Graduating student-athlete Elizabeth Organ (Clarenville, NL) has been through a whirlwind four years at Memorial University. She entered her first year excited to be scouted by a varsity team but failed to make the final roster. This unfortunate turn of events, coupled with her new adjustment to university away from home, made her isolate herself from her friends. Consequently, this snowballed into her self-esteem and confidence plummeting to an all-time low. But this is not the Elizabeth Organ way – no, she dragged herself out of the dirt and found her own path back to wellness. Waking up early, hitting the track, and making a personal goal to run a half-marathon became her salvation. This goal ultimately lead her to try out and make the Memorial Varsity Track team, which in turn paved the way for Organ to make the National Fitness standards for Team Canada Rowing. Fast forward to today, where she plans to move to Dartmouth, Nova Scotia in May to chase her dream of rowing for Team Canada full-time.

I have had the pleasure of knowing Liz for my four years here at Memorial University, and I can say her journey has inspired me (and undoubtedly many more) to never give up in anything you do. When I asked her if I could write an article about her story, she kindly accepted and helped me understand to a fuller extent the adversity she overcame to get where she is today.

I first met Liz in first year residence, when she was having a tough time with the adjustment to university life. She told me later that her first year and the beginning of her second year were empty and miserable. She said "I felt like I didn't fit in anywhere and I quickly became very lonely, isolated, and discouraged. I was stuck in a rut I felt I could not get out of. My grades slipped, happiness faded, and I became someone I didn't recognize".

She took it upon herself to do what she could for her mental health, and for her that meant going to the gym. She turned her negative feelings into motivation to become fit again, and set goals to get there. Then one day, while doing her regular running regimen, a staff member mentioned she should try out for the Memorial Track and Field Team. She told me that the day before her first training session she was terrified, "I have never been one to take chances and I almost didn't go, but something in my head pushed me and I never looked back."

This was the turning point in Liz's university journey. The track team gave her everything she was missing for the past two years, and she finally felt like the person she was before she left for university. She confided in me, "I felt like I fit in somewhere for the first time in two years. I knew it would be a lot of work to pick up the sport of track and field but I was determined to do it." And as her mental health improved, so did her grades. They rose from a 2.6GPA to a 4.0, earning her Academic All-Canadian status.

Liz's renewed sense of self, motivated her to join the student-athlete mental health initiative and helped spread the message that "it gets better" to universities across Canada. Her athletic journey continued to give her opportunities for bigger and bigger competitions, which she learned to go for, no matter how foreboding or intimidating. Her latest opportunity lead her to be scouted by Rowing Canada. She has decided to pursue her dream of competing for Team Canada, leaving her friends, family, and province. Her decision has been a product of the confidence, dedication, and resilience, that she learned through her student-athlete journey at Memorial.

Elizabeth's story shows us that failure and success go hand in hand, whether it be in sport or in your own mental health. Resilience is built by personal accountability and starts with you taking chances you know may not work out. The first few tries may end in failure, but if you keep trying you will only be better because of it.

By: Sydney Hector