By Alex Burke
Maryland’s First Lady Dawn Moore inspired University of Maryland students last Tuesday evening during a conversation centered around mental health and female empowerment.
“I truly believe that the mental health crisis that we are living in is a crisis of a generation,” Moore said.
Moore was joined by three University of Maryland deans during this conversation, “Creating Connections.” The event, held at the Clarice Smith Performing Arts Center, was organized and presented by Stephanie Shonekan, dean of UMD’s College of Arts and Humanities, Susan Rivera, dean of UMD’s College of Behavioral and Social Sciences and Kimberly Griffin, dean of UMD’s College of Education.
Moore graduated from UMD with a bachelor’s degree in government and politics and a certificate in women’s studies in 1997. During her professional career, Moore has worked in government relations, non-profit organizations, campaign strategy and fundraising.
Alongside Maryland’s governor, she leads the Moore Family Foundation, which has invested in nonprofit theater organizations, education, health research, veterans organizations and the arts.
During the discussion, Moore acknowledged a mental health crisis amongst youth and said part of the solution must include bringing the affected communities into the discussions.
“We are bringing young people in to be able to address the issues that they feel are affecting their mental health,” Moore said. “We want them to be a part of the conversation.”
Moore said her own experience as a mother has made this issue more prevalent for her. As chair for the Preservation of the Government House, she encourages people to gather and connect through meaningful conversations about issues that affect Maryland families.
The conversation later pivoted to a discussion about women and the legacy of Harriet Tubman, after whom UMD’s Women, Gender and Sexuality department is named.
“[Tubman] was courageous and she was brave,” said Kimberly Griffin, the dean of UMD’s College of Education, “One of the reasons why she was able to do what she could do is because people underestimated her. They overlooked her.”
Moore emphasized that Tubman’s name alone was a signifier of the power of women and the impact that they can have in a state.
“It is just really phenomenal that you have this name that represents the power of what we really can do as a state if we come together and make it so,” Moore said.
Finally, Moore offered advice to the students in the audience, stating that real world experiences are invaluable for success.
“If you go out into the world and see the differences in other people’s lives, the work that you can do, there’s nothing to me more powerful than that,” Moore said.
Moore urged students to get outside of their comfort zones.
“Find something that’s bigger than yourself and be a part of it,” She said.
Kodie Lustig, a sixth-year doctoral candidate in philosophy, reflected on how refreshing this event was compared to others she had attended.
“A lot of these talks end up being really stuffy and kind of difficult to enjoy,” Lustig said. “This laid back environment was really helpful and interesting.”
However, it was not just the format, but also the topics that made the event engaging for Lustig.
“It was nice to have the deans approaching topics about feminism and issues that strongly relate to specifically women’s difficulties in the state of Maryland,” Lustig said. “It was really great to get clarity on the overarching political goals for the state regarding women.”
Featured Image: Maryland’s First Lady Dawn Moore presents, “Creating Connections,” a discussion hosted by Stephanie Shonekan, dean of UMD’s College of Arts and Humanities, Susan Rivera, dean of UMD’s College of Behavioral and Social Sciences and Kimberly Griffin, dean of UMD’s College of Education. Photo by Alex Burke.