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This semester has presented many challenges to all students on campus, not only with online learning and within the classroom setting, but on a social level as well, as we are not able to have the same interactions with our peers and colleagues as we used to.

As I finish my final undergraduate year at the University of New Haven in the Pompea College of Business’s Fast Track Program, I have found myself reflecting on my past experiences. I have worked in our University’s , both as a manager for the and as an administrative intern with associate athletic director, Jon Mays. In these positions, as well as in the classroom, I have been able to form wonderful relationships with our student-athletes.

I have also worked as a compliance intern in the , where I assisted with student-athlete services work. These opportunities sparked a passion in me to advocate for student-athletes on college campuses and to help them in any way that I possibly can.

This semester, I added something new to my plate by becoming involved with the Undergraduate Student Government Association (USGA). I was appointed the USGA senator to represent varsity athletics, meaning I am the advocate and representative for our student-athletes on campus. I found a way to combine my passion for assisting student-athletes with my desire to find new ways for students on campus to interact more.

The pandemic has hindered a lot of our “normal” ways of communicating. Recognizing this issue, I wanted to set up an initiative to help combat this and to foster conversations on our campus about mental health. I worked closely with the administration in our athletics department to help advance their “Mental Health Mondays” program that was launched last summer.

Over the last couple of weeks, I have held interviews with student-athletes over and recorded them to be posted on social media for others to benefit from. In my interviews with student-athletes, my goal is to have a conversation with them about how their semesters are going, how they are adjusting to the challenges presented by the pandemic, and to give them a break from the hectic atmosphere that we are all experiencing.

I wanted to connect student-athletes with one another to let them share their stories, hoping this would help members of our greater community know they are not alone during these trying times. I wish to continue these interviews and conversations about mental health that are often difficult and sometimes uncomfortable. I hope that we, as a University community, can come together and listen and learn from one another’s experiences.

Michael Calabrese ’21 is a sport management major at the University of New Haven.