Open Mic: giving a voice to international mental health

The International Students’ Association of Saint Thomas University, STUISA, will host an open mic event on mental health and its consequences this semester.

STUISAS’s president, 3rd year Economics student Manuel Garcia, came up with the idea.

“The idea of why I wanted to do an event of this matter was because, through the panic attacks I had, I decided to look for help. I talked to a lot of people here on campus, especially international students, and I know a lot of them that have depression, anxiety, panic attacks, bipolar disorder and eating disorders. And, the fact that we look the other way and not talk about it didn’t seem right. So, I decided to come up with a place where people would feel comfortable to open up.”

  Manuel Garcia is the one responsible for the idea of the Open Mic

Manuel first started to brainstorm what the open mic was going to be when he observed how issues like depression, anxiety or PTSD are taboo in countries from Latin America and Asia, where most of the international students at Saint Thomas come from.

“We are planning an event for mental health and it’s going to be called Open Mic. And the concept comes from my interest in writing. It will be just your conventional open mic event, where you have people walk in and sharing their stories on mental health.”

International students will be able to share their stories safely in a welcoming environment

No date has been set yet, but Manuel hopes it will happen every year and guarantees it will be worth attending.

“I’m actually kind of scared with the response of the event because I know it is a sensitive subject, but the whole idea is to create an environment where you actually feel like you’re with your family, that you feel comfortable enough to share.”

The open mic event will be open to the public and counselling professionals will be there too, so everyone can share their stories.