Wednesday, April 13, 2016 // The Statement
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SA junior Jaimie Phelan has a lot on
her plate: playing an instrumental
role on the Women’s Track and Field
team while working tirelessly with Athletes
Connected and the Depression Center Stu-
dent Advisory Board as an advocate for end-
ing the stigma surrounding mental health
issues. Yet, she never lets herself get too over-
whelmed.
“It definitely feels like a lot, but I also kind
of have that mindset that I’m still learning,”
she said. “I’m still growing and I’m sur-
rounded by so many amazing people on cam-
pus at Michigan and on our amazing team.”
Hailing from Ontario, Canada, Phelan
decided to attend Michigan based on the
strong psychology program and the success
of the track and field team where, she imme-
diately made an impact — scoring at both
Big Ten’s and nationals her freshmen year.
Despite some setbacks due to injury, Phelan
continued to persevere and just recently fin-
ished off this past indoor season with an All-
American title in the distance medley relay
at NCAA Nationals and numerous personal
records. However, Phelan quickly empha-
sized group effort, pointing to her teammates
as sources of strength and encouragement
over the course of the season.
“It felt awesome to be able to share it with
the three other girls on the DMR team right
there with us,” she said. “But I think every-
one on our team kind of helped us get there.”
She shows this perspective in all aspects of
her life, and not just on the track.
“I’m definitely grateful to be a part of
organizations that are so much bigger than
myself,” Phelan said. “In Women’s Track
and Field, we all put on the singlet with the
block ‘M’, and then as soon as you put on that
singlet, you’re representing Michigan. Then
with the Depression Center’s Student Advi-
sory Board and Athlete’s Connected, it’s try-
ing to help everyone else deal with anything
that they’re dealing with, anything that they
may be struggling with.”
Phelan got involved with Athlete’s Con-
nected and the Depression Center’s Student
Advisory Board during her sophomore year,
and credits Will Heininger, Michigan defen-
sive end, and Trish Meyer, Program Direc-
tor for Outreach and Education, for helping
introduce her to the programs and devel-
oping her passion for mental health. As she
continued to attend more meetings, she felt
like she could open up and share her own
struggles that she was dealing with, while
also becoming more aware of the resources
available on campus.
“My freshman year I feel like I didn’t
know about the resources that were avail-
able for mental health, and I think with how
passionate I became for mental health, that’s
one of the big things for me,” Phelan said. “I
don’t want other people to feel confused. We
all want it to be accessible for everyone on
campus.”
Phelan describes Athlete’s Connected
as an “open space” where student-athletes
can come together to discuss anything and
everything on their minds — whether it be
academic stress or clinical depression.
“It’s very similar to an athletic injury,
just the same way as if you were injured
with anything. Like if we have a hurt ankle,
we can go into the training room, get help
from our trainers, it’s the same with mental
health,” Phelan said. “If you are struggling,
or just having a rough day and you need to
take a step back, you can either come to Ath-
letes Connected, or there are the resources
where you can get help from a professional
or anyone else.”
Phelan’s joy for life at the University is
absolutely contagious. This campus, she said,
had a big impact on her.
“I honestly feel like Michigan is my second
home,” she said with a smile spread across
her face. “Every time you walk by and see a
block ‘M’, it just makes you smile. I just love
it.”
Her summer plans include continuing
to advocate for mental health and working
as hard as she can for her team, but Phelan
has another noteworthy goal — making the
Olympic Trials.
“I’m going to try to go to trials, and with
Nicole Sifuentes being here, it’s going to be a
good experience. I get to go back home, see
people and continue training,” she said.
Though she has big goals and high expec-
tations of herself, as both a national-caliber
athlete and prominent leader, Phelan stress-
es the importance of taking life day-by-day
and focusing on the little things. Her favorite
quote is, “The smallest deed is better than
the greatest intention.” She aspires to do all
of the little things she can for the team, and
all of the little things she can for the Univer-
sity of Michigan.
“I think doing the little things goes a long
way and can mean a lot to someone,” Phelan
said.
I
n a campus teeming with innova-
tors and entrepreneurs, Erin Johnson
stands out. The sophomore, who is
studying business and international studies,
wants to clarify, though: hers “isn’t some
superstar story.”
“I feel like all these other people are going
to have all these crazy stories,” she said of
the rest of the Student of the Year nominees.
“I just feel like I decided to take on this role
and I took it on to the best of my ability.”
Johnson is the president of optiMize, a
student organization on campus focused on
helping student entrepreneurs materialize
their ideas. Unlike similar organizations,
optiMize is centered on social impact — a
phrase that Johnson says guides what she
does.
“I think it’s just looking at everything
you do on a daily basis and trying to figure
out the most positive way to do it,” she said.
“So if you want to accomplish something or
make something better, how many people’s
days can you improve?” she said.
Originally from Orlando, Fla., Johnson
came to the University after childhood
visits to Detroit and the surrounding area.
Having attended smaller schools her entire
life, the University offered the opportunity
for “something bigger.” And after a chance
encounter with an optiMize poster that
said, “Why not me? Stop waiting for some-
one else to change the world,” Johnson was
sold.
“That resonated with me just because I
had never really had something phrased
like that before,” she said. “I never thought
of service as social change, as something
that could have a worldwide impact.”
Johnson joined as a core team member,
but was quickly moved to the marketing
team her freshman year. Team leaders try to
identify each member’s strengths and move
him or her accordingly.
OptiMize’s main event is the Social Inno-
vation Challenge. Students who have ideas
for social innovation and entrepreneurship
apply in October, and over seven months,
optiMize mentors and various workshops
provide various resources to help turn these
ideas into startups, student organizations or
other. At the end of the year, a few of these
groups are chosen for funding from opti-
Mize.
This allocation of funding is based on
each team’s ability to make a social impact,
its cultural competence and its growth
throughout the year. The organization’s
biggest donor is the nonprofit organiza-
tion United Way, and it also raises money
from anonymous alumni donors. This year
alone, Johnson and optiMize have raised
$750,000 and have worked with more than
250 students.
Johnson is careful to note the difference
between competition and challenge: teams
that apply do not get cut; they just don’t get
all the funding. She distinguishes this kind
of structure as a “self-challenge.”
“If every team were to be successful,
everyone would be better off, because every
team is making social change,” she said.
“I think that’s the main thing that differ-
entiates optiMize and makes me love it so
much.”
This summer, Johnson plans to help out
with the optiMize Fellows program, in
which she will mentor students who stay at
the University over the summer and work
on their projects.
Friends alternately describe Johnson as
possessing “a kind of energy that lights up
any room into which she walks” and some-
one who “would rather see someone else
take ownership of a role and thrive.” It’s
clear that Johnson, as optiMize’s president,
is popular.
“We like to think of the environment and
sustainability, but I like to think of sustain-
ability as also sustainability of people,” she
said.
After this year, Johnson will no longer be
the president of optiMize, but her involve-
ment with the organization will not stop
there. Whether it’s being a future mentor
or continually helping out and advising the
group’s fundamental goal of social change
Johnson has one main objective: “I just like
making people feel important.”
ERIN JOHNSON
B Y N A B E E L
C H O L L A M PAT,
S TAT E M E N T D E P U T Y
E D I T O R
JAIMIE PHELAN
B Y K A E L A
T H E U T, O P I N I O N
C O L U M N I S T
MARINA ROSS / Daily
GRANT HARDY / Daily