Student-athletes are high-profile members of college campuses and the surrounding communities. They are well-known among the student body, administrators, and the general public. This presents an opportunity to make a lasting impact on the community.
In Hamden, Conn., a member of the Quinnipiac women’s ice hockey team has made a significant impact on her community. Mika Nervick, a graduating senior, is heavily involved with community service, most notably mental health awareness on campus and a mentorship program with a local high school.
Her work has not gone unnoticed, as she is a finalist for the Hockey Humanitarian Award. It is given annually to a collegiate hockey player, and is meant to “acknowledge the accomplishments of personal character, scholarship, and the giving of oneself off the ice to the larger community as well,” according to the award website.
“… it’s basically impacted every aspect of my life.”
Nervick has been involved with community service since early in her college career. She first got involved early in her sophomore season, and progressively ramped up her participation as her career continued.
This year, her senior year, she is the community service coordinator for the Bobcats, and has taken the title to heart. Her initial interest in being involved in the community came from her belief in the significant impact a student athlete can have, as she shared with P&R in a phone interview.
“As an athlete we can make such impacts in the community with what we’ve learned through athletics: the hard practices, the tough losses, but also the good moments that come along with sports,” she said. “I just think that the characteristics that we learn along the long line of being an athlete for so long can really help out the community.”
Over the past three years that she has been heavily involved, the team has looked to find various opportunities that would benefit both the student athletes and the community. As the coordinator this year, Nervick has really felt the impact of these opportunities.
Mental Health Awareness
One of Nervick’s main areas of involvement within the community has been mental health. This is an area that she was especially passionate about, which was in part sparked by the story of Daron Richardson.
For those who are not aware, his story can be read on the Do It For Daron (DIFD) foundation website. Cydney Roesler, former captain of the Bobcats, knows the Richardsons, and initially got the team involved with the foundation.
This led the entire team to become very passionate about the foundation, and interested in learning more about mental health and how to help it. The disease also impacts her on a personal level.
“My sister has had severe depression and anxiety for about five years now, she said. “Just the way I’ve seen that disease kind of take over her life, it’s been important to me to try to find different ways to help out people with mental health and do my part in the big picture of what it means to help create a better light on mental health and to allow more people to understand it and have those uncomfortable conversations.”
“Everyone has a chance to make a difference…”
Nervick’s passion for the initiative has spread to her teammates as well. The team hosts a DIFD game to support the foundation. Every year the team has worn purple laces and used purple stick tape and put purple stickers on their helmets for the game.
This year, to expand their support, each player donated five dollars to DIFD in order to obtain the purple materials for the game. The team was able to raise over $1,000 this year in support of mental health initiatives.
One of the most well-known mental health initiatives is Bell Let’s Talk Day, which took place on January 25 this year. Nervick got involved, retweeting numerous tweets in support of the cause that day.
“It’s crazy to see the influence that big companies can have,” she remarked. “Even big people like NHL players tweet about that.
“Obviously bigger people and companies have more of a chance to make an impact, but I think normal people like you and me do too. … Everyone has a chance to make a difference in their own way.”
To read more please visit: http://pucksandrecreation.com/mika-nervick-helping-others/
