SHIVANI NISHAR
Hi everyone, I’m Shivani and I’m so grateful to spend my last year at Brown as a chapter co-coordinator for Project LETS! I’m studying Cognitive Science with a focus on childhood trauma & my learning and organizing has centered on the mental health experiences of people of color, specifically in South Asian, immigrant, and incarcerated communities. I’m especially invested in the political realities of minorities and how mainstream social justice work can better intertwine with the disability rights movement. Project LETS has helped me to not only understand but also embrace my experiences with depression and anxiety and I owe a lot of who I am today to the people in this wonderful organization. When I’m not frantically rushing around campus, you can find me soaking in the (sadly limited) sun on the main green or procrastinating at any boba shop nearby!
XOCHI CARTLAND
Hey y’all, my name is Xochi and I’m a rising junior studying Literary Arts and Hispanic Studies! I’m from DC and my work has always been rooted in activism and social justice, which is part of why I’m proud to be a chapter co-coordinator for Project LETS. Over the past two years, LETS has inspired me and given me the courage to advocate with, affirm, and support other neurodivergent students. I hope to continue to increase accessibility for POC, LGBTQ+, and low income students who have historically been left out of conversations regarding mental health. I feel privileged to do this work, and am grateful to the LETS community for all the love and acceptance y’all have given me. I’m hoping to be able to give some of that love back.
KATIE CHIOU
Hi LETS! I'm Katie, a third-year concentrating in Science, Technology, and Society, focusing in medical anthropology of mental illness. I'm the PMHA Coordinator and Educator and especially enjoy facilitating PMHA cohorts-in-training about lived experiences! The LETS community has shaped my future goals, and I hope to continue working in disability justice and utilizing neurodivergent narratives to fight stigma and emphasize the importance of speaking about intersectional mental illness. :)
VERONICA RIGOBON
My name’s Veronica and I am one of the co-coordinators of Programming. I am in the class of 202- and am concentrating in Psychology. My experiences with my own mental health range from constantly struggling to thriving. I’ve hurt and healed and through the process learned a lot about myself. I joined LETS because it’s a community like none other at Brown, and I truly believe we help make a difference in how mental health is perceived and discussed on campus. LETS fosters acceptance and awareness. More than anything, it provides unconditional love and support. I’m excited to continue working on initiatives that help students be able to freely talk about their mental health.
nicole kim
Hey there! My name is Nicole Kim and I‘m a sophomore studying English Literature. This year, I’m super excited to be one of the marketing coordinators for LETS. I love listening to Korean Hip Hop, practicing yoga, discussing POC poetry, and grabbing coffee with friends. I have lived experience with a variety of eating disorders, depression, and generalized anxiety disorder. LETS has given me the language and space to reflect on and talk about these experiences. I’ve found a community of people who constantly inspire me with their dedication to this work and to each other. In college, I’ve learned that mental health issues and mental illness is a common experience. I want to make LETS and the conversation about mental health more visible on campus, especially to people with identities that might have prevented them from accessing resources previously.
cailin frankland
My name is Cailin and I'm a senior at Brown concentrating in neuroscience. My areas of lived experience include depression, anxiety, substance abuse, and post-traumatic stress disorder following domestic and sexual violence, and I'm extremely passionate about making Brown a more trauma-informed and inclusive community for fellow survivors through a disability justice lens. Finding LETS and becoming a Peer Mental Health Advocate as a sophomore really helped me to accept my own identities and connect with classmates who share my passions, and I can't wait to share this space with incoming PMHAs, peers, and community members. This year, I'm honoured to serve the Brown community as one of Project LETS' PMHA Educators, which gives me the exciting opportunity to lead new PMHA trainings and integrate new PMHAs and peers into our growing community. I can't wait to see you all at LETS events this year!
may gao
My name is May and I am a junior concentrating in Public Health. As one of the Marketing Coordinators of Project LETS, I hope to create a digital platform for those with lived experience with mental illness to share their narratives and to provide anonymous outlets for any students to ask questions and seek resources for their mental health. Outside of Project LETS, I am involved in research on how mindfulness meditation can reduce anxiety and improve sleep in GAD patients.
mariel jackson
My name is Mariel, class of 2021, and I’m studying Behavioral Decision Sciences and Economics. I am the Policy Reform Coordinator for Project LETS! I have lived with anxiety and mood disorders for a large portion of my life. For me, mental health is an extremely personal cause--I have been lucky enough to get the support I need to deal with my struggles, but I know that many do not have the same knowledge and access. I joined LETS to make a difference in people's lives through peer support and policy reform.
Eliana Kaplowitz
Hi there! My name is Eliana and I am a senior studying Science, Technology and Society studies with a focus on language and health. I am a proud midwesterner, born and raised in Michigan, where I love swimming in fresh water and eating cherries. Since I was young, I have lived with anxiety, depression and depersonalization. I transferred to Brown in the fall of my sophomore after a really hard mental health year at my previous institution. That being said, I recognize how incredibly privileged I have been in receiving the care and support I need to flourish while being mentally ill. Therefore, I am passionate about fighting for health equity so that everyone struggling has access to the quality care they deserve. I joined Project LETS in search of a community of like-minded peers, eager to engage in a conversation about their lived experience as well as address the mental health needs of our larger community. I am excited to continue working with amazing, dedicated and empathetic individuals this coming year; and to continue my role as programming coordinator through which I provide resources and knowledge in an attempt to create a more caring community.
Yelena Nicolle Salvador
My name is Yelena and I am a member of the Class of 2021. I'm double concentrating in English Nonfiction and Psychology. Before coming to Brown, I found it difficult to make sense of my lived experience with depression and anxiety within my community and the culture I grew up in that centered on avoiding conversations about mental illnesses and their existence. However, Project LETS has been a space that has educated, connected, and supported me while I navigate the ongoing process of better understanding my lived experiences. Through the Peer Mental Health Advocacy (PMHA) Program, I have witnessed and felt first hand how empowering it can be to use what I have gone through to help others, but also to learn from other individuals who have similar backgrounds. As a PMHA Educator, I am excited to further build relationships and start these kinds of conversations in communities on campus.
SILVER
Hello! My name's Silver, and I'm a sophomore hopefully concentrating in both neuroscience and psychology. I have lived experience with depression, anxiety, c-PTSD, and a dissociative disorder. Finding and building communities around me that shares these experiences has been one of the most important parts of my life, and thus, I was instantly drawn to LETS from the time I was a freshman. I've also been passionate about advocacy surrounding mental health and disability justice for many years, and I hope to create as much positive change as I can around these subjects. I'm part of the LETS programming team this year, and I'm excited to work towards increasing awareness and erasing the stigma at Brown!