Realizing she was good at leading and collaborating through her work as a Grade 11 mentor, Vish went on to serve as Co-Director of Wellbeing on Student Council for her Senior year of high school. “At York, I knew I was part of a community,” Vish explains, “and that gave me confidence.” 

As part of the graduating class of ‘21, Vish understood that her final year at York would be unlike any other. With pandemic restrictions in place, students and staff worked together to make a combination of in-person and at-home learning as safe and impactful as possible. “We worked hard to create cohesion between in-person students and those learning from home,” says Vish, “I knew from my own personal struggle with mental health that maintaining engagement needed to be our primary goal.”

Now in her second year at Northeastern University (NU) in politics, philosophy and economics, Vish continues to apply the social-emotional learning and leadership skills she honed at York to make an impact in the lives of others through her involvement with the NU chapter of Active Minds, a national organization committed to reducing stigmas associated with mental health disorders.

“Just like at York, the hope is that if people need help they know the safe space is there,” explains Vish, adding that she feels grateful to the York community and the Wellbeing team for all the supports in place through COVID-19 that allowed her and her fellow graduates to reach their full potential.