Courtesy of Oneonta Sports Information Department
The State University of New York Athletic Conference (SUNYAC) is honored to announce that Oneonta junior baseball player Michael Losak has been selected as this year's Award of Valor recipient.
The Award of Valor is given to an individual(s) for their ability to overcome obstacles and serve as an inspiration to others. The recipients used perseverance, dedication and determination to overcome a life-altering event. The inaugural award was given in 2003.
Since opening up about his own mental health struggles and battle with thoughts and attempts at suicide, Losak has become an advocate for mental health awareness, not only at Oneonta, but other SUNYAC schools as well.
Losak takes a great deal of pride in sharing his own experience dealing with mental health and his journey to coping with this all too common affliction that affects almost one in three college students nation-wide began in his freshman year. He could barely get out of bed, let alone attend classes and baseball practice. One day while attending his baseball practice, he realized that the sport he loved so much was being compromised and a light bulb went off in his head. He said to himself get help or suffer in silence and not get the most out of his college experience socially, athletically and academically. He proactively made an appointment at the Health and Wellness Center and began a journey still being traveled today coping with depression.
Losak shared his experience growing up where he first struggled with depression which eventually led to his attempt taking his own life.
Throughout my life I've struggled with depression, but what affected me most is something that most people don't talk about. However, I believe to reach as many people as possible it must be brought to light. I have struggled with suicidal thoughts and have attempted to take my life. The first time was in 7th grade, the second was in 10th grade, and the third time was the summer before coming to SUNY Oneonta. In those dark times in my life I never thought I'd be able to see the light again but was far from the truth. Once my depression and suicidal thoughts started to affect my performance on the baseball field, I knew I had to change something. The next morning, I woke up and it was like a light bulb in my head going off so I made an appointment with the counseling center and that I could easily say changed my life forever. Since facing my depression head on my second semester freshman year, I have grown immensely as a person. I have realized in my life and the world around me that everything happens for a reason and what happened to me has helped me become the person I am today. Being able to get through this obstacle in life has shown me that I can help others. Currently, I present around campus and different conferences on my struggles with mental health and how I have gotten to where I am now. It is a motivation in my life to help others and when I present, even if I am only helping one person, I know I am making a difference.
This past February, Losak was a featured speaker at the annual Student Diversity Leadership Conference held on campus. Losak's presentation on Mental Health: A Student's Perspective, bridged his own experience dealing with mental health and what has begun a life's journey on how to cope with bouts of depression and anxiety.
Michael spent 40 minutes with an audience discussing his journey. The most important thing he said was that, "you deal with issues every day and practicing your coping skills is a lifelong exercise." He said life is filled with ups and downs and if you are feeling chronically depressed and anxious he reminded the audience that, "there is a wellness center here on campus that can help you develop coping skills and get the treatment you need." Losak stated that there is good news in that over 90% of those who seek treatment feel better in a relatively short amount of time.
Losak continues to tackle his challenges with talk therapy and medication and communicated to his audience that "It's okay to not be okay." He decided that helping others to understand the burden was also therapeutic for himself. With the support of the counseling center and athletic director Tracey Ranieri, Losak has become a spokesperson of sorts for the athletic department, helping to champion such issues. Not just student athletes but all students at large seem to be fearful to tackle the questions they may have about anxiety and depression. Michael works bravely sharing his own experiences to help others who fight the stigma and battle the symptoms of depression here at Oneonta.
In his journey, Losak discovered that, as a result of depression, he and others experience poor performance in academics and athletics along with social interactions. What was most compelling to him is that there was still a stigma out in the social universe that suffering from even a mild mental illness is something that many people do not comprehend. What he learned for example, was when you have a cold or flu, you openly get treatment while many who suffer from mental illness will suffer in silence worrying about the stigma and perception. Further complicating this stigma was that he found that this felling was more prevalent in males than in females.
His coach, Ben Grimm, was asked to share his experience with Mike and how he has earned the respect and admiration of his teammates. This is what Grimm had to say,
Mike first came to me during the spring of his freshman year and spoke about his struggles with suicide and depression. During this initial conversation he explained to me some of his triggers and how they affect him. Looking back, that moment was eye opening.
As someone, who at the time, had limited experience with suicide and depression, there were words and phrases that I had not considered that could impact someone so adversely. It was during that conversation I asked him how I could help and if he would like me to address the team. He told me he would like that but did not want to be pointed out at that time. So, when I addressed the team, I spoke about the importance of how some words can impact people and used experiences from my life to try to get my point across.
In the fall of Mike's sophomore year, you could notice a slight change in him being more confident and starting to be more self-assured but still trying to find his way. In my view, things really broke through for Mike during thanksgiving break that semester. He alerted me to an incident with a teammate in a phone chat that the players had. When we returned from break, we called a team meeting to talk about general respect for each other and how to treat people appropriately. In that meeting Mike, completely on his own, shared his story regarding suicide and depression. It was at that moment you could see him really start to take external control of the situation and have the confidence to share it with everyone.
As I've seen it, from that point on, Mike has grown exponentially. He now appears to enjoy sharing his story and I am in awe at how openly he shares it. I have even heard him in the vans as recently as our Florida trip this spring talk openly about it with his teammates. This is no small feat and should be commended, along with his multiple speaking engagements he has had across campus sharing his story.
Throughout all of this, Mike has become a great leader in our program. The example he sets, by meeting his challenges head on, coupled with his work ethic, openness, and a keen eye in identifying which teammates might need some extra love and attention, or might feel like an outsider at first, and a willingness to connect with them, is unparalleled.
As his coach, I have been happy to support him through this, although at times I have to admit, it has taken me out of my depth, but has forced me to grow, so I thank him for that. I am excited to have a front row seat to see the growth and progress he has made and continues to make. I have nothing but love for Mike and am excited to see him continue to grow into his senior year at Oneonta.
Mike has earned this award and the recognition that comes with it. All of us that are a part of the SUNY Oneonta Baseball program, are extremely proud of him and happy to call him one of us.
Sara Curran-Headley, who is the Student Athlete Affairs Coordinator and someone who has interacted with Mike on a regular basis added, "Mike has been an enthusiastic and vocal leader and a consistent presence in our Mental Health Mondays. He is persistent in distributing information intended to "shatter the stigma" of mental illnesses. He really is a great person!"
As Losak continues to move ahead with his challenges, he is using his story of struggle to inspire all who listen to him speak.
