RIVERDALE, N.Y. – The Manhattan College Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC) is thrilled to announce the formation of a new club on campus, Morgan's Message and Hidden Opponent, to raise mental health awareness on the campus of Manhattan College.
Members of SAAC spearheaded the effort, and the club's officers are made up of members of SAAC. The club president is
Nicolette Caneda, the social chair of SAAC, and she takes great pride in establishing the student club on campus.
"As someone who has struggled quite a bit with her mental health, relationship with food, and body image, I decided to share whatever I have learned with whoever needs it and act as a blueprint for them," said Caneda. "I've found that helping others with the same issues I'm experiencing while growing and sorting things out on my own has been the most rewarding and influential experience I've ever been a part of. We all want to do our part as best we can for our fellow athletes. Our biggest goal is to create a safe space for athletes to work through whatever is nagging at them while maintaining their love for their sport."
The other members of the leadership team of the club include
Kaitlyn Holly of the softball team, who serves as the vice president.
Nicola Scaglione and
Andria Scaglione, members of the cross country and track and field teams, will serve as the secretary and treasurer.
Sami Derrico holds the position of social media coordinator.
"With everything that has happened within the last couple of years, especially within college athletics, we believed it was time to bring these important organizations to Manhattan. First, we did it unofficially by becoming ambassadors. As we collaborated, we created a vision for expanding the club– special shout out to Matt Raidbard for all of his help in getting this off the ground," added Holly. "Nicolette contacted me about being a Morgan's Message ambassador over the summer, and I jumped at the opportunity. As someone who has struggled with my mental health over the last couple of years, I thought it would be the perfect chance to break the ice, create a safe space within Manhattan Athletics, and educate people on different mental health topics."
The women's soccer team has been involved with Morgan's Message all season, even dedicating their match against Iona to the cause on Oct. 8. The Jaspers wore shirts in warmups with Morgan's Message's logo, and the team collected donations when fans arrived at Gaelic Park to benefit the non-profit organization.
"Once the five of us initially connected and found out we were the ambassadors for our respective organizations representing Manhattan College, we realized our realm of the opportunity given this," added Nicola. "First, we started with making the
@mentalhealthatmc Instagram account, but then we all agreed to take it one step further and pursue club status. It feels fulfilling to spearhead an effort where there is a wide range of possibilities in which this could positively impact our community."
"As the mission statements for both Morgan's Message and the Hidden Opponent are very similar, we decided that working in collaboration with each other would be more effective in doubling the scope to which our resources would be spread to the whole student body," added Andria. "Although it may appear that student-athletes are the prime audience of these organizations, we acknowledge that many mental health struggles overlap for all students and welcome everyone to stand in solidarity in combating these topics. It feels extraordinary to lay the foundation for expanding the mental health resources available at Manhattan College!"
"Both organizations have given us the platform and tools to make a difference in bringing a positive environment around mental health at our school," commented Derrico. "After being forced to take on my mental struggles without a support system like this, I realized the importance of what it truly means. After connecting with these groups of girls through the organization, I believe we would all love nothing more than to help one person feel supported within our athletic community."
This club is the only one on the campus of Manhattan College to have its leadership team made up entirely of student-athletes.
About Morgan's Message: Morgan's Message was created by the family and former teammates of Morgan Rodgers. Morgan Rodgers was a Duke Lacrosse player who unfortunately lost her battle to mental health in 2019 by suicide. Morgan's Message was created with the mission to eliminate the stigma surrounding mental health. Doing so by normalizing the conversations about mental health and ensuring that mental health is treated equally to physical health for all student-athletes.
About The Hidden Opponent: The Hidden Opponent is an advocacy group that addresses the stigma attached to athlete mental health. Mental health is not talked about enough and it is time for a change! Our mission is to advocate and fundraise for the support of mental health for athletes through education and workshops for our Campus Captains to share amongst our campus and athlete community.
