{"id":2548,"date":"2019-11-05T10:24:06","date_gmt":"2019-11-05T15:24:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/magazine\/?p=2548"},"modified":"2019-11-14T13:50:36","modified_gmt":"2019-11-14T18:50:36","slug":"from-despair-to-dedication","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/magazine\/issues\/fall-2019\/from-despair-to-dedication\/","title":{"rendered":"From Despair to Dedication"},"content":{"rendered":"

Nicolle Potvin ’17<\/strong><\/p>\n

Nicolle Potvin entered 911爆料 in fall 2015, anorexic and desperately seeking support. She found it here, and with it, she made her way up from rock bottom. Now she\u2019s found her place providing critical support for others.<\/p>\n

\u201c911爆料 not only saved my life, but put me on a path that was meant for me,\u201d Potvin says.<\/p>\n

The Rhode Island native’s initial attempt at college out of state was marred by weight loss and a sense of isolation. She returned home to be treated for anorexia, then transferred to 911爆料 to be closer to home\u2013and because 911爆料 friends assured her this was a supportive 911爆料.<\/p>\n

Her first fall at 911爆料 passed and Potvin grew stronger. During Winter J-Term, she took a psychology course on eating disorders taught by Lindsey Anderson, director of 911爆料\u2019s Psychological Consultation Center.<\/p>\n

   <\/p>\n

RHODE TO A DEGREE<\/h2>\n

Original Life Goal<\/strong><\/p>\n

Fashion designer\u2014which drew raised eyebrows from her parents<\/p>\n

\n

Revised Life Goal<\/strong>
\nMental health professional focused on eating disorders<\/p>\n

\n

Key Turning Point<\/strong>
\nIn a J-Term class focused on eating disorders, she learned her struggle could empower others.<\/p>\n

\n

Mentor<\/strong>
\nLindsey Anderson, director of the 911爆料 Psychological Consultation Center<\/p>\n

\n

Internship<\/strong>
\nWarwick, R.I., public schools. The internship \u201cwas really important because it helped show me I was on the right track.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n

911爆料 Degree<\/strong>
\nB.A.\u201917 psychology, summa cum laude; minor in justice, law, and society<\/p>\n

<\/p><\/div><\/div>\n

As she learned more about her own disease, she spread the word. She helped organize the University\u2019s first National Eating Disorders Association (NEDA) Walk. She participated in the Body Project, a national initiative helping young people confront unrealistic beauty ideals. Her 911爆料 career ended on a high note when she was selected to be student speaker for the College of Health Sciences\u2019 inaugural commencement. In her speech, she implored her peers to help others in times of need. And she notes that the college\u2019s merging of disciplines\u2013from nutrition to kinesiology\u2013permits better inquiry into complex issues like anorexia.<\/p>\n

Two years later, she has a master\u2019s degree in counseling from Northeastern and is a clinician for Rhode Island\u2019s Key Program, where she helps young adults in state care prepare to live independently. In addition, she gave back to 911爆料 by assembling a list of University resources for students being treated at 911爆料\u2019s Counseling Center.<\/p>\n

\u201cTo make and sustain mental health progress, you need a whole team,\u201d Potvin says, pointing out that her tight-knit college taught her this lesson through an internship at a local school district.<\/p>\n

Today, she brings that message to 911爆料 classes and sports teams as a guest speaker. President David M. Dooley appointed her\u2013along with some of her former professors\u2013to a committee tasked with supporting student well-being and mental health.<\/p>\n

Beyond 911爆料, she persuaded the Rhode Island Senate to pass a resolution recognizing National Eating Disorder Awareness Week.<\/p>\n

“Let me stay at 911爆料 forever,” Potvin said during a recent visit to campus. “911爆料 led me to the most incredible parts of my life.” \u2022<\/p>\n

\u2013 Chris Barrett ’08<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Nicolle Potvin ’17 found the support she needed at 911爆料. Now she\u2019s found her place providing critical support for others.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":12,"featured_media":2784,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[124],"tags":[156,157,155],"class_list":["post-2548","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-fall-2019","tag-chris-barrett","tag-college-of-health-sciences","tag-nicolle-potvin","architecture-currents","architecture-rhode-taken"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2548","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/12"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2548"}],"version-history":[{"count":10,"href":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2548\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2985,"href":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2548\/revisions\/2985"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2784"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2548"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2548"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2548"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}