At 2:30 p.m. on Sept. 18, students met in the counseling waiting room in the health services hallway of the PAC for the first weekly meeting of a student-run grief support group.
Sophomore nursing major Sarah Adams restarted the student-led grief gathering in September after she recognized a potential need for the new freshman class to have a space to find empathy and encouragement after a significant loss.
Adams joined the student-led grief gathering last year under the leadership of Zane Lancaster and Raelen Vanduzer, both of whom graduated in May of 2021. Although Adams and others had expressed interest in leadership, students made no plans of continuing the group after Lancaster and Vanduzer graduated.
“I was a little nervous to start it back,” Adams said. “How do you invite people to something like that when the first expectation is vulnerability? It’s a little scary. And especially when you’re leading it, because you’re leading in that vulnerability.”
The gathering provides space during weekly meetings for journaling and telling stories, which Adams anticipates will help each member in the process of grieving with others.
Jamin Sinclair-Lee is a sophomore nursing major who joined the grief gathering this fall after hearing about it from Adams.
“I think it’s a gift for me to work through my own grief through this,” Sinclair-Lee said. “But I’m especially grateful for the opportunity to be able to walk alongside others in their grief. Not that I have much to offer them except for my presence, but I know from personal experience that sometimes mere presence is more than enough.”
Sunday, Oct. 23 is the deadline for those who are interested to join the gathering, but Adams intends on extending other opportunities to the student body throughout the school year. Currently, Adams is working with counseling services to host an event this semester to educate people on how to help a friend who is grieving. This event will be open to all Union students and will have a panel for discussion and Q&A.
In both the weekly gatherings and the larger events, Adams hopes to aid others in learning what it means to grieve well, whether that is for themselves or for friends that they wish to walk with.
“I think for those who do grieve well — I don’t want to use the language of ‘coming out on the other side,’ because in a sense you never land on shore fully, permanently,” Adams said. “Perhaps you learn to sail.”
sooooo wonderful !