Mark Potter, former basketball coach at Newman University and an advocate for mental illness, will speak on Wednesday, March 23, at 7 p.m., in Stewart Field House.  There is no admission charge and the public is invited to attend.

The Leadership team at Southwestern College planned this event which is sponsored by the Student Government Association and Student Foundation. 

According to Brae Wood, director of Leadership Southwestern, Potter tries to “shatter the stigma and help people not suffer in silence” in advocating for mental health.

“Mark is a 30-year head basketball coach, teacher, and husband who speaks about his depression, during the height of his basketball coaching career,” Wood says.  “Mark is honest and profound as an inspirational speaker. We hope he can help engage and inspire the SC audience while providing strategies for social and emotional wellness to the student body. He also speaks about creating a cohesive team and strategies to strengthen mental toughness.  The event is open to all as we hope to have high attendance from the student body.”

Konner Collins, a freshman at Southwestern College, is looking forward to the event.

“As a college freshman, being away from home is a new experience for me, and I think I speak for all of us when I say that change can be hard sometimes,” Collins says.  “Mark has a lot of experience talking about mental health, as he has talked at schools all across the United States. He was a head basketball coach for 30 years, and as a student athlete, I am eager to hear what he has to say about mental toughness. Overall, the lessons of mental health and mental toughness that are in Mark’s speech is definitely something that I would not want to miss.”