Maryland First Lady Dawn Moore discusses mental health, women’s empowerment with UMD deans

By Mayah Nachman
For The Diamondback

Maryland First Lady Dawn Moore joined three University of Maryland deans at The Clarice Smith Performing Arts Center Tuesday for a conversation about youth mental health, women’s empowerment and Moore’s experience as a student at this university.

The event intended to initiate an open discussion between Moore and University of Maryland deans Stephanie Shonekan from the arts and humanities college, Susan Rivera from the behavioral and social sciences college and Kimberly Griffin from the education college, according to the event’s announcement. More than 200 people attended the discussion, event organizers said.

Gov. Wes Moore — Moore’s husband — was elected governor of Maryland in 2022. Before he took office, Moore served on the board of multiple nonprofit organizations such as Maryland’s State Theater, Baltimore Center Stage and iMentor, an organization that works to build relationships with first generation students to help them succeed in school and pursue higher education, the event’s announcement said.

She also served as a chair of the Moore-Miller Inaugural Committee, according to the Maryland government website. The committee contributed to a 30 to 40 percent increase in business for Black owned businesses during the week of Wes Moore’s gubernatorial inauguration and generated more than $1.5 million in labor income.

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Senior public health science major Autumn Ballard attended Tuesday’s discussion because of her experiences working in the Maryland General Assembly, she said. She enjoyed learning about Moore’s passion for service.

“I’d like to make a career out of service so the fact that she’s doing it and intends for the entire state to do it is pretty impactful,” Ballard said.

Moore discussed the importance of improving the mental health of children and the Maryland government’s $300 million investment last year to healthcare. A significant amount of the investments went into mental health care, Moore said, and she emphasized the need to include young people in conversations about their own mental health.

Rivera echoed this idea and said it is important to hear directly from students about what is good or bad for their mental health.

“I love this idea of bringing children to the table to talk about how they experience their mental health,” she said.

Moore also talked about her experience as a military spouse and the work Maryland has done to expand resources for the about 150,000 military families in the state. Wes Moore served in Afghanistan from 2005 to 2006.

“In this role, I have a lot of empathy for the caregivers, for the spouses that serve as their spouses do in the armed forces,” Moore said. “What we are doing in Maryland is we are focused on the whole family.”

Moore also spoke to the importance of including women and people of color in leadership roles in order to serve a larger community that properly represents many different types of people.

Rasha Alkhateeb, a literacy education doctoral student, found the discussion between Moore and the three deans particularly meaningful as a woman of color.

“I just really enjoy being around them and being in community with them and experiencing what feels like care and love in the way that they speak,” Alkhateeb said. “Representation is so important and it makes me feel like I can do it. But also I’m not just doing it for myself, I am doing it for others.”

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Junior psychology major Anna Harasimowicz, who attended the discussion with her professional writing class, said she enjoyed learning that she had so many commonalities with the first lady.

Harasimowicz said her shared military background and passion for psychology helped her to relate to Moore.

Moore, also a graduate of this university, encouraged students to get out of their comfort zones and pursue new experiences during their time in college.

Moore told The Diamondback that being able to speak at the college she attended and had helped foster her own passion for service was a great experience for her.

“I loved being able to be interviewed by the sister deans,” she said. “It reminded me of my own network of women who I lean on and who I learn best practices from and who I watch and admire and aspire to.”