Staff Who Care: Recognizing Stets ’s Humble Her s

sA smile, a hug, a donut, an encouraging word. Simple acts such as these have the power to uplift one’s spirits amidst even the darkest of times. Stetson University was not left unscathed from the consequences of global catastrophes that have rocked the world over the last several years. Many students have dealt with feelings of isolation and depression that have made college living that much harder. And, while not all sta fulfill their roles to our standards, good people still exist, and they exist all around us. This is why sta who quietly make a di erence in the day-to-day lives of students deserve far more recognition than they’ve previously been a orded.

We’ve polled students across Stetson to see who has made a significant impact on our community. We specifically searched for those who went out of their way to conduct small acts of kindness and consistently invested in the mental health and wellbeing of the Hatters under their purview. The following are the results of our findings: two members of sta came up again and again as unsung heroes and were gracious enough to talk to us about their experiences.

Deana Lowry: Assistant Director of Wellness and Recreation

What motivates you to go above and beyond the call of duty?

Deana is strongly motivated by her desire to see our generation succeed. “I feel like your generation is going to change the world and if I don't help in every way that I can, I'm setting [the world] up for failure,” Lowry said. She is often left frustrated at the state of the world, but believes that students in younger generations have the capacity to make positive change and in some ways, represent her hope for the future.

“I want you guys to leave here ready to take on the next step in your life,” Lowry added, noting how hard it can be for students to be apart from their support systems for the first time. “I want you to feel like that safe space is still available. So you… can come to me, you can sit down, and we don't even have to talk, we can just stare at each other if that's what you need. And if that's what this position does for me in working with students, then I will do that every single day.”

How do you maintain your own mental health while looking after the health of others?

Pondering upon her personal philosophy surrounding mental health, Deana notes that you can’t pour from an empty cup. Her motivation to maintain her own mental health leads right back to her desire to serve.

A key component for her is her support system. “Luckily, I have a really great support system that kind of calls me out – like my wife. If I'm just in a bad headspace, she'll ask what we can do. Like, do we need to go get ice cream?” Lowry said.

This enables her to regain her primary focus, which is always the betterment of students.

“Take care of yourself so that you can take care of others… otherwise you’re going to fail them. It definitely is like a full circle, ” Lowry said.