![\"Meghan](\"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/greatminds\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2016\/02\/Megan_HP-1024x413.jpg\")
<\/p>\nUMW senior Meghan Cardwell floats into the Hurley Convergence Center for an afternoon interview. She pulls up a chair, cardboard cup glued to her hand. Fully caffeinated, she\u2019s a fireball, from her rose-hued hair to her crimson-colored Converse.<\/p>\n
She calls herself a stargazer, a storyteller, a Jedi. Interrupts the chat to shout her love to a tour guide.<\/p>\n
But don\u2019t let Cardwell\u2019s effervescence fool you. This psychology major, who\u2019s been on the front lines of bullying and suicide, is a kaleidoscope of emotions. And she doesn\u2019t mind sharing them.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s why I do the things I do and why I study what I study,\u201d she said. \u201cHiding your diagnoses prevents you from getting help, and there should be no stigma to getting help.\u201d<\/p>\n
A quarter Japanese \u2013 her grandmother immigrated to the U.S. years ago \u2013 Cardwell grew up in Newport News into sci-fi and superheroes. The bullying started when a middle school teacher targeted her, dragging her classmates along for the ride.<\/p>\n
With her mother, Cardwell made the decision to stay in the close-knit Catholic school system she\u2019d loved. High school, they thought, would bring change. They were wrong.<\/p>\n
\u201cMy bullies got new friends, and I got new bullies,\u201d said Cardwell, who transferred after ninth grade to find peace.<\/p>\n
When her parents divorced soon after, her anxiety morphed into headaches, insomnia. She sought help from a therapist and found solace in theater. \u201cYou take all your problems and leave them backstage,\u201d she said of the acting she threw herself into in high school. \u201cYou become a different person.\u201d<\/p>\n
Mary Washington was another fresh start, and Cardwell jumped in. She joined the Student Transition Program, helped organize the James Farmer Multicultural Fair and worked to create the UMW Whovians club (for fans of the TV show Doctor Who<\/em>). She joined BellACappella, went to work at the University Center and got noticed by teachers, including Associate Professor of Classics, Philosophy and Religion Angela Pitts.<\/p>\n \u201cShe decided she was going to succeed in the course one way or the other,\u201d said Pitts, who saw Cardwell\u2019s synesthesia \u2013 converging senses that can affect cognition \u2013 make learning Latin a challenge. \u201cWhen Meghan experiences something difficult, she finds a way to not only overcome it but to try to help others do the same.\u201d<\/p>\n As a junior, Cardwell joined Mary Washington\u2019s branded-marketing campaign, appearing on bus wraps and mall ads, and in the University\u2019s first-ever commercial. Just weeks into summer break, though, the unthinkable happened. Her father committed suicide.<\/p>\n Once again, Cardwell fought grief to find purpose. She interned for Mental Health America Fredericksburg, talking about teenage depression at high schools and helping organize the Above The Darkness Walk, in memory of her dad.<\/p>\n \u201cI have used this life-changing tragedy to help myself move forward \u2026,\u201d she posted on Facebook in October after the walk raised more than $11,000 for suicide prevention.<\/p>\n \u201cElla\u201d \u2013 that\u2019s the name of the instrument that lives in her purse \u2013 helps her find focus, too. \u201cYou can\u2019t be sad when there\u2019s a ukulele playing,\u201d she said. \u201cIt\u2019s impossible.\u201d<\/p>\n She strums it from one end of campus to the other, lifting spirits \u2013 hers and everyone else\u2019s \u2013 along the way.<\/p>\n \u201cI’m here to tell you,\u201d she continues on Facebook, \u201cif you think you’re alone in this world, you are absolutely wrong. There is so much beauty \u2026 and you deserve to see it every day.\u201d<\/p>\n UMW psychology major turns tragedy to triumph<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":90,"featured_media":19169,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"umw_cb_additional_links":[[]],"_genesis_hide_title":false,"_genesis_hide_breadcrumbs":false,"_genesis_hide_singular_image":false,"_genesis_hide_footer_widgets":false,"_genesis_custom_body_class":"","_genesis_custom_post_class":"","_genesis_layout":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_advisory_expires_time":"","_advisory_meta_include":false,"footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[150,4],"tags":[107],"class_list":{"0":"post-19167","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-brand-stories","8":"category-show","9":"tag-meghan-cardwell","10":"entry"},"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nFind your purpose and watch your future take flight. Apply for admission to UMW today. Visit\u00a0https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/admissions\/undergraduate\/<\/a> to learn more.<\/h2>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"