Share Light Provides Creative Space for Students

April 5, 2019 Macee Hall, Staff Writer

On April 4, HSU’s office of counseling services hosted their second annual Share Light event, an open mic night in Jennings Lounge on the second floor of Moody Center. This year’s event included an art competition, specialty coffee, free mugs, and personal-sized Bundt cakes. Counseling services provided painting supplies and canvases for attendees to express their creativity. At the event, many HSU students shared original poetry, played covers of songs, and read inspirational quotes and even a chapter from a classic novel.

Nikki Rhodes, director of counseling services at HSU, explains that “Share Light is an event that allows HSU students to come together for a communal experience of healing and hope through artistic expression of music, poetry, and visual art.”

Share Light began in 2018 as a way for students to share their experiences through creative outlets. The event provides a safe space for students to feel less isolated in the face of adversity.

“The vision for Share Light started because I noticed that I was hearing so many students speak about similar experiences while in therapy- not only anxiety, isolation, fear, and pain, but more importantly the feeling that they weren’t allowed to share these parts of themselves out loud. So often, though, when someone else is brave enough to share pain it does the opposite of what we fear- it is a spark that gives someone else hope. They aren’t alone. They aren’t crazy. They can get better,” says Rhodes.

She continues, “Share Light is about acknowledging, exploring, and ultimately befriending the tension between the dark and light.”

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