Valerie Aldous
Valerie is studying for a B.A. in psychology and a minor in biology. She is passionate about what she studies, because it allows her to explore mental health and to give back to the community. She is not afraid to say that she, alongside her loved ones, have struggled with mental health issues in the past. From her experiences, she can definitely say that dealing with these is not a sign of weakness, but a sign of strength; there is nothing more powerful than being taking back control of our lives, growing and learning and becoming resilient. Being a peer educator allows her to facilitate those qualities- which she takes very seriously. When she is not being a mental health geek, she is usually playing video games, online games, writing creatively, watching lots of horror movies (alone- at night!), learning to sew.
Karuna Antani
Karuna Antani is from Spring, Texas. She is a third year Public Health major at UT, interested in going into psychiatry or health policy. Her favorite self care activity is riding her bike while listening to good music!
Sabah Choudry
Sabah Choudry is a third year Psychology major from Houston, Texas! She is interested in health psychology and studying the integration of mental and physical health, especially stress and its impact on human performance. Her hobbies include jogging in nature, embarking on spontaneous adventures, and sipping on lattes in the evenings.
Mehak Gupta
Mehak is a third year Psychology B.S. major from Arlington, Texas. She hopes to pursue Clinical Psychology in the future. As an aspiring Psychologist, the CMHC Peer Educators organization gives her a great opportunity to practice and promote mental health on campus. Through this class she has formed great friendships and learned how to practice proper self-care. Some of her favorite self-care activities include painting, playing pool, and spending time with friends.
Danielle Lamotthe
Danielle is a junior nursing student at UT Austin. She is passionate about mental health promotion because she believes students need to know that mental well-being and health are just as important as academic success. She hopes that more conversations about mental health can foster a community of support for one another. Some of her hobbies include swimming, dancing, videogames, and long phone converstations with her mom and close friends.
Samantha Meyer
Samantha is a third year psychology major in the Liberal Arts Honors program. She loves being involved on campus as a member of Texas Lonestars and Texas Orange Jackets, and this summer she will be a counselor at Camp Texas. In her free time she likes to de-stress by enjoying the live music in Austin. She is excited to be a part of the first cohort of CMHC Peer Educators!
Gustavo Molinar
Gustavo Molinar is a second-year, Psychology major from Houston, Texas. Gustavo was an Orientation Advisor for the 2014 summer and currently serves as Resident Assistant and Foundation Scholars Program Mentor. He is part of the University Leadership network, Cactus Yearbook, and the Counseling and Mental Health Center Student Organization. Gustavo says he participates as a Counseling and Mental Health Center Peer educator because he enjoys promotion mental health and educating peers about self-care. For fun and self-care, Gustavo enjoys being outdoors and loves photography, always taking the opportunity to capture the moment. In the future, Gustavo plans to graduate school and continue his education in psychology and student affairs.
Debbie Odette
Debbie is currently a junior majoring in Biology with a minor in French. As a non-traditional older student, she is excited to be able to share her life experiences and wisdom, and is eager to reach out to fellow students for mental health causes. In her (rare) spare time, she enjoys cooking, yoga, needlecrafts, playing music, and traveling.
Emily Omeis
Emily Omeis is a first-year, English major from San Antonio, Texas. She plans on adding a second major of Communication Sciences and Disorders and pursing a career in Speech Language Pathology. She is a member of the Habitat for Humanity campus chapter, The Navigators, and NSSLHA (National Student Speech, Language, and Hearing Association). Emily is passionate about eliminating the stigma associated with mental health and promoting self-care and enjoys sharing this passion with others as a Counseling and Mental Health Center Peer educator. In her free time, Emily loves to dancing, reading, and spending time with friends.
Yifei Wang
Yifei is a psychology senior. He is interested in mental health issues, and decided to become a mental health peer educator because he cares about the people. He is interested in doing whatever he is capable of in order to help them.
Harley Wardlow
Harley is a third year social work major from the Lubbock area. She is passionate about mental health promotion because I don't want anyone to shy away from the resources offered because it's 'not cool' to get help.
