Over virtual fire, Dr. Jenny Wang led a fireside chat with student leaders Eddie Lou ’24, Ozochi Onunaku ’25, and Alice He ’25 on mental health and wellness. Students had the opportunity to submit questions anonymously for Wang concerning mental health in the context of the Andover community.
Wang touched upon the meaning of educational success and the pressure experienced by students to get into a top college. She acknowledged the importance of academics and emphasized how friendships and communities are crucial to building a healthy environment.
“At the end of the day, students will likely get into a school coming out of Phillips Academy. And, at that point, when you look back, will you have wanted your time at Phillips Academy to be once filled with anxiety, fear, and panic? Or will you want to look back on it as a place that brings fun memories, a lot of friendships and connections?” asked Wang.
Lou shared how toxic productivity was preventing students at Andover from having a positive point of view in regards to academics.
“The core question that we talked about during the chat was about the culture of toxic productivity, especially at this school. As students, we need to help mitigate that ourselves by taking a more positive, performance-focused approach. Talking to our friends, just any other peers, especially when they’re mentioning how they are sacrificing their wellness for academic success,” said Lou.
Lou proceeded to highlight the value of discussions with guest speakers that provide the community with an external point of view. He explained that the informal setting of the event encouraged a meaningful dialogue while maintaining a sense of depth and expertise.
“These chats with speakers offer an opportunity for students, faculty, and community members to ask questions and have an expert who knows what they’re talking about to answer them. It does this in a more relaxed and casual environment while still having some sort of conversation depth of knowledge vibe to it,” shared Lou.
Wang emphasized the significance of purpose in maintaining a sense of self, describing it as both a motivator and a stabilizing influence during times of adversity. While acknowledging the inevitability of negative circumstances and unforeseen challenges, Wang emphasized the power individuals hold over their reactions to such situations.
“Purpose is important for mental health because it is a driver and a grounding force in the midst of very uncertain times or very difficult times of our lives. We cannot control negative circumstances, bad strokes of luck in our lives, but we can control our response to that. Sometimes purpose is a way in which we’re able to ground our response, in spite of what life throws at us,” said Wang.
In addition to highlighting the importance of mental health conversations, Wang went over different types of restorative tools and how students can use them effectively. Alina Chen ’27 explained that the event allowed students to reflect on their own habits and make better choices for their well being.
“I asked [Dr. Wang] how we can avoid unhealthy de-stressors like scrolling on your phone for hours to try to de-stress versus taking a good walk or having a really intimate conversation with your friends. She talked about differentiating between distractive and restorative rest. I think that was really helpful because there is a very fine line between that for me,” said Chen.
Chen continued, expressing her gratitude to Wang for making the conversation comfortable. She explained that it was inspiring to have a speaker with a similar background to her.
“I felt really proud to see somebody with a similar background and similar interests as me up there. Growing up, I did not feel super represented in the media and in the careers I wanted to pursue, so that was great. I feel like she also gives us a very comforting presence, so the entire event just felt like a very safe place to be,” said Chen.
