AIC Women’s Lacrosse is taking a shot to improve conversations regarding student-athletes' mental health in an upcoming home game against Southern New Hampshire University. The Yellow Jackets will join their fellow athletes from all ten Northeast-10 Conference teams by participating in Morgan's Message Day on Wednesday, April 12, in support of Morgan’s Message, an organization that advocates for the mental health of student-athletes.

Morgan's Message was created by the family and former teammates of Morgan Rodgers, a former Duke University lacrosse student-athlete who died tragically in July 2019 after battling mental health struggles. The organization’s mission is to eliminate the stigma surrounding mental health and ensure that mental health and physical health for student-athletes are treated equally. 

“There is a perception that if someone is seeking help [for mental health], they are weak; however, that is not the case,” said AIC senior defender Lauren Smithers, one of the College’s Morgan’s Message Ambassadors. “There should be as much emphasis on mental health as there is on our physical health. It's okay not to be okay. You are not alone; there is an entire community ready to support one another. Let's continue [working] to end the stigma.”