Marquette University psychology student named president of the national Active Minds Student Advisory Committee

MILWAUKEE – Markie Pasternak, of De Pere, Wisconsin, has been named president of the national Active Minds Student Advisory Committee for a second term. Pasternak is a junior psychology major in Marquette University’s Klingler College of Arts and Sciences.

Since she was five years old, Pasternak has had Obsessive Compulsive Disorder, yet she was not officially diagnosed until her junior year of high school. Before her diagnosis, Pasternak thought her actions were simply part of her personality. Since joining Active Minds her first semester at Marquette, Pasternak has used her story to help others and empower them to change the outlook on mental health through healthy recoveries.

At Marquette, Pasternak researches mental health stigma in the Psychology Department, and she hopes to earn her Ph.D. in psychology. Previously, she interned with National Alliance on Mental Illness Greater Milwaukee, and is now president of Marquette’s Active Minds chapter and the head coordinator of Mental Health Awareness Week on campus. Besides serving as a mental health advocate, Pasternak is a figure skater and a summer camp counselor.

Active Minds is a student organization that promotes awareness of mental health disorders and seeks to remove the stigma that surrounds mental illness on college campuses. Active Minds provides information and resources regarding mental health to the student body through various campus events and monthly club meetings. There are 329 Active Minds chapters nationwide.

The Active Minds SAC is composed of 20 Active Minds chapter members from across the U.S. and Canada who have shown exemplary leadership and dedication to Active Minds, Inc. and mental health advocacy on their campuses. The SAC serves as an advisory body to the national office staff and brings the student perspective to organizational decision-making.

NOTE: This press release was submitted to Urban Milwaukee and was not written by an Urban Milwaukee writer. While it is believed to be reliable, Urban Milwaukee does not guarantee its accuracy or completeness.