Not many 21-year-olds can say they’ve helped save a life.
If you had asked biomedical engineering student Aditi Bang four years ago what she thought her college years would be like, she may have answered that she would join a few clubs, meet new friends, make good grades, and maybe go to some football games before heading off to medical school. And, for the most part, these predictions have come true.
But what has made Bang’s time as a Yellow Jacket unique is what she didn’t expect — that her passion for helping her community would lead to saving lives in a way that, as a pre-med student, she never would have predicted.
“My first year at Georgia Tech, I started volunteering for the Crisis Text Line as a crisis counselor to provide emotional and mental support to anyone in need,” she said. “One day, I got anonymous feedback from someone I had talked to, saying, 'I feel better actually talking to someone.’ I realized it was a small conversation for me, but that person that day found hope to live.”
Bang discovered a passion for supporting people’s mental and physical well-being. On top of her regular course load, her community service involvement reads like a professional resume:
- Co-founder of Feeding the Soul, a student support group sponsored by Georgia Tech’s Stamps Health Services and the Wellness Empowerment Center.
- Co-founder of GT Madhatter Knits, a student group that knits hats for premature babies.
- National Ambassador for The Steve Fund, an organization dedicated to supporting the mental health and emotional well-being of young people of color.
- Co-founder of The Nourish Project at Georgia Tech, a service organization that promotes health literacy, well-being, and learning for the elderly.
“I believe volunteer work is needed for anyone to support their community in any way they can,” Bang said. “I want to be a physician, which is a field based on service and being a leader. Serving my community gives me the resources and skills I need to be action-oriented.”
As a pre-med student, Bang knew she wanted a career that would enable her to improve the lives of others. Although mental health advocacy wasn’t in her field of study or even on her radar when she arrived at Georgia Tech, the fourth-year student said that in learning more about it, she realized that she wanted to do more to decrease the stigma around seeking treatment and empower others to get involved.
“I always heard about mental health and what a big issue it can be on college campuses, and really everywhere,” she said. “But I didn’t understand the stigma around mental health. Just like you would go to the doctor if you have the flu, why not seek help when you have a mental health issue? It’s OK not to be OK. It’s OK to speak up and get help.”
When the Cumming, Georgia, native came to Tech, she experienced many of the challenges that first-year college students face: adapting to a much larger community, encountering more difficult classes, trying to find her place socially, and feeling pressure to perform academically. But by learning more about mental health and the support that Tech offers, Bang said she found a community where she felt safe to speak up and now wants to create a safe space for others.
“I feel like a lot of Tech students, myself included sometimes, connect our self-worth to the grades we get, and that can be really isolating,” she said. “Coming from high school to here, all of a sudden, you feel really small compared to everyone else. But I’ve learned that it’s OK to slow down; you have your own journey. I want other Tech students to know that we all have these thoughts and that they’re not alone.”
Although Georgia Tech is known for rigorous academics and a high-achieving culture, Bang said that in her time here, she has also noticed more of an emphasis being placed on wellness and peer support programs that take a more holistic approach to student success. She said she would encourage anyone who is struggling or encountering setbacks to take advantage of Tech’s many resources.
“You don’t need to be perfect all the time,” she said. “Failures are a part of life. It doesn’t mean that you’re a failure. Asking for help is not a sign of weakness — if you’re strong enough to ask for help, it means you’re strong enough to help others speak up for themselves.”
Bang gravitated to QPR training and the Crisis Text Line because those programs empower individuals to make a difference in the lives of others. One of the biggest misconceptions about mental health support, according to Bang, is that you have to be a professional to help someone, but Georgia Tech offers numerous programs and services to help students and the larger campus community get involved and support each other.
“It’s a misunderstanding that only professionals can help people,” she said. “Even if you’re not a mental health professional, just being nice and showing empathy can make a difference. A few words can save someone’s life.”
Students who are experiencing significant mental health difficulties and need immediate support can call the Center for Mental Health Care and Resources at 404.894.2575 or visit Suite 238 in the Smithgall Student Services Building during business hours (Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.). After-hours support is available through the same phone number by selecting the option for the after-hours counselor. In an emergency, call the Georgia Tech Police Department at 404.894.2500 on campus or 911 off campus.
