AUS students learn about mental health at Student Leader Global Summit in Cape Town

Mohammad Said Abuhalimeh and Yara Al-Jitan, two active students in the AUS Student Leadership Program, took part in the IASAS Student Leader Global Summit held in Cape Town, South Africa, June 24–26, 2019. The summit is a global convention that allows change makers to understand their role in creating healthy and thriving environments for growth within an ecosystem of support. The summit aims to encourage and inspire student leaders to support their fellow peers on campus. Students gained knowledge on mental health issues and had the opportunity to explore, reflect and learn from a diverse group of experts in the field of student affairs.

Speaking about his experience at the summit, Mohammad Said Abuhalimeh, a junior majoring in civil engineering, said:

“We learned a lot about mental health during the summit, especially about depression and anxiety. Statistics show that one out of every three high school students face mental health challenges before joining university. It was such a great experience, in which I got to meet great, funny, and enthusiastic people from different parts of the world. I learned that our differences should be looked upon as a uniting factor rather than a separation. I was exposed to amazing students from 16 different countries with different backgrounds and religions.”

Yara Al-Jitan, a junior majoring in international relations, said:

“The Student Leader Global Summit connected students from all over the world to help them as leaders to overcome the challenges of sustaining good mental health. We have come to understand the difficulties of mental wellbeing that each and every individual deals with on a regular basis and just how important mental wellbeing is. As it turns out, encouraging a positive change is a lot easier than one would think. But most of all, it filled my heart to see people from different parts of the world coming together to share their insights while learning from others in order to discuss solutions for a global challenge. Here’s to many more such instances.”

Students interested in exploring opportunities for leadership development should join the Student Leadership Program.