IYRT Wisco Team
Photography by Greer Diaz
If you’re reading this, we are here to talk with you.
My name is Barrett Bennett and I am the president of IfYoureReadingThis Wisconsin. When I first heard about this club, I knew I wanted to be a part of making it bigger to reach more students at Wisconsin. I remember my freshman year of college dealing with some mental health struggles I had never experienced before and facing some natural but nevertheless brutal events of life. On a surface level, I knew these struggles were not unique to me. I knew other people in my life had experienced loss. I knew those around me were unsure how to cope with internal struggles. However, this knowledge was extremely hard to internalize when things felt too dark to speak with others about. It seemed the more I struggled, the more alone I felt. I began to see everyone around me having a perfect college experience, unable to relate to my struggles, which in turn began a cycle of wondering what was wrong with me to have resulted in a vastly different experience. It is only when I began opening up about the struggles I was dealing with and explaining the things that had happened in my life that I began to see that not only was I not alone, those around me desperately needed to talk about it too. The weight that lifted with the simple act of talking openly about these topics changed my life and opened the door to building lifelong relationships I find myself expressing gratitude for on a daily basis. To this day, I make it a conscious effort to talk about struggles for my own sake and for the sake of others because I know how important it is to open up the space for people to share their feelings. Now that I am a junior, I laugh with friends from freshman year about some of the exact same struggles we experienced parallel to one another, all the while thinking we were entirely alone because we were too afraid to speak up. That is why I am so excited to be a part of an organization dedicated to this cause. There is a wonderful community around you and whether or not they can relate to your struggles, we are all here to support you. You are never alone.
Hey Badgers! My name is Greer Diaz, and I’m the Photographer behind IfYoureReadingThis Wisconsin! College is a time of immense change, it’s easy to get swept up in the fast-paced environment. During my freshman year, I found myself stretched thin- trying to be everywhere, do everything, and meet every expectation. I was exhausting myself day after day, never pausing to reflect on my core values or what truly brought me happiness. My mental health was at a tipping point in the second semester and making a change to my routine was difficult but necessary.
I began to carve out time for myself, so I could go on walks, journal, and spend quiet nights in rather than forcing myself to go out. Through these changes, I discovered that when I create space for activities that genuinely fulfill me, I’m able to be more present with my friends and the campus community. I rekindled my love for photography and it has become my haven- a way to clear my mind and gain perspective. Being outdoors, capturing the beauty around me, has given me a deep appreciation for life’s simple pleasures and helps me slow down when things start to feel overwhelming.
When Barrett mentioned she was taking over the Madison chapter of IfYoureReadingThis and needed a photographer, it felt like the perfect alignment of my passion for photography and my desire to connect with others. Not only do I have the privilege of meeting more students and UW community members through the letters they write, but I also get to share something deeply meaningful to me- capturing your moments and contributing to my own mental health journey through this art form. I can’t wait to meet future authors and grow the conversation around mental health!
Hello and welcome. I am Ally Ames, in charge of IfYoureReadingThis Wisco’s social media. Barrett caught my attention in the club because of her effort to support those around her and the larger community. Because of her, I was able to find a space where I could engage the Madison community, help spread support, and find myself with a new passion for helping others. Mental health has been something that was not always talked about growing up. As I got older I was able to vocalize my struggles and was diagnosed with ADHD. Before I was diagnosed, I struggled with emotions of stress that I did not know where to place. They manifested into difficult days where I was either extremely overwhelmed and could not begin my tasks, or would not put anything down to rest. Once I understood more about myself, I realized how the condition was something that was affecting me in areas of my life I was not aware of. After becoming vocal and finding support, I was able to learn new mechanisms to cope with my journey. Now, my family has become a place for each other to lean on, especially in dark days. I think it is extremely important to spread awareness and my lesson to others. IfYoureReadingThis is a great opportunity for us to provide a safe space for the Madison community.
Hey fellow peers and friends! I’m Ellie and the Editor for IfYoureReadingThis. I am in charge of upholding the core mission of our club by ensuring all letters published support the mental health of our readers, and overall keep our authors protected. I am passionate about this club because if anyone knows how hard it is to vocalize your personal struggles, it’s me. I still to this day have a hard time talking about my own mental health and personal hardships, even to my best friends.
Freshman year, as I watched everyone packing up for Thanksgiving, ecstatic to go home and see their families for the break, I sat there knowing going home was maybe the last thing on earth I wanted to do, and no one knew. Not even my roommates. The things I had to deal with at home resulted in pretty severe anxiety, and overall made me feel cripplingly alone. It felt like no one else had to deal with the things I did, and if they knew about them I would be judged and unwanted. Since then, I found best friends (aka the amazing girls who also help run this organization) that I trust more than anything, and the courage to open up to them about things I have never ever talked about. To my utmost surprise, I was met with overwhelming love and support. I learned that the people who love you don’t judge the ugly parts of you. It actually doesn’t even phase them, because everyones goes through their own hardships they might not talk about either. I learned that finding that courage and finally talking about the ugliness, set me free in ways I could never have imagined.
Although opening up is hard and still something I’m working on, this organization is so important to show students as a Badger, you are never, ever alone. Everyone struggles, everyone has things they don’t talk about, and everyone deserves to be loved and feel comfortable enough to voice those thoughts.
At IfYoureReadingThis, we urge you to have courage. You are not alone, we love you, and we want to hear your story.
The IfYoureReadingThis Team at theUniversity of Wisconsin
Connect With Us
To follow IfYoureReadingThis at Wisco on Instagram, get in touch with our chapter, and learn about more resources available to Wisco students, visit our chapter’s homepage.
AUTHOR CONTACT
This author has opted to allow readers who resonate with their story to contact them. If you would like to speak to the author of this letter about their experience, please use the form below.
