at Jones County High School, one of her classmates committed suicide. As bad as that was, Agyao said she also noticed that most people involved had trouble coping with such a tragic situation.

“It kind of seemed like no one knew how to deal with it,” she said.

In researching suicide prevention and mental health issues, Agyao came across To Write Love on Her Arms, a national organization “dedicated to presenting hope and finding help for people struggling with depression, addiction, self-injury and suicide,” according to its website.

Agyao helped bring a chapter of the organization to Georgia College in 2014, and that has led to a couple of major initiatives. One is the “Out of Darkness” event, which brings music, spoken word and open microphone opportunities to the campus community, all designed to spark healthy conversation about mental health concerns.

In addition, the group told “Unwritten Stories” of people’s struggles with suicidal thoughts and depression through drama and also wrote “love letters” of encouragement to fellow students.

“We just write love letters throughout the year, and we pass them out around Valentine’s Day and midterms and finals,” Agyao said.

Kendall Stiles, the university’s senior director for community engagement, said that suicide and mental health awareness are especially important on a college campus.

“A lot of people have things that come up in their life,” Stiles said, noting that it isn’t always easy for people to talk about those struggles. “I think a lot of times there’s some stigma that comes with that.”

As a result, she said Agyao dug “pretty deep” to find a way to contribute on campus.

“I think it speaks volumes for her character,” Stiles said.

Agyao graduated on Saturday and now has plans to work as a nurse in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit at Emory Hospital. While that isn’t directly related to mental health, Agyao said the skills she’s picked up will help her address patient needs, whether that means assisting families in dealing with tough circumstances or recognizing potential postpartum depression in new mothers.

“I think just a general knowledge of mental health ... can help generate a better patient outcome,” she said.

This story was originally published May 7, 2016 at 8:52 AM with the headline "Georgia College grad makes mental health a priority."