On Tuesday, Oct. 1, the University of Connecticut Humanities Institute (UCHI) sponsored a panel about the loneliness epidemic which was open to students and faculty.
Set up in the Wilbur Cross Building North Reading Room, there was a table where attendees signed in and got free materials, including notebooks, pins and carabiners, after writing their names on a name tag. At the tables, there were free notepads to write on.
UCHI director Anna Mae Duane delivered an introduction to the panel and the event before introducing Deb Bibbins, founder and CEO of the mental health and anti-ageist organization, For All Ages.
Gary Sekorski, co-founder of For All Ages, spoke after Bibbins. He stressed the importance of social health, saying “Social health is the foundation for our mental and physical health” and that “There shouldn’t be a stigma associated with loneliness.”
Professor of kinesiology and physical therapist Dr. Mary Beth Osborne began the panel. Reflecting on her experiences in her position, Osborne said, “At UConn, I felt like physical therapists should help not only with physical health but mental health as well since they are so intertwined.” She also spoke about mental health first aid certifications, which are training courses designed to assist people who are personally or know someone else going through mental health struggles to get them the support needed.
UConn alumni and baseball player, Bobby Melley, was next to speak. He reflected, “I had a hard exterior of who I want to be seen as.” Appearing stoical proved strenuous to uphold, as he noted “Years of anxiety led to depression.” The baseball field, which was once like a “sanctuary” for Melley, became tainted due to his anxiety. Melley missed a game due to the anxiety he felt, but he blamed it on a stomach bug and nobody asked how he was. Melley likened holding in the anxiety and depression to a volcano, eventually erupting.
“At that point I was forced to tell everyone,” said Melley. The day Melley opened up to the people he cared about “was the best thing that could have happened.” On his experiences with mental health, Melley said, “It’s still something that I deal with today, something that I still struggle with speaking about.” Bibbins said she was glad Melley is still here and thanked him for his honesty.
The microphone was handed to Nick Mangene, an alumni who graduated in 2022 with a degree in accounting. As he went to school during the COVID-19 pandemic, everything was virtual and students had to isolate themselves in their rooms.
“Sounds great in the moment until you get there,” remarked Mangene. There were little to no opportunities to socialize. For grad school, he had a choice of either a virtual master’s program at UConn or an in-person master’s program elsewhere. Due to the time spent in virtual classes during the pandemic, Mangene opted for the latter option, for the sake of getting physical experiences. Mangene expressed gratitude for his stepmother and father, who were a great support system for him during COVID and beyond.
Krista Mitchell, a seventh-semester creative writing and art major, spoke next. She reflected on her experiences living in a small town, which “can be very cliquey.” Despite not being overtly bullied in high school, the isolation of living in a small town made Mitchell develop negative opinions about herself.
“It felt like it wasn’t okay to be myself,” she recalled. “It was out of this darkness that I started to pursue visual arts. Art became an outlet for my feelings.” Through her creation of art, Mitchell felt she was provided with a community of people who are also enthusiastic about art. “Art is a way to bring people together,” she concluded. The audience’s attention was then brought to Mitchell’s photography collection “Home by Sundown,” which revisits places from her childhood through the lens of maturity.
Breanna Bonner, a fifth-semester human rights and media, policy and social movements major, was the final panelist. She came to UConn all the way from Missouri since UConn is one of the only colleges with a human rights major. Due to moving such a long distance to go to college, Bonner reflected, “I never ran into someone from my hometown.” Bonner felt she was missing out on that experience of running into people she previously met elsewhere.
Bonner then talked about her identity as a Black woman, saying that racism is isolating and “If you’re going through something, it’s probably not just you; it’s systemic.” Bonner has an interest in the isolation of Black women and intersectional invisibility, which she wants to break the stigma about through her education and work.