T
he state of Michigan enacted a law requiring public
high schools to give students CPR and automated
external defibrillator, or A.E.D. training before
they graduate, starting with the 2017-2018 school year. But
LSA junior Tariq Mekkaoui is going one step further.
Mekkaoui views the state’s actions as a step in
the right direction but knows they are missing an
essential component: Mental health. He integrates this
critical ingredient into Heal-Move-Shift, a nonprofit
he co-founded in December 2017 that strives to teach
students the three tenets of health: cardiovascular,
mental and nutritional.
As an English and biomolecular science double major
and an aspiring physician, Mekkaoui already had roots
in the health science field. But a poorly-handled mental
health incident involving a student in his hometown of
Dearborn Heights is what actually sparked him to create
Heal-Move-Shift.
“I was so upset, because I looked back at my own couple
years in that community, and I was like, ‘No one spoke to
me about mental health,’” Mekkaoui said. “No one spoke
to me about how nutritional health can build on my mental
health, or even cardiovascular health.”
Because of the incident, Mekkaoui realized it was time
for change. With Heal-Move-Shift, he started working
at Central Academy, a local Ann Arbor high school
with a student body largely from immigrant countries.
Mekkaoui, who is part Syrian, Lebanese and Palestinian,
and his co-founder Ahmad Hider, a University of
Michigan alum, wanted to focus particularly on this
demographic group.
“We’re both from immigrant … populations,” Mekkaoui
said. “So, we wanted to heal that community. We really
wanted to shift the stigma away from mental health and
these other health aspects and then move the conversation
the correct way.”
Every Friday afternoon, when most students check out
and prepare for the weekend, Mekkaoui heads to Central
Academy to lead Heal-Move-Shift seminars for students.
The programs range from CPR training to yoga lessons
and meditation to discussions related to mental health.
Students attend voluntarily, and Mekkaoui is pleased with
the turnout.
“They’re all high-achieving students,” Mekkaoui said.
“They’re phenomenal, and I love working with them. I
honestly feel better when I go and teach these seminars,
and I go ahead and relate to these students.”
With the guidance of the University’s Barger
Leadership Institute, which Mekkaoui managed to get
useful contacts and resources to help grow the nonprofit.
Heal-Move-Shift earned a $10,000 grant from the
institute, which will help it potentially expand into four
high schools next year.
“We’ve moved fast, and we’re very proud of what we’ve
done,” Mekkaoui said. “But also, it’s so important to pause
and reflect and make sure that we’re doing this effectively
and intentionally.”
Mekkaoui has big plans for the future. He hopes
that one day, all high schools will offer mental health
seminars for students since he feels it’s imperative for
them to learn about mental health before graduating and
being independent.
He also has goals for himself. Mekkaoui dreams of going
to medical school, but he’s fine putting this off until later
to focus on the organization. In fact, he plans to take a
gap year after graduating to focus all his energy on Heal-
Move-Shift.
“I feel like I’m making a difference, and they’re
understanding these high-level concepts without being
forced to learn it,” Mekkaoui said. “It’s an easy introduction
and they can carry this on with the rest of their lives. So,
this is the work I want to do and I feel good doing it.”
2B
Managing Statement Editor:
Brian Kuang
Deputy Editors:
Colin Beresford
Jennifer Meer
Rebecca Tarnopol
Photo Editor:
Amelia Cacchione
Editor in Chief:
Alexa St. John
Managing Editor:
Dayton Hare
Copy Editors:
Elise Laarman
Finntan Storer
Wednesday, April 11, 2018// The Statement
STUDENTS
of the
YEAR
statement
THE MICHIGAN DAILY | APRIL 11, 2018
Activists. Innovators. Leaders. Community builders.
These three words can describe the seven students
nominated by you — the University community — to
be the Michigan Daily’s Student of the Year. But these
words can hardly account for the countless hours of
thought, the months of toil, the endless amount of
passion each of these students have dedicated toward
their work.
These are just a few of the students that push
conversation and change within our university
community and beyond. While their stories differ,
each is driven by their own experiences to leave a
positive mark on those around them. And for many of
them, their work is just getting started.
These are your 2018 Students of the Year. Here are
their stories.
Sincerely,
The Statement Magazine
Tariq
Mekkaoui
BY ROHAN KUMAR,
DAILY SPORTS WRITER
Ahad Bootwala/Daily