University of the Pacific Thomas J. Long School of Pharmacy

We had a psychologist from David Grant Medical Center at the Travis Air Force Base come and speak to pharmacy students on campus. The presentation revolved around suicide; signs of someone potentially thinking of committing suicide, as well as what you can do for these individuals. The presentation also addressed positive coping skills. We also held a meditation event. Many of the pharmacy students on campus are often really stressed and this can lead to their brain not working optimally. This event was held by a psychologist and it was a 90 minute meditation lecture/session. Students were informed of the benefits meditation can have on one’s life as well as a 60 minute meditation session. This was a really fun/relaxing way for students to get in tune with their brain and to deal with stress. Our third event lasted throughout the entire week. We bought various plain t-shirts and markers. Students were then encouraged to come to a classroom where they could confidentially write a message on a shirt. This can range from personal experiences with mental illnesses to giving supportive messages to those who may be suffering from mental illnesses on campus. We then collected the shirts every day and hung them up on campus on a clothesline for all students to see. The goal of this was to decrease the stigma associated with mental illness and make students aware that they are not alone in their struggles. Overall our events were very successful. Because we are a mental health committee, many of our events revolve around mental health topics.

I feel that BAW benefited students on the graduate campus. Students were able to learn ways to maintain a healthy brain and were also positively impacted by the messages spread around campus on the t-shirts.