National Society of Collegiate Scholars and Active Minds Team Up for Mental Health Advocate Award

WASHINGTON, DC, September 18, 2018 – The National Society of Collegiate Scholars (NSCS) and Active Minds today announced that Ciara Kelly is the 2018 inaugural recipient of the Mental Health Advocate Award.  

This $2,750 scholarship honors and recognizes students who promote mental health programs and advocacy efforts on college campuses across the United States, thus reducing the stigma and silence that often surrounds mental health issues.  

In her first two years at the University of California, Los Angeles, Ciara has worked to improve the mental health landscape on campus as a fierce mental health advocate. She has volunteered with the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention on policy issues and co-led major projects on the intersection between mental health and culture as a member of the UCLA chapter of Active Minds. Her efforts often result in one-on-one connections with strangers, friends, and professors whose frank conversations about their own struggles have made a big impact on her.  

“To realize that one conversation with someone can change their mind on mental illness and encourage them to become an advocate themselves is so utterly important,” said Ciara.  

NSCS is in its second year of partnership with Active Minds, the nation’s premiere nonprofit organization supporting mental health awareness and education for students.  

“As a leading organization for high-achieving freshmen and sophomores, NSCS understands first-hand the correlation between first-and second-year collegiate success and the likelihood of experiencing stress, anxiety and depression,” said Stephen Loflin, NSCS founder. “It is for this reason that Active Minds was a natural fit for our students as NSCS’ national philanthropy. We have a greater responsibility beyond supporting academic achievement and instead must do all that we can to support and help our students grow positively during these formative years.”  

“We are immeasurably proud of this partnership with NSCS that supports students’ efforts to open up the conversation about mental health,” said Alison Malmon, founder and executive director of Active Minds. “Ciara and thousands of NSCS and Active Minds students are making a difference among their peers by changing attitudes and creating understanding of mental health as key to, and inseparable from, overall health and well-being.”  

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About NSCS

The National Society of Collegiate Scholars is a member of the Association of College Honor Societies and is the nation’s only interdisciplinary honors organization supporting first- and second-year college students and fostering their growth throughout their educational careers. Membership is by invitation only, based on both grade point average and class standing. NSCS has nearly two million members worldwide and more than 320 chapters in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico. Active Minds is the nation’s premier nonprofit organization supporting mental health awareness among students. A recent landmark study by the RAND Corporation that confirms Active Minds is significantly improving attitudes and behaviors towards mental health issues. Active Minds is powered by a vibrant network of campus chapters located at more than 450 colleges, universities, and high schools nationwide. The organization is dedicated to supporting a new generation in ending the silence and changing the conversation about mental health for everyone.

 

About Active Minds

Active Minds is the nation’s premier nonprofit organization supporting mental health awareness among students. A recent landmark study by the RAND Corporation that confirms Active Minds is significantly improving attitudes and behaviors towards mental health issues. Active Minds is powered by a vibrant network of campus chapters located at more than 450 colleges, universities, and high schools nationwide. The organization is dedicated to supporting a new generation in ending the silence and changing the conversation about mental health for everyone.