IYRT at Northwestern
Photography by Colleen Charchut
If you’re reading this, we’re excited to be back this year
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 executive team members from previous years.
My name is Seela Hinrichs and I am a senior. During my sophomore year, Finola reached out to me to ask if I would want to help her start a Northwestern chapter of If You’re Reading This. I am so grateful that I said yes because being involved in If You’re Reading This has been incredibly rewarding! This is the first year IYRT has been a registered Northwestern student organization, and I am so excited for us to grow and reach a broader audience this year! If you are interested in joining IYRT as an exec member, general member, or a one-time open or anonymous letter writer, we would love to have you! Fill out the form in our bio to get involved!
- Seela
Hi! My name is Finola Summerville and I am a senior at Northwestern. Seela and I decided to start If You’re Reading This our sophomore year with hopes of helping Northwestern students to feel less alone and to build community on campus. This year, we are so excited to officially be a registered organization at Northwestern! We hope to continue growing our impact on campus through new letter series, events, and other initiatives. My favorite part of IYRT is the community that we’ve built; I’ve been able to form new friendships with those on campus as well as with members who are involved in chapters across the country. I’m so glad that Seela and I decided to start IYRT at Northwestern, and we’re excited to continue our mission, one letter at a time.
- Finola
Hi, my name is Colleen Charchut and I am a junior at Northwestern. I had the opportunity to join the IYRT team when a friend who had done photography for the organization was looking to get younger students involved and spread the message about mental health awareness. This year I am excited to grow the reach that IYRT has on campus. Listening to and reading about students’ and faculties’ personal stories has made me feel much more connected to Northwestern’s community and I am so grateful for the resources our organization has provided. I am looking forward to supporting many more people and sharing their unique experiences through our letters!
- Colleen
Hi! My name is Lane Herbert and I am a senior at Northwestern, which is a crazy statement since I can remember my first year like it was yesterday. I am a student athlete on the field hockey team and balancing academics and athletics has been a wonderful yet challenging experience. Prioritizing my mental health has been super important and influential for me and so when I heard about If You’re Reading This, I wanted in immediately! IYRT aims to destigmatize help seeking behaviors and make mental health conversations more accessible to the student body and faculty. I am really excited to bring new and interesting stories to life through the letters from our incredible faculty, alumni and students. I am extremely excited for this year and hope that IYRT serves as a valuable resource for you all! Thanks for reading!
- Lane
My name is Lucy Sayah and I am a current junior. If You’re Reading This has given me a great opportunity to work towards breaking the stigma of mental health at Northwestern and connecting with others who have faced similar struggles as me. This year, I am very excited to grow the club to include new members, explore new letter concepts, and further the organization’s mission. Most importantly, my hope is that through engaging with IYRT, whether anonymously or not, you will know that whatever you may be dealing with, you are not alone and there are solutions out there to help you.
- 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.
The 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.
