HACKETTSTOWN, N.J. (Warren County) — A dozen Centenary University students recently attended the first New Jersey Statewide Mental Health Summit, joining more than 200 college students from across the state to discuss ways to strengthen mental health awareness and shape policy on their campuses, the university said.
Hosted by the New Jersey Office of the Secretary of Higher Education at Kean University, the summit featured peer-led panels, interactive exhibits and workshops focused on student well-being, according to the university.
Among the Centenary participants was junior Saurelys Escano, a psychology major from Passaic, who said she remembers arriving on campus as a first-year student and feeling unsure how to get involved.
“A lot of college freshmen struggle with fitting in,” said Escano, a psychology major from Passaic. “Colleges have orientation, but the amount of information can be overwhelming. Specifics on things like student activities and support services can get lost.”
Escano, now active on campus through the Multicultural Club and as a first-year leader, said she used the summit to gather ideas on improving the orientation process with a stronger emphasis on support services and activities that can help students transition from high school to college.
After the summit, she met with Senior Vice President for Student Affairs and Administration Kerry Mullins and Counseling Center Director Mikolaya Nynka, LPC, to share what she learned.
“We spoke about introducing one-on-one interviews with accepted students,” explained Escano. “Centenary presents lots of information at orientation, but students will be more likely to remember what they hear from a one-on-one conversation. This could help students at risk of dropping out of college due to loneliness fit in sooner.”
Mullins said the summit gave students a chance to connect with peers statewide while bringing ideas back to Centenary.
“We’re so very proud of the Centenary students who attended this conference,” Mullins explained. “Engaged students like Saurelys are providing us with valuable feedback so we can continue to improve the Centenary student experience.”
Other Centenary students who attended were Jessica Rosano of Belvidere, Victoria Hart of Belize, Gianna Piccirillo of Andover, Gabriela Vasconcelos and Nehemiah Cintron of Hackettstown, Dara Frieder of Montville, Sara Riccardelli of Barnegat, Grace Sheyhing of Mauricetown, Serafina Lopez of Washington, and Jayden Pennella of Landing, the university said.
