Starting the Conversation
Taking care of your mental health isn't an afterthought, it's essential.
By using art and graphic designs, we hope to capture the essence of college life with the purpose to build community awareness on mental health for students.
Mission
We aim to break the barriers that college students face with their mental health and ultimately help our community sustain and develop healthy mental health skills.
What We
Offer
Digital Art & Collaboration Opportunities
We provide digital art and design in order to connect with our community members. We also have collaboration opportunities in order to work together with and better serve our community.
Community
Story Sharing
We're fighting the stigma around mental health by reaching out to our community and sharing their stories in order to help students feel seen and understood.
Resources & Workshops
In alignment with our mission, we provide resources and workshops that benefit student's personal well-being with a focus on mental health.
Who We Are
Who
​
Pup Support is a student-led organization, at the University of Washington based in Seattle, with a focus on providing mental health resources to college students creatively.
​
What
By using art and graphic designs, we hope to capture the essence of college life with a purpose to build community awareness on mental health for students.
Why
As college students, we understand how difficult college life can be. We are here to listen and to share some tips and resources to help guide our audience through their own struggles. We hope to help create a world where all those impacted by mental illness know they are not alone and are empowered to live a fulfilling life.
Mission
We aim to break the barriers that college students face with their mental health and ultimately help our community sustain and develop healthy mental health skills. Our goal is to address the unmet mental health needs within our community through support, referral, education, and outreach.
Pup Support's ultimate goal is to break the barriers that college students face with their mental health and help our community sustain and develop healthy coping skills. We use art and graphic designs to capture the essence of college life with a purpose to build community awareness on mental health and support for students. We strive to create content that is personable, informative, and engaging.
At the current moment, we aim to support college students based at the University of Washington. However, we hope to resonate with students around the world and provide assistance for anyone who needs it regardless of their location. Ultimately, we hope to support all individuals, no matter their religion, beliefs, race, culture, sexuality, gender identity, politics, etc. We are and will continuously grow, learn, and correct biases while maintaining accountability for our actions.
Executive Team
Yuna Park
President, Co-founder
Noah Hirose
Treasurer
Amy Ly
Vice President, Co-founder
Hina Yu
Director of Internal Affairs
Angela Chen
President
Anna Huang Hu
Vice President
Tracy Mai
Executive Intern
Robin Lai
Director of Creative Operations
Resource & Education Team
Christine Hau
Research Coordinator
Zoey Suarez
Research Coordinator
Ally Tran
Education Chair
Iris Choe
Podcast Producer
External Team
Angela Chen
Director of External
Michelle Guan
Website Administrator
Anna Huang Hu
Writer & Editor
Ella Silvas
Social Media Manager
Allyson Lee
Social Media Manager
TBD
Writer & Editor
Creative Team
Robin Lai
Director of Creative Operations
Madison Kim
Lead Designer
Annie Pao
Designer
Stephanie Chou
Creative Director
Amy Duong
Typographer
Sabrina Liu
Designer
Arya Patel
Creative Director
Kalina Luong
Typographer
.jpg)
Bob Li
Designer
Misty Becker
Designer
Our Values
Empathy
-
We listen first.
-
We do not value anyone’s experience or pain as greater or lesser than our own.
-
We assume the best intentions of others and give people the benefit of the doubt.
-
We operate from a place of curiosity instead of judgement.
-
We understand that people make mistakes and we are all human.
-
We practice self-compassion.
-
We recognize that each person has a life outside of the organization.
-
We support the mental health of our staff and volunteers by prioritizing self-care.
-
We express appreciation often, and we intentionally make space to celebrate accomplishments.
Inclusivity
-
We create a welcoming space for everyone. We strive to build an environment where people of any race, ethnicity, class, religion, sexual orientation, gender identity, ability, or country of origin feel welcome and seen.
-
We acknowledge each other's presence.
-
We create opportunities for meaningful connections among people.
-
We take time to get to know each other as individuals.
-
We find fun in our work and have a sense of humor.
-
We are present with one another in group settings (e.g., not checking phones, laptops, etc. during meetings), and communicate clearly if we need to be less present.
-
We connect with people of all backgrounds and recognize that mental health affects all of us in different ways.
-
We create environments that encourage quieter voices to speak up
Integrity
-
We put our passion into action and do what we say we will do.
-
We do our work with our values in mind.
-
We give constructive feedback directly, respectfully, compassionately, and with a focus on solutions.
-
We communicate needs and expectations openly, and do not get angry if others do not meet expectations that we did not clearly set.
-
We take responsibility for our mistakes, and learn from them.
-
We actively participate.
-
We say “no” to requests that we do not have the capacity to fulfill on time and with high quality.
-
We support each other to learn and grow.
-
We actively cultivate an environment of trust and honesty.
-
We acknowledge that everyone has strengths and unique ways of thinking, and do not assume that the ways we do things are the only correct way to do things.
-
We push ourselves to get beyond “we’ve always done it that way” as a reason for a process and are open to change.
Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion
RACIAL EQUITY & IMPLICIT BIAS
Pup Support recognizes, like many other systems in the United States, the mental health system is deeply impacted by institutional racism for people of color. Mental health stigma, culture, and systems impact people differently based on ethnicity, race, income, etc. Many individuals experience bias, discrimination, misdiagnosis, and also struggle finding support or therapy for their group. Pup Support believes all people have the right to mental health support. We hope to be a part of the process of advocating for safe, appropriate, respectful, accessible, and consistent mental health support.
We understand that racism and bias can be very subtle and even inflicted by those with good intentions. We will continue to work towards growing, learning, and checking our implicit bias. We understand the importance of continuously working towards addressing and eliminating racial inequalities within our organization, community, and more. Pup Support will hold our members accountable with respect, kindness, understanding, guidance, and forgiveness. We understand that every individual grew up in a different environment and we will strive to not invalidate or try to explain away someone’s personal experience. We hope to curate a learning community where mistakes are acknowledged and used as ways to grow and evolve.
THE CONVERSATION GOES ON
We acknowledge that these conversations don't stop here. As a team, we will continue to grow, shape, and rethink what mental health means for our organization and community. As a team, we will continue to have these conversations to ensure that Pup Support's work aligns with the goals of providing our community a safe and inclusive space to develop their understanding of their own mental health and the mental health of others.