Written by Hareem Ashraf, 2021 Inlight Student Advisory Committee Member
As I rooted further in my role as an undergraduate student at UTSC, I began to discover my creative side. I loved the thrill of creating something unique from an abstract idea or goal. Being a part of the Inaugural Student Advisory Committee for the UofT Student Mental Health Research Initiative allowed me to implement my creativity in a meaningful way. One of our tasks was to come up with a brand name for this extremely crucial and exciting initiative. Of course, the wheels in my head began turning and I immediately took to Canva to brainstorm my ideas and put together my version of a branding portfolio. This portfolio contained many brand name ideas, including INLIGHT.
I developed the name INLIGHT because I felt it represented both the research drive and commitment to encompassing student perspectives that this initiative aims for. The “IN” represents the themes of innovation, inclusion, intersectionality, and inspiration, while the “LIGHT” represents the themes of discovery, connection, collaboration, and mental health support. INLIGHT means that a new light, or many new lights, can be shed on the way we conceptualize student mental health and well being. It also means that not only are the answers to our research questions important in order to enhance student mental health, but that refining the questions themselves is crucial to the discovery process. INLIGHT is meant to evoke a quest for exploration and innovation while fostering a dynamic and safe collaboration between students, researchers, and administrators alike.
The work that this initiative is carrying out has important implications for the futures and lives of so many students. Since student mental health and well being is on a continuum, the name INLIGHT is also a hope for students – a hope for a system in which the diversity of their needs can be met in a way that supports and meets them where they are.
I’m uplifted by how this opportunity has allowed me to pour my love for mental health into something that can live on to help others as the years go by. I’m very grateful to my fellow inaugural committee members, as well as the other team members that poured so much energy and dedication into this initiative. It’s incredible to see how much change can manifest when students are given a platform such as this one to voice their ideas and perspectives.
