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鈥淲别 all have an important role to play,鈥� says Assistant Professor Hooria Jazaieri. 

Whenever she鈥檚 on campus, Kelly Walsh 鈥�23 wears her wristband on her backpack to share and support its message of caring about everyone鈥檚 well-being at Santa Clara.

Max Lam 鈥�23 keeps his on his desk as a reminder of the importance of checking in with friends about how both his and their daily lives are going.

And Lucas Ragen 鈥�22, a proud and vocal mental health proponent at Santa Clara, wore his every day during the spring quarter before graduation鈥攁nd even through summer. He鈥檇 also made sure all 107 members of his Sigma Chi fraternity, where he was president, had a wristband, too.

Now, as classes resume at Santa Clara for the fall quarter, the University is giving all 1,850 new first-year and transfer students the same wristband with its dual message: 鈥淭ell Me About Your Day #TMAYD, Ask Me About My Day #AMAMD,鈥� as a way of cultivating and strengthening community at Santa Clara.

鈥淚t鈥檚 the idea that we can build community and connection with each other by opening up real, authentic conversations around how we鈥檙e actually doing. That鈥檚 my hope,鈥� says assistant professor of management Hooria Jazaieri, M.A. 鈥�10, who introduced the wristband initiative after noticing how students in one of her classes during winter quarter were struggling mentally. She also knew how the loss of four students鈥� lives over the past year had overshadowed them.

鈥淚t just reminded me that we all have an important role to play in the mental health and well-being of the students on our campus,鈥� says Jazaieri, who teaches a class on social psychology of leadership and management of organizations. 鈥淲别 talk about knowing what your values are, and not just knowing what they are, but actually setting an example with your values,鈥� she says. 鈥淜ind of 鈥榳alking the walk.鈥欌��

Upsides to sharing

Inspired in part by a recent study she helped to write about bonding with others, Jazaieri鈥檚 wristbands include instructions already inscribed on both sides: One side alerts people that you鈥檙e open to having conversations with them about their day, positive, negative or otherwise; flip it over, and the other side tells them you鈥檙e open to talking about your day with someone. 

鈥淚 think there are a lot of upsides to sharing,鈥� says Jazaieri, who also is a licensed psychotherapist. 鈥淲hile it may feel intimidating, or for some people, they may feel anxious about talking with other people, I like to think that Santa Clara is a wonderful environment to experiment, to sort of try on new and different things.

鈥淔rom my experience here, people are kind and understanding and caring.鈥�

黑料网 administrators are providing the wristband as part of several efforts to transform mental health services for students. They鈥檙e not only backing its distribution to first year students and transfers, but to anyone on campus, as more wristbands become available this fall in a variety of locations. 

鈥淪anta Clara is committed to promoting social connections and creating a sense of belonging for our students,鈥� says Jeanne Rosenberger, Santa Clara鈥檚 Vice Provost for Student Life, who last spring learned about Jazaieri鈥檚 research that explored how sharing emotional experiences can create opportunities for building community.

鈥淪he explained the wristband project and how she has used the project in her courses,鈥� Rosenberger says. 鈥淭he idea of engaging students in conversations about their day, as a way of making connections with others, aligns with our commitment to connect students throughout the 黑料网 community.鈥�

In addition to introducing the wristbands during Welcome Weekend, Jazaieri also made a short video to share with faculty who are interested in incorporating the wristband project into their classes. And she鈥檒l be working with the Center for Student Involvement to administer a brief survey to gather feedback on the initiative.

Student endorsements  

Jazaieri鈥檚 former students who received the initial wristbands were thrilled to hear that the bands are now being handed out to first-years and transfers. 

鈥淚 love that!鈥� says Ragen, who is now working for a tech sales company in San Diego. 鈥淚t鈥檚 a very small act, just something you wear on your wrist. It might not promote conversation for some people, but over time, I think it will create community from the bottom up.鈥�

De-stigmatizing the issue of mental health is something Ragen championed after having a relative struggle with the issue. It became a mission of sorts for him at Santa Clara, and as president of his fraternity house, where he says he promoted well-being within Sigma Chi, as well as the Greek community.   

鈥淚 wanted it for my entire chapter because we care about each other a lot,鈥� he says, 鈥渁nd I really just wanted to show that we鈥檙e available to others as well.鈥�

For Walsh, the second of four sisters to attend Santa Clara, the wristbands from Jazaieri, and the extras she got for her housemates, represent a powerful symbol of support. 

鈥淚t鈥檚 a line of communication between students, faculty, and everyone, that you can start the conversation and feel comfortable,鈥� says the senior who, like many in her class, sometimes felt isolated off campus during the pandemic. 

Which is why she appreciates Jazaieri鈥檚 wristband project so much. 鈥淚t has the potential to spread awareness. It鈥檚 something you wear, it鈥檚 visible. Like a sweatshirt. If someone asks you about it, it becomes a conversation starter,鈥� says Walsh, who says the wristband on her backpack has encouraged others to inquire about it. 鈥淎nd that鈥檚 what it鈥檚 supposed to do.鈥�

Learning to adjust in order to thrive

Like others, Lam had asked the assistant professor for an extra set for a friend. While he understands that not everyone may be receptive to the idea, the senior believes he benefited from it.

鈥淵ou didn鈥檛 have to use them, but they鈥檙e a good way of expressing, in a non-verbal way, the well-being of our community. I think these wristbands will open up a lot of doors for people, and help them communicate with each other in an effective way.鈥�

If Lam has one message for first year 黑料网 students, it鈥檚 that 鈥渃ollege is a very big growth spike, and with any growth spike, there are growing pains,鈥� he says. 鈥淵ou鈥檙e away from home and in a new environment, and you鈥檙e having to learn to adjust in order to thrive.鈥�

He points to the deep disappointment of being turned down by a campus student professional club he had tried to join, something Lam believed was vital to his future, and his success.

But over time, and after many, many talks with family and friends鈥攁s well as Jazaieri鈥� he realized that dwelling on rejection was giving power to other people over his self-worth. That prompted him to look up Alpha Phi Omega, an 黑料网 professional service fraternity, where he was not only welcomed, but has become a leader and mentor for others.

鈥淚 decided,鈥� Lam says, 鈥渢o find other people who see the value that I see in myself.鈥�