‘Flying Under the Radar’ - The Rider Newspaper

A Mental Health Talk by Pablo Campos

Students and staff engaging in an anxiety exercise Pablo Campos recommended Wednesday March 12 at the Flying Under The Radar Talk in the Salon Cassia on the Brownsville campus.
Isabelle Mascorro/THE RIDER — *Students and staff engaging in an anxiety exercise Pablo Campos recommended Wednesday March 12 at the Flying Under The Radar Talk in the Salon Cassia on the Brownsville campus.*
**Isabelle Mascorro/THE RIDER**

The UTRGV Counseling Center, in collaboration with the Active Minds Chapter at UTRGV, hosted “Flying Under the Radar” on March 12 in the Main Building Salón Cassia on the Brownsville campus.

The event also took place in the PlainsCapital Bank Theater on the Edinburg campus.

The Brownsville mental-health-awareness event featured Pablo Campos, a professional mental health speaker, advocate and licensed clinical social worker. He is also a licensed clinical addiction specialist working at the Counseling Center at North Carolina State University.

LCSW Active Minds Mental Health Speaker Pablo Campos talking on mental health and recovering Wednesday March 12 at the Flying Under The Radar Talk in the Salon Cassia on the Brownsville campus. Isabelle Mascorro/THE RIDER — *LCSW Active Minds Mental Health Speaker Pablo Campos talking on mental health and recovering Wednesday March 12 at the Flying Under The Radar Talk in the Salon Cassia on the Brownsville campus.*
**Isabelle Mascorro/THE RIDER**

During his talk, Campos shared his life experience, discussing the challenges he faced, such as the stigma surrounding asking for help and the limitations people encounter when seeking support for mental well-being.

“I think in Latin culture, in general, we were raised, at least as kids, to have big feelings and big emotions,” he said. “Although for boys, that starts to change when you get older, and you start to suppress different aspects of yourself.”

After sharing his struggles with substance use as an early warning sign, Campos emphasized the importance of social support and open communication in improving mental well-being.

The speaker provided an example of how sibling comparisons can create internal and external pressure to meet both personal and societal expectations.

Students and staff attending the talk Wednesday March 12 at the Flying Under The Radar Talk in the Salon Cassia on the Brownsville campus. Isabelle Mascorro/THE RIDER — *Students and staff attending the talk Wednesday March 12 at the Flying Under The Radar Talk in the Salon Cassia on the Brownsville campus.*
**Isabelle Mascorro/THE RIDER**

“What school you should go to? How long it should take you to graduate? What you should major in?” he said. “Beyond that, what job you should have? What relationship you should be in?”

Campos also shared his past struggles with substance use, which he identified as an early warning sign that he needed help.

The Rider asked what advice he would give to people who have a similar story to his and would like to share it with others.

“Starting that conversation and being ready is the hardest part, starting to communicate with others and yeah, it kind of goes from there, starting with a friend, moving to groups, it will slowly come to you and you are going to get used to it,” Campos replied. “Feedback is usually great and connecting with others is great.

“You all have amazing resources here at UTRGV, like counseling services and Active Minds, which brought me here. Connecting with them is a great way to learn about on-campus support, including TimelyCare. There are places out there, and though it’s not easy, it’s worth the effort. Hopefully, connecting with these resources will help you find support.”

English junior Edna Desilos attending the talk Wednesday March 12 at the Flying Under The Radar Talk in the Salon Cassia on the Brownsville campus. Isabelle Mascorro/THE RIDER — *English junior Edna Desilos attending the talk Wednesday March 12 at the Flying Under The Radar Talk in the Salon Cassia on the Brownsville campus.*
**Isabelle Mascorro/THE RIDER**

TimelyCare, in partnership with the UTRGV Counseling Center, provides free 24/7 access to virtual care services for students’ mental health and well-being. For more information, visit the center’s website.

Campos recounted a pivotal moment when a police officer stopped him from ending his life. That experience marked the beginning of a new challenge: finding the motivation to live and rebuild his future despite unforeseen obstacles.

“I deeply enjoyed how he started with a personal experience and how he has come up from his background,” said Miranda Cruz, a visual communication design junior. “It made him more relatable to those struggling with mental health issues.”

Christopher Albert, director of the UTRGV Counseling Center, emphasized the importance of students learning to support both themselves and others.

Director of the counseling center Christopher Albert starting off the talk Wednesday March 12 at the Flying Under The Radar Talk in the Salon Cassia on the Brownsville campus. Isabelle Mascorro/THE RIDER — *Director of the counseling center Christopher Albert starting off the talk Wednesday March 12 at the Flying Under The Radar Talk in the Salon Cassia on the Brownsville campus.*
**Isabelle Mascorro/THE RIDER**

“[Students] can learn how to help others, and even helping oneself puts them in a position to tell their own story,” Albert said.

He said there are other tools for students, such as the collaborations with Campos and TimelyCare. He explained that Abby Waldron, a TimelyCare representative, visits campus once a semester to raise awareness about the free mental health services accessible to students.

The director noted that college students commonly face mental health challenges and stressed the importance of recognizing these struggles and seeking support.

“One of Active Minds’ missions is to build awareness around mental health, the importance of getting help and to normalize the idea that people do struggle sometimes and that’s OK,” Albert said.

Post Views: 10