Alexis H.

Alexis is a 22-year-old student senior athlete at Belmont Abbey College. Originally from Winston-Salem, North Carolina, Alexis is pursuing a Bachelor’s degree in Business Management while balancing the athletic expectations of the women’s field hockey team. Once she earns her degree, she plans to obtain a job in the field of medical device sales; a career in which she has already gained some experience by working as an intern for a company called Fellow. Alexis' life story and mental health journey help to inspire others to articulate bravery, confidence, and persistence when dealing with unexpected challenges. 

Alexis’ internship with Fellow has allowed her to travel to a variety of hospitals, clinics, and doctors’ offices to instruct healthcare professionals on how to manage specially designed equipment. When she isn’t advocating for the utilization of hospital instruments, Alexis has been tasked with reviewing projects handed down to her by her management team. When describing her short term goals, Alexis hopes that the internship she has quaired will help boost her resume and land her a job opportunity related to her desired career path. As part of her long-term goals, Alexis would like to become financially stable so she can become a fully independent working member of society. Because her grandparents were such a huge part of her having a loving childhood, she would like to position herself to one day give back to them by taking care of their needs. 

During her childhood, Alexis experienced difficulties navigating the relationships she had with her parents. Because her parents were young at the time of her birth, she noted that her parents were still growing up while also trying to sufficiently raise a child. The circumstances revolving around her childhood were not ideal as both of her parents battled their own mental health challenges surrounding addiction and drug abuse. Because of the issues her parents were going through, Alexis’ grandparents took her under their wing and provided her with a loving and compassionate home. After a series of unfortunate events, Alexis’ eventually cut off the communication between her and her parents because of their instability regarding their mental health that was being enhanced by addiction. Seeking for an outlet, Alexis started looking for athletic teams to be involved in. Because of her natural talent, she was able to secure a position on her high school lacrosse team. Wanting to become even more involved, Alexis joined the soccer and field hockey team. For a long time, she aimed to earn a scholarship opportunity to play soccer at the collegiate playing level. 

However, because of the impact Covid-19 had on the limited athletic scholarships offered by colleges, Alexis started to debate whether or not she wanted to pursue a path in sports at all. After a deep conversation with her high school coach addressing her natural gifts and athletic capabilities, Alexis decided that not pursuing athletics would be a disservice to herself. Through her strong work ethic and inspirational advice she received from her coaches and grandparents, Alexis finally earned her a spot on the roster of the field hockey team at Belmont Abbey College. 

During the fall semester of her senior year, Alexis suffered a serious injury when she fell off a golf cart that was driving down a busy road. Because of the seriousness of her injuries, Alexis was prohibited from playing her final season of field hockey. This tragic event came to be a mentally and physically tough challenge for Alexis to overcome. Playing sports had been her outlet for as long as she could remember and being unable to participate in any physical activity was difficult. Fortunately, Alexis was able to find a different outlet to get her through this traumatizing event; immersing herself in faith. Through the constant reminder that God was always with her was a comforting tool Alexis drew upon. During the time, Alexis couldn’t see a clear picture of her future but by learning to accept God’s plan, she was able to overcome her struggles and present herself as an even stronger individual than she had previously been. 

Alexis acknowledges that mental health is becoming less of a taboo subject. By spreading awareness and talking more in depth about mental health topics, people can start to form broader perspectives that span across different aspects of life. Going through her own difficult experiences has helped Alexis create a successful path in determining her future. After her injury and the concept of playing sports was taken off the table, Alexis struggled to find her sense of identity. Because so much of her life had been wrapped around kicking or hitting a ball, Alexis had to rediscover hope to cope with the struggles in her life by reaching out of her comfort zone and surrounding herself with her close friends. Through the practice of self-reflection, Alexis was able to unlock a new self-image. Once she finally recovered from the injury, she was able to regain a stable mental state that helped her become more motivated than ever. 

When asked about advice she would give to a person who is experiencing mental health struggles, Alexis advocates for people to find a support group that they are comfortable being around and talking to. She also believes that people should follow through with activities that bring them joy and a sense of peace. Acquiring a free conscience may be difficult for some people to strive for when they are battling conflict but she wants people to know that nothing is impossible if a person really works for their achievements. Having a glass half-full mindset is one of the most important mental health practices a person can partake in, according to Alexis. She admits that more times than not, it’s easy for people to think negatively; however, thinking negatively only causes people to backtrack on their individual growth. 

Alexis deems advocacy for mental health to be important because “you never know what anyone is going through.” Being cautious of other people's mental state has helped Alexis become a stronger person. She believes it's important for people to put themselves in other’s shoes with the purpose of trying to understand different perspectives. Understanding different perspectives enables a person to feel another level of empathy which then prompts them to feel more grateful for the lives they live. Alexis thinks doing little things to improve the confidence of others, such as smiling at a random stranger, can benefit both parties in making each other feel valued. “Life is what you make and what you want from it, so go and get it,” Alexis emphasizes as a response to what she would like for people to take away most from her story. At the end of the day, God and one's own self is all that people truly have in life. When things start to feel as if they are out of control, Alexis feels strongly that people should discover what makes them happy and find the motivation within themselves to do better for the people around them and for their own mental health’s sake.