BLADENSBURG, Md. – Lieutenant Governor Aruna Miller (D) stopped by Bladensburg’s Elizabeth Seton High School to discuss mental health and SetonBeWell initiatives with an auditorium packed full of students on October 17.
These initiatives aim to attend to the emotional and mental health and well-being of Seton students. Faculty, staff, and parent wellness are also major parts of the initiative. Advisory sessions, wellness days, retreats, and mentoring are all part of Project SetonBeWell.
Erica Boursiquot, the Director of Institutional Advancement, planned the event and recently spoke with Governor Moore during the Chamber of Commerce’s Business Excellence Gala. After bringing the audience to quiet, Seton President Lisa Grillo introduced Lieutenant Governor Aruna Miller.
“This is a very special occasion for us. We will have the honor of hearing from the Lieutenant Governor of the state of Maryland,” she said to great applause. “Make sure you are paying close attention. I’ve asked the Seton herstorians and this is the first time we’ve ever hosted a Lieutenant Governor. This is a historic event. Lieutenant Governor Miller has been laser-focused on mental health. She has been a leading advocate for mental health awareness and support during times of great mental stress for young women. In her role she has pioneered initiatives to provide critical resources and support to those who need it most.”
Bladensburg Mayor Takesha James was acknowledged, as was the historic nature of Miller’s election. Miller is only the second woman to serve as the Lieutenant Governor of Maryland, and the first immigrant to serve in the position. Her service in the legislature and work as a civil engineer was also highlighted.
“I am so proud to be here with girl power and I’m fangirling so much over Dr. Grillo, isn’t she remarkable!”, said the Lieutenant Governor to kick off her speech. “Not only did she come back to her alma mater but she has made service a major part of her life. She is a caregiver for her mother like I am.”
Miller recounted her immigration story of moving to America at age 7 when she first encountered snow in upstate New York and started school without knowing a word of English. She also told her mental health story, both her father’s and her own. Her father had bipolar disorder, and she suffered from panic attacks for years.
Miller has made mental health awareness one of her key agenda items as the Lieutenant Governor. Across the past year, she says the Moore/Miller Administration has distributed nearly $1.5 billion in state aid for mental health resources. COVID isolation, gun violence, and academic stress are just a few of the factors contributing to the current mental health crisis. Miller also advocated that those present get comfortable with public speaking, a skill that Americans rate rather uncomfortably, and to center service in their lives by applying for the first cohort of the service year option.
“Empathy and compassion are what will bring this country together. We all come with unique journeys and when we meet other people, they come with their own journey and their own traumas. We’re all unique, but can we feel the pain that others are going through personally? I approach everything through a lens of compassion and empathy and vulnerability. I learned that my assignment is to make space in rooms where I was the only person that looked like me.”
“I believe she related to the girls on the importance of focusing on their own mental health and removing some of the stigmas attached to mental health so the girls can live healthy lives,” said Seton President Lisa M. Grillo as the speaking engagement concluded and the Lieutenant Governor spoke personally with several students. “I appreciate her sharing her story as a woman leader and as a woman of color, being that this is an all-girls school.”
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