The student body of Hillsdale is like a puzzle, and every student’s story is a piece. At least, that’s how Lighthouse, a mental health awareness group on campus, demonstrates this idea with their newest project, “Pieces of Us.”
“I love the puzzle image because it shows what makes us who we are as a student body,” said faculty adviser Brock Lutz, the director of health services. “It allows people to say, ‘These are our struggles, and it’s okay.’”
Two weeks ago, Lighthouse members asked students to fill out cards, anonymously, with information they had never told other people. The finished project, a completed puzzle of stories, secrets, struggles, and successes is on display in the Grewcock Student Union this week.
Lighthouse’s leaders based this project on PostSecret.com, a website that publishes people’s secrets when mailed in anonymously, but with a twist: Instead of only focusing on deep secrets, students could share anything people do not know about them.
The collage underscores how the pieces students share contribute to the humanity of the student body as a whole, and it reflects the idea that every student and his or her story has an integral place at Hillsdale.
“We are constructing a collage in order to show the depth of campus,” Lighthouse President senior Jillien Baldwin said.
Due to Hillsdale’s tight-knit atmosphere, it is easy to meet people and make friends, but sometimes it is difficult for students to share their most formative moments, problems, or joys.
“We get in this mindset where you see people every day, and in some respects, you forget they are people with stories and struggles. I’m hoping to demonstrate that each of us has more going on under the surface,” Vice President senior Rebecca French said. “For me, the ones I’ve read so far are a reality check.”
Lighthouse started two years ago in order to support people who struggle with mental health illnesses and to promote mental health awareness. Its campus-wide presence developed last year with their seminar series on mental illnesses entitled “Behind the Stigma.”
“The point of Lighthouse is to allow people to admit life is hard and you can get help,” Lutz said.
Lighthouse’s mission involves educating students about mental health, providing encouragement and support, and being a positive presence on campus.
“We are actively trying to make student life better,” Baldwin said. “We have a lot in store for this year.”
