Real Talk Mental Health Conference

By: Myles Robinson

“Now let’s talk real,” said Kean University Chief Well-Being Officer Erica Charles .“We are here for you Cougars to help you climb higher.”

The President Advisory Council and the Office of Belonging and Community Engagement collaborated for the Real Talk Mental Health Conference. The six part event schedule occurred on Apr. 2 with a morning address, two afternoon sessions, and concluded with a discussion with G Herbo.

Co-chairs of the President Advisory Council, Delia Latina and Angel Ihiel, kicked the day off by introducing Kean alumni Asa Dugger’s keynote speaking session, “The Beauty in the Detour.”

Dugger highlighted the importance of detours as well as some of the best moments she spent on and off-campus.  

“Whenever I come back into scholastic and academic spaces, I try to remind people to build relationships, but also most importantly focus on the quality of the work…. be okay with changing your mind, be okay with pivoting, be okay knowing that you may start one place and end up another place.”  

Dugger is a content creator, business strategist, and a full-time professional speaker who graduated from Kean University in 2018 and found early success in Los Angeles, but is now back on the east coast in New York City. She gave advice that she wished was given to her when she was at Kean. 

“Tap into your network. Kean has amazing networks of professionals and different types of mentors. Don’t just go to school and leave… get involved.”  

Following the morning address was Session 1, which started off at 11:30 a.m. and saw the original group break off into two smaller sects that had the option of picking between “Unwritten Rules for Your First Job” by Ayannah Johnson or “Hands are For Helping” by Brittany Claybrooks.  

Johnson graduated from Kean in 2012 and is the Head of Inclusion at an advertising agency. She shared the importance of advocating for mental health as an entry-level employee.

“I didn’t get honest feedback on what things are supposed to look like, we were just told to be smart and do all these games but it’s really about playing the game.”    

Down the hall in MSC 228, Claybrooks introduced her ideology of “Measurable Manifestation” or being able to carry out the things that you envision and see in a real way but in measurable steps. She referenced a journal entry during the presentation, highlighting the importance of journaling and using goal-setting as a way of adding guidance to your life, especially in a world where social media is so prominent.

Claybrooks, originally from Detroit, now resides in Essex County, NJ, and is empowered by giving back to the youth. As a candidate for the New Jersey State Assembly she wants to pass her own initiative to take the steps, no matter how small or monumental, into the right direction of productivity and success.

“I realized there is a gap between our generational representation, and so the more I can talk to people about the impact that they can make, the more I can inspire people to get into public service, despite all the chaos that’s going on right now.”

Following a small lunch portion that ended at 12:45 p.m., students then made their way across campus to the North Atlantic Academic Building (NAAB) auditorium to make the line early for multi-platinum recording artist Herbert Randall, commonly known by his stage name G Herbo, the afternoon keynote speaker.   

He spoke about coming up in a rough part of Chicago and when he first turned his attention to his mental health in 2012 after struggling with Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, or PTSD.  

“I got clinically diagnosed with Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, and it was like a light bulb went off in my head. There are so many other people that feel exactly how I feel with no outlet with no resources and really no knowledge of what they are feeling inside,” said Randall. 

Randall reflected on witnessing the murders of peers, family and friends and spoke on the relief of and importance of not only talking to but also being heard by a therapist.  

“I decided to launch my initiative, ‘Swerving Through Stress’, when I actually started to go see a therapist. I believe honesty and transparency is the best policy when talking to a therapist… the importance of mental health and the things we endure and go through is so swept under the rug and destigmatized especially in areas like I grew up in.”