Limestone Evening Program Students, Faculty Attend Mental Health Awareness Forum

Limestone College Bachelor of Social Work students and faculty members met earlier this month with the Mayor of New York City while attending the Mental Health Awareness Forum in Columbia.

The students who attended are a part of Limestone’s Evening Program that is geared toward working adults looking to further their education. While attending the forum, the Limestone contingent based out of Columbia had the opportunity to speak privately with Mayor Bill de Blasio, along with mental health professionals, including Dr. Macie Smith, who is the President of the National Association of Social Workers-South Carolina.

“Mayor de Blasio is considering running for President of the United States in 2020 and he wanted to talk to mental health professionals about how to make mental health services more accessible,” said Limestone Professor of Social Work Dr. Aubrey Sejuit. “This was a private affair that also consisted just over a dozen people, including Mayor de Blasio and his wife, the daughter of House Majority Whip Jim Clyburn, Dr. Smith, Limestone students and faculty, and others.”

Limestone was the only institution to have students represented at the meeting with the New York City Mayor. Sejuit and her students were personally invited to meet with de Blasio to discuss the topic of mental illness awareness.

The College’s Social Work Program teaches students about patterns of behavior of individuals, families, organizations, and communities in order to prevent or reduce the problems of our rapidly changing society. Students learn to help others, change damaging social conditions, and boost social and economic well-being. The program focuses on developing an individual’s understanding of differences in ethnicity, culture, race, and gender and on accepting and/or using these differences to create a better society.

Accompanying photo: Limestone College students and faculty with New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio (fifth from left) earlier this month in Columbia.