It was a Thursday night and Adam Horan was hanging out in a friend’s room in St. Thomas’ Chatham Hall residence. He sat slouched on one of the beds, casually munching on some chips. Horan was laid back as he joked around about Donald Trump.
The primaries no doubt hold a high interest to Horan, an American student. He’s working on a double major in Political Sciences and International Relations with a minor in Technology Studies.
He was born and raised in Belmont, New Hampshire in the United States. But after hearing about St. Thomas at a university fair at his school, he jumped at the opportunity to learn in a new country.
You can hear kindness resonate his laughter, but as the conversation shifts to issues surrounding mental health, he becomes serious.
“I’m passionate about mental health because I have seen the effects that it has on people when they feel as though there is nowhere to go and they can’t tell anyone.”
His interest in mental health campaigns began when Horan started his university career.
“One of my friends in first year was having a bit of a rough time mentally and I can kind of relate with my own mental health,” said Horan.
Horan holds many jobs, including a tour guide for admissions, a tele-counsellor and a resident advisor. These jobs have only driven him to become further involved with clubs and communities on and off-campus.
“The crisis intervention training I received has helped me with understanding different struggle people go through,” he said. “Through the activities, I’ve got to hear amazing stories of struggle and strength that has made me even more passionate.”
Horan is the co-treasurer for the local chapter of Jack.org – an organization of youth working to dispel stigma surrounding mental health. He first learned about the club when friends told him about the Jack Summit, a conference in Toronto that gets students together to talk about mental health.
He applied for the next year’s conference and there he met Kayley Reed, one of the co-founders of Wear Your Label. The clothing line defines itself as getting people consciously thinking about mental health. Horan kept his eye on the clothing line’s development and soon began to work for them.
“I saw that they were hiring interns so I just applied,” he said. He’s been a customer happiness intern ever since.
But Horan isn’t just involved in mental health awareness campaigns. He is the secretary for the local Rotaract club which promotes youth leadership and involvement in both community and international service projects.
He says he keeps track of all his commitments through careful scheduling and keeping track on his calendar. But as busy as he is, Adam remains organized to ensure he has times for his friends, and more importantly himself.
He hopes to use the training he’s received his diploma to make a difference in the world.
“My goal is to hopefully do something in the mental health field that makes people be comfortable about talking about mental health.”
