LSA senior Yumi Taguchi knows firsthand about the stigma surrounding mental illness.
While growing up, Taguchi’s two sisters struggled with depression. Although their parents were supportive to her sisters, Taguchi feared burdening her parents even more when she developed an eating disorder.
“At first, I didn’t really get to talk to my family or even my sisters about their depression,” said Taguchi, of West Bloomfield, Michigan. “When I developed an eating disorder, I felt stigma within myself, in a way, because for many years I was the only daughter that didn’t have a mental illness.”
But at U-M, the political science major sought treatment for her eating disorder and also dedicated time to mental health advocacy.
It was Taguchi’s advocacy work that also inspired her interest in advertising.
Taguchi co-founded and co-directs the U-M chapter of Active Minds, which aims to raise mental health awareness among college students. She also co-led the Central Student Government’s Mental Health Climate and Resources Taskforce.
Through Active Minds, Taguchi honed her advertising skills, from starting and overseeing the group’s social media pages and designing flyers to planning events.
Besides using her skills to advocate on behalf of those struggling with mental health issues, Taguchi further developed her advertising talents as a communications intern for the William L. Clements Library.
She helped develop the library’s social media profiles, designed the framework the library follows to publicize events and standardized its communications with members.
Taguchi said she hopes to enter the advertising industry after graduation.
“I would say working with the Clements Library staff has probably been one of the most helpful experiences just because I have been able to learn so much from them.”
