Brittany Hawley is a third-year student at Cardinal Stritch University. She is double majoring in psychology and sociology, with a minor in diversity studies and a women studies certificate. Brittany plans on pursuing a PhD in clinical psychology and specializing in the treatment of eating disorders.

Brittany has worked with the Multicultural Programs office conducting focused research to help increase the capacity of University-wide diversity programs. Her contributions helped launch new initiatives and co-curricular educational programs that embrace diversity, gender identity, and race. Additionally, she joined two professional staff members in the development of LGBQT+ SafeZone training, and has personally led the training five times reaching a total of more than 75 people.

Brittany’s commitment has also impacted the greater Milwaukee community. As a sophomore, she accepted her second internship with Impact 211.  In this role, she fielded 20-30 calls/day from people in need of food, shelter, clothing or even medical service. Brittany worked tirelessly to help others. She found that her efforts were sometimes impaired by dwindling or inadequate community resources. Rather than feeling helpless or discouraged by the dearth of resources available, she challenged herself to contribute more by increasing her advocacy.

Miss Hawley’s potential for improving processes that increase awareness and impact the lives of people who struggle with mental illness knows no bounds. She is showing no signs of slowing down. This academic year she has accepted her fourth internship with Mental Health America and is working in suicide prevention workshops for providers. She has also launched two social media photography campaigns aimed at increasing awareness, convincing me and the national president of Mental Health America to participate. She is also currently working with “Tru  Skool” to design and co-lead a six-week “Art of Coping” program for teens struggling with mental illness.

Brittany is unquestionably a dedicated student with a demonstrated commitment to social justice. She is one of the most determined and capable student-leaders and mental health advocates we have at Cardinal Stritch University.