✿​ Meet Our Executive Board ✿

ASHLEY SALDANA
​President

Ashley Saldana (she/her/hers) is the President of Active Minds and is a fourth-year Chemistry major interested in Pre-med. She loves to sing, learn, and serve in any way she can! Ashley joined Active Minds because she believes that fostering a sense of empathy, compassion, and awareness regarding mental health is crucial. After all, mental health is an unavoidable part of the human experience. Olaf says some people are worth melting for, and Ashley thinks working to open the conversation of mental health is a cause worth melting for!

AUDREY GRISCO
​vice president

Audrey Grisco (she/her/hers) is the Vice President of Active Minds and a third-year Psychology major. She joined Active Minds to foster discussion about mental health and bring awareness to a variety of mental illnesses not typically acknowledged. Audrey believes that all mental illnesses must be equally and respectfully brought to light to reduce stigmatization. In her free time, she enjoys creating art, trying new food, or listening to music.

Rachel chan
secretary

​Rachel Chan (she/her/hers) is the Secretary of Active Minds and is a third-year Psychology major. She joined Active Minds to open up the opportunity for conversation and learning surrounding areas of mental health that aren’t so commonly spoken about. Rachel believes that being able to openly prioritize mental health is essential, but that can’t be done when we aren’t willing to talk about it. In her free time, you’ll probably find her cooking, creating art, reading (for sure), or playing sports!

michelle daher
​Social Media Executive

Michelle Daher (she/her/hers) is the Social Media Executive of Active Minds. She is a second-year Media Studies major with a Sociology minor. She’s been passionate about mental health advocacy since high school and firmly believes in the importance of opening up conversations to erase stigma. Change starts with conversations. Aside from her passion for social justice, Michelle loves arts and crafts and you can probably find her listening to music either in her earphones or at a concert!

CAELYN MCDONOUGH

​Treasurer

Caelyn Mcdonough (she/her/hers) is the Treasurer of Active Minds. She is a second-year Psychology major with an Environmental Science minor. Caelyn joined Active Minds because she wants to create a community at USF that allows people to openly discuss their mental health. In her free time, she enjoys running, spending time with friends, reading, and unsuccessfully trying to learn guitar.

BAILEY STEADMAN
advocacy chair

Bailey Steadman (she/her/hers) is the Advocacy Chair of Active Minds. She is a third-year Communications major with a Psychology minor. She joined Active Minds because she believes all individuals should have the tools to foster a mentally healthy life. She is passionate about discussing the ways in which mental health impacts relationships and daily life and believes it is important to find a balance between these things. In her free time, she will hike, go to the gym, visit the goats at Lone Mountain, or be too focused on a book to notice anything else.

dr. joyce yang
faculty advisor

Dr. Joyce Yang (she/her/hers) ​is the Faculty Advisor of Active Minds for this school year. She is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Psychology as well as a licensed clinical psychologist. Dr. Yang earned her doctoral degree from the University of Washington, completed her predoctoral internship at the VA Palo Alto, and postdoctoral research fellowship at Stanford University and the National Center for PTSD. Her research centers on pursuing mental health equity for BIPOC communities. In particular, Dr. Yang is interested in understanding how chronic experiences of race-based stress and trauma affect wellbeing. 

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Our Purpose

• Through education, research, advocacy, and a focus on underrepresented populations, "Active Minds opens up the conversation about mental health and creates lasting change in the way mental health is talked about, cared for, and valued in the United States. Active Minds strives to empower students to speak openly about mental health in order to educate others and encourage help-seeking." (ActiveMinds.org)

• Active Minds has more than 550 chapters located in high schools and colleges nationwide and internationally. We are a student-led group seeking to create a safe and comfortable environment for conversations about mental health, and we are so happy to bring this organization to USF. ​

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Our Plans

• ​Organize campus events to increase awareness of mental health issues and suicide prevention (panel discussions, movie screenings, speaker presentations, and stress-relief activities)​

• Promote the services available from the counseling center and other organizations 

• Hold fundraising events in support of the Active Minds movement​

• Advocate for changes in campus policies and procedures to better support mental health​

• Represent the student voice on campus health committees

• Cater to the unique needs of USF's student population