By: Norman Corrion
UNIVERSITY CENTER, MICH. – Delta’s Tri-Sports and psychology club leader, Brandon Hillaker, has become a mental health champion, finding ways to improve mental health at Delta.
Hillaker has been living with mental illness for decades and takes every opportunity to share his story so others know they are not alone. Stigma kept Hillaker from reaching out for help; he attempted suicide at one point, leaving him with years of rehabilitation. He does not want anyone else to worry about mental health stigma.
“All I want to do is break the stigma and make it easier for someone else to talk about their problems and their mental health obstacles, and provide the resources they need to overcome their own obstacles,” says Hillaker.
At Delta, Hillaker’s first semester was filled with inspiration: a 4.0 GPA, a welding job as a student worker, and help from Delta’s Office of Disability Resources. He also got two scholarships and won the Donald Halog Emerging Writer Award.
With a newfound passion for writing and public speaking, he frequently had mental health as the subject of his works. While sharing his work in class, Hillaker started seeing a problem; students kept coming up to him not knowing what to do about mental health.
Discussions with students made it clear that awareness of mental health resources was needed. He would frequently explain that Delta had free counseling services and the Office of Disability Resources. This was the driving force that caused Hillaker to establish a Mental Health Fair that occurs each semester.
Hillaker teamed up with other students, Delta staff, and local resources to make it happen. The first fair was a two-day event in April 2024 that hosted up to 15 local mental health resources each day, and a second two-day fair will occur Oct. 9 and 10.
In April, resources had tables set up and were available to meet and discuss with students. A Zoom session was also set up, where Hillaker was able to interview different organizations regarding what they provide for the community.
“In-between interviews I got up and walked around, and listened to people and everyone was talking about mental health,” Hillaker said. “That’s what I wanted to break that stigma to make it a comfortable atmosphere for people to talk about mental health.”
The Mental Health Fair in April was a success, and Hillaker is planning to make the October fair even better. For October, he is looking into options to provide an extra benefit for volunteers; specifically getting them into a paid training class to further their skills and tools around mental health. Anyone interested in volunteering can email Hillaker at brandonhillaker@delta.edu for more information.
This is another opportunity Hillaker is passionate about: increasing mental health certifications. He found Delta offers a two-day training course around mental health first aid and has been promoting it to help increase sign-ups.
In June, Hillaker presented about the Mental Health Fair at the Delta College Board of Trustees meeting, and it was a success. He will take his presentation to the Michigan Community College Association in Lansing on Sept. 27 to further his message.
Hillaker has also found fitness challenges to be helpful with mental health; he uses them to prove what he and others are capable of.
“When my mental health was, like, ‘no you are not getting out of this bed today,’ I would drag myself out of bed and go train for a triathlon. And then when I cross that finish line, it makes it all worth it,” says Hillaker.
This led to the creation of the Tri-Sports Club at Delta. He worked to create a club that can help remove many of the financial barriers of endurance sports. The club works with students who want to help complete a triathlon, marathon and more.
It took Hillaker 11 years to overcome his obstacles, and so this year he set a goal of earning 11 medals for 11 years. The hardest medal he earned so far is for swimming around Mackinac Island; he has two more triathlons planned, which will help him complete his goal.
When explaining how resources can help with mental health, he tells others to think of trying to complete a task while holding a handful of Legos. Hillaker explains that resources like Delta’s Office of Disability Resources not only take those Legos out of your hands, but also give you necessary tools to complete the task.
Hillaker wants to help others avoid what he went through and does not want anyone feeling alone when it comes to mental health. He wants to make sure everyone feels comfortable reaching out when needed; that everyone knows about the many mental health resources available, including the ones Delta has to offer.
Delta students can find more information on the services Delta offers at the following links: Office of Disability Resources or counseling services. Anyone needing help can also call or text 988 to reach the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline.
