In this episode, SENSES student Young Roley converses with Rev. Brian Konkol, Dean of Hendrix Chapel at Syracuse University. This wide-ranging conversation touches on spirituality, basketball, Hip-Hop, and many other topics. 

Class of 2008 HEOP Alum Dexter McKinney stopped by the Office of Supportive Services on September 20, 2021 and popped into the Podcast Room right when SSS Associate Director Amy Messersmith was beginning a podcast about SummerStart and CAS 102.  Sitting at the table was SSS student Kimberly Romero-Orellana, HEOP student Jordan Pierre, and Sebastian Lopez from the Kessler Scholars Program.   The result was this unplanned but very special conversation between Dexter, Kimberly, Sebastian, and Jordan.  Edited by Amy Messersmith.  Introduction by Craig Tucker and Amy Messersmith. 

Karen Hall is the Assistant Director of the Renee Crown University Honors Program at Syracuse University. In May 2021, the Office of Supportive Services honored Karen by presenting her with The HEOP and SSS Spirit of Service Award, which recognizes the dedication and service of Syracuse University professionals whose work throughout the academic year supports HEOP and SSS students.

This podcast was recorded on December 1, 2021. Karen Hall and OSS Associate Director Amy Messersmith sit down to talk about Karen’s journey of living with depression. With openness and honesty, Karen shares how depression has impacted her experience in her younger years, through college, graduate school, and into her professional career. By listening to Karen’s experience, we learn one person’s story, and through that story, we learn about her struggles, compromise, resilience, and so much more.

It’s important to point out that while this podcast delves into issues related to mental health, OSS staff are not mental health professionals; OSS defers to the Counseling Center staff at the Barnes Center as the mental health professionals on campus.

HEOP and SSS thanks Karen for being an ally and for her willingness to share so openly about a topic that many find difficult to talk about.