Not many 21-year-olds can say they’ve helped save a life. 

If you had asked biomedical engineering student Aditi Bang four years ago what she thought her college years would be like, she may have answered that she would join a few clubs, meet new friends, make good grades, and maybe go to a few football games before heading off to medical school. And, for the most part, these predictions have come true. 

But what has made Bang’s time as a Yellow Jacket unique is what she didn’t expect — that her passion for helping her community would lead to saving lives in a way that, as a pre-med student, she never would have predicted. 

“My first year at Georgia Tech, I started volunteering as a crisis counselor to provide emotional and mental support to anyone in need for the Crisis Textline,” she said. “One day, I got anonymous feedback from someone I had talked to saying, 'I feel better to actually talk to someone’. That was my first time getting meaningful feedback, and I realized that it was a small conversation for me, but that person that day found hope to live.” 

Bang discovered that she had a passion, not just for general community service, but for helping others support their mental and physical well-being. On top of her regular courseload, her community service involvement reads like a professional resume: 

• Certified instructor for QPR (Question, Persuade, and Refer) Suicide Prevention training sponsored by the Georgia Tech Center for Mental Health Care and Resources;
• BRAVE Peer Educator, a volunteer student group within the Georgia Tech Wellness Empowerment Center focused on sexual violence prevention education;
• Co-founder of Feeding the Soul, a student support group sponsored by Georgia Tech’s Stamps Health Services and the Wellness Empowerment Center;
• Co-founder of GT Madhatter Knits, a student group that knits hats for premature babies;
• National Ambassador for The Steve Fund, an organization dedicated to supporting the mental health and emotional well-being of young people of color;
• Cofounder of The Nourish Project at Georgia Tech, a service organization that promotes health literacy, well-being, and learning for the elderly;
• NICU Cuddler with Emory University Hospital Midtown in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit.

“I believe volunteer work is needed for anyone to support their community in any way they can,” Bang said. “I want to be a physician, which is a field based on service and being a leader, and serving my community gives me the resources and skills I need to be action-oriented.”

As a pre-med student, Bang knew she wanted a career that would enable her to improve the lives of others. Although mental health advocacy wasn’t in her field of study or even on her radar when she arrived at Georgia Tech, the fourth-year student said that in learning more about it, she realized that she wanted to do more to decrease the stigma around seeking treatment and empower others to get involved.

“I always heard about mental health and what a big issue it can be on college campuses, and really everywhere,” she said. “But I didn’t understand the stigma around mental health. Just like you would go to the doctor if you have the flu, why not seek help when you have a mental health issue? It’s ok not to be ok. It’s ok to speak up and get help.”

When the Cumming, Ga., native came to Tech as a freshman, she experienced many of the challenges that college students face after high school: adapting to a much larger community, encountering more difficult classes, trying to find your place socially, and feeling pressure to perform academically. But by learning more about mental health and the support that Tech offers, Bang said she found a community where she felt safe to speak up and now has the desire to create a safe space for others.

“I feel like a lot of Tech students, myself included sometimes, connect our self-worth to the grades we get, and I feel like that can be really isolating,” she said. “Coming from high school to here, all of a sudden you feel really small compared to everyone else. But I’ve learned that it’s ok to slow down; you have your own journey. I want other Tech students to know that we all have these thoughts and that they’re not alone.”

Although Tech is known for rigorous academics and a high-achieving culture, Bang said that in her time here she has also noticed more of an emphasis being placed on wellness and peer support programs that take a more holistic approach to student success. She said she would encourage anyone who is struggling or encountering setbacks to take advantage of the many resources Tech has to offer.  

“You don’t need to be perfect all the time,” she said. “I feel that failures are a part of life. It doesn’t mean that you’re a failure. Asking for help is not a sign of weakness — if you’re strong enough to ask for help, it means you’re strong enough to help others speak up for themselves.”

Bang said she gravitated toward QPR training and the Crisis Textline because those programs empower individuals within the community to make a difference in the lives of others. One of the biggest misconceptions about mental health support, according to Bang, is that you have to be a professional in order to help someone, but Georgia Tech offers numerous programs and services to help students and the larger campus community get involved and support each other.

“It’s a misunderstanding that only professionals can help people,” she said. “Even if you’re not a mental health professional, just being nice and showing empathy can make a difference. A few words can save someone’s life.” 

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Students who are experiencing significant mental health difficulties and need immediate support can call the Center for Mental Health Care and Resources at 404.894.2575 or visit Suite 238 in the Smithgall Student Services Building during business hours (Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.). After-hours support is available through the same phone number by selecting the option for the after-hours counselor.

In an emergency, call the Georgia Tech Police Department at 404.894.2500 on campus or 911 off campus.