Chapter Executive Team
If you’re reading this, we’re glad you’re here.
We’re so excited to be back at Northwestern this fall and to continue our mission of providing a free and accessible mental health resource for Northwestern students. Through sharing letters from students, faculty, alumni, and other community members, we hope to reduce the stigma surrounding mental health on Northwestern's campus and shine a positive light on help-seeking behaviors. This year we are really excited to welcome back our team members from previous years and introduce a few new team members!
Hi! I’m Seela, a co-president and co-founder of the If You’re Reading This chapter at Northwestern. I am a junior pre-med student majoring in Gender Studies and Global Health with a minor in science in human culture. When Finola came to me asking if I would be interested in starting If You’re Reading This at Northwestern, I immediately said yes. I have struggled with anxiety for as long as I can remember. Due to the stigma surrounding mental health, I often felt as if I was the only one struggling. When my father was diagnosed with cancer my senior year, my anxiety reached unbearable levels. I felt as if I had no “right” to feel the way I did when my father was the one physically suffering yet he showed strength and positivity while I was overtaken by anxiety and sadness. It wasn't until I finally reached out for help that I began to feel free from my anxiety again. Through therapy and journaling, I came to terms with how anxiety is not something to feel guilty about. I also learned how common anxiety is and that I am not alone. I am thrilled to get started with another year of If You’re Reading This spreading awareness that mental health discussion needs to be normalized.
- Seela
Hi! My name is Finola, and I’m a co-president and co-founder of If You’re Reading This (IYRT) at Northwestern. I discovered IYRT during my junior year of high school when a former classmate of mine reposted her letter on her Instagram story. I spent that day browsing through IYRT’s website, reading powerful letters from students on campuses across the country. Inspired by the letters from If You’re Reading This, I soon participated in a story in my high school’s newspaper that featured open letters regarding mental health. By writing my own letter, I realized the true power of vulnerability; not only did I receive positive feedback from community members who had read my letter and felt a sense of support, but I was also empowered by opening up to others. Last year, Seela and I decided to start IYRT at NU to counteract a lack of resources on campus for students with mental health challenges. While we acknowledge our limitations, we hope that Northwestern students feel comfortable using our platform to both share their stories and find comfort in letters from their peers. I'm very grateful to continue working with If You're Reading This as we seek to build a network of support for community members at Northwestern.
- Finola
Hello! I’m Julia Nichols, a photographer for If You’re Reading This. I study journalism and psychology, and I’m incredibly passionate about mental health awareness, so when Seela approached me about joining IYRT last year, I answered with an emphatic yes. Over the years, I have come to realize that opening up about our struggles is one of the best things we can do. I have come to view vulnerability as a superpower, and while it can be hard, I have built my closest friendships over the hard things. I have bonded with so many more people than I could have ever guessed over mental health struggles, such as panic attacks — panic attacks that I spent years trying to hide. When I stopped trying to hide, giving myself the freedom to show up as I am, I formed some of my closest friendships. While I don’t necessarily expect IYRT to connect people to their best friends, I hope that the letters submitted help people feel connected over the things they’ve tried to hide, creating a space where people can come as they are, knowing that who they are is welcome here.
- Julia
Hi there! My name is Colleen and I am a photographer for If You’re Reading This. I am a sophomore studying Economics and Entrepreneurship here at Northwestern. Throughout my life I have talked to close friends about struggling mentally, physically, and emotionally. Every time I open up, I realize I’m not alone. I’ve found that once one person lets down their guard, a whole conversation about how we can help each other begins. Whether my friends had persevered through similar struggles, or had helped someone else with a similar situation, they always find a way to make me feel loved and supported. It was through these vulnerable moments that I realized everyone is always going through something. I am so happy I can be part of such an amazing community that’s working toward de-stigmatizing mental health.
- Colleen
Hi! My name is Lane and I am a new member on the If You’re Reading This staff. I am a Junior double majoring in Biology and Neuroscience. I am also a forward on the Northwestern Women’s Varsity Field Hockey team - Go ‘Cats! Mental health has been an important topic in my life for a long time. My mental health journey is something that I am very open about because I believe in the power of conversation to build a community of support. Mental health can be a challenging topic to be open about. In my personal experience, it was not until I spoke up about my mental health struggles and shared it with someone - did I start to feel in control again. I joined If You’re Reading This because I love the ways that IYRT aims to cultivate support and destigmatize help-seeking behaviors. Through letters and social media campaigns, If You’re Reading this is a great platform for building connections, learning about mental health, and offering support resources. As staff members, we are also resources to you as well and can serve as a peer support system. We all joined If You’re Reading This to help and support you guys! So - we are here for you!! I am so excited to be on staff this year for If You’re Reading This, I cannot wait for what the year brings!
- Lane
Hi! My name is Lucy and I am a new member of If You’re Reading This. I am a sophomore studying Economics, Business, and Psychology. Over the past several years, I have become very passionate about mental health through my own personal struggles. I am a firm believer in the importance of prioritizing mental health and discussing it openly. Through reading letters on our site, you will be surprised about how many people struggle with similar things to you, and my hope is that you will recognize that you are never alone. Navigating mental health is never easy, especially throughout college years. If You’re Reading This is meant to be a platform for students to express themselves in vulnerable ways, connect to others who may be experiencing similar things, and work to de-stigmatize mental health. I always like to think about treating mental health as one would approach treating a physical disease. If you broke your leg, you would immediately go to the doctor to get an x-ray and work towards recovery to walk again. How can we work together to make this the norm for seeking mental health support as well? I’m honored to be a part of such an uplifting and supportive community this year.
- Lucy
If you are interested in getting involved and submitting a letter, head to our website ifyourereadingthis.org/submit and fill out the submission form, indicating Northwestern as the campus. You can also follow us on Instagram at @ifyourereadingthisnu and reach us by email at ifyoureadingthisnu@gmail.com.
Northwestern IfYoureReadingThis Executive Team
Connect With Us
To follow IfYoureReadingThis at Northwestern on Instagram, get in touch with our chapter, and learn about more resources available to Northwestern students, visit our chapter’s homepage.
AUTHOR CONTACT
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