From the Nominator

This is the only op-ed I’ve written for Texas Tech. Most of our work is feature writing. Apart from our magazine, our office hasn’t experimented much with different styles and perspectives. So, at first, I was hesitant to pitch this idea. However, part of my job is covering the student wellbeing and mental health beat. In 2021, Texas Tech launched a comprehensive campaign entitled “Beyond Okay.” Part of the campaign was capturing stories about individual mental-health journeys. I experienced an obstacle when, apart from a few students, no faculty or staff wanted to speak about this topic. One staff member went as far as to say they feared retaliation and unfair treatment if they shared those vulnerabilities. This incident demonstrated how desperately we (as staff and faculty) needed to be able to have these conversations. I realized as a staff member and adjunct faculty, if I was asking others to share their stories, perhaps I should go first. That’s where the idea was born. The strategy was simple: for the campus community to feel less alone. The goal was to achieve a high level of impressions and clicks. This was achieved, with 19,474 unique impressions on social media and 715 clicks on the story. Additionally, I received an outpouring of comments from faculty and staff: “Your story is so important and so eloquently told. Thank you for sharing!” “You make me feel less alone” and “I needed this message today. Thank you for sharing. I’m lucky to have you as a colleague.”

From the Judges

We agreed, “Unfinished” was a very brave and compelling piece that was written with self-deprecation and humor, making it relatable to readers. Additionally, the writer accomplished the goals of highlighting mental health services available and furthering the Beyond Okay campaign. The subject matter and the writer’s ability to connect with the reader really set this piece apart from the group. Excellent work, Texas Tech University!