Make Waves of Good – Dickinson’s Newest Club “Project Wave”
Project Wave is a new club on campus, formed this semester, whose focus is mental health awareness, education and support.
Project Wave started planning in the spring semester of 2022. Anna Choudary ’25 was hoping something like this could come to Dickinson and worked with friends to organize it after her own mental health recovery. She hopes to make enough of a difference that “freshmen three years from now that struggle with mental health get here and say ‘Oh, Dickinson really cares, like, I made the right choice.’”
The name “Project Wave” comes from the song “Waves” by Imagine Dragons, which talks about a friend who took his own life. The first post on the Project Wave Instagram says “Waves represent hope in the deepest of trouble; no matter how many forces are against the wave it still breaks on the shore.” The club’s logo includes a wave with a semicolon in it, the latter of which is a common symbol for suicide prevention awareness.
The club’s first event came in September, where they left pinwheels on the Academic Quad outside Old West. Tyler Lissy ’25 explained that these were “for National Suicide Prevention Awareness Month, which was September.” They had 1,000 pinwheels to represent the average of 1,100 college student suicides that take place per year. Lissy said he “was glad we got it done,” and “wants to make the biggest difference I can.”
They also had a table in the HUB on October 13, where they gave out candy, baked goods and stickers, among other goodies, to support students through midterms. They plan to host more events throughout the semester, which they will announce at a later time.
Harper Sinclair ‘25 said she “[encourages] the student body to reach out to us, let us know when they’re struggling, and like what they need and want to see. For me, it’s about helping… as many people as possible.”
Anyone who is interested in being involved with Project Wave can contact the club on Instagram (@projectwave_dickinson) or the executive members of the club, which includes Choudary, Lissy, and Sinclair among others.
penny pray • Feb 22, 2023 at 10:27 am
Congratulations to Project Wave as you have found a very serious and important issue to focus your efforts on. Suicide has often been a hidden subject and with your advocacy, hopefully it will come out of it’s shadows and the stigma lessened to talk about the many causes that end this tragic way , while helping students who are caught in it’s dark web find a different way forward. With compassion, understanding and support, Project Wave can hopefully help save more students from this ultimate sadness and despair. Thank you to our grandson, Tyler Lissy and his fellow Founders, and to Dickinson College for recognizing the importance of student led support on their campus.