Speed-friending at Lehman Builds Bridges Between Students

Photo by Counseling Center Staff

By Iffath Liaquat 

On March 19, the Counseling Center hosted a Speed-Friending event in the hopes of helping to improve the mental health of students who may be struggling in silence by bringing people together. 

“Unfortunately, over 65% of students feel alone. However, we hope to change this.” — Megan Lambert, Licensed Clinical Social Worker, and a senior psychological counselor at Lehman College.

Lambert hosts these speed-friending events every semester as a way for students to forge connections at the commuter school. 

Students were invited to grab a souvenir provided by the Counseling Center, such as a stress ball, folder, or pen, along with a yearlong planner, informational pamphlets, and refreshments. “Usually, our speed- friending events gather a large crowd. [However, since the group was a bit smaller, we decided to form a small circle to help create a warm, welcoming atmosphere],” Lambert remarked. The group contained both transfer and graduating students this semester. Each student got a sheet of paper with icebreaker questions, for example, “If you could go anywhere in the world, where would you go?” Or “What book, movie, or video have you seen/read recently that you would recommend?” By answering these prompts, it encouraged others to find common interests and bond over them.

Photo by Counseling Center Staff

At the event, many revealed how it was a bit difficult to forge connections, especially coming from a different school or being an older student. Rosas, who will graduate this spring, mentioned how attending the event helped her. “I wanted to get out of my comfort zone and get to know people. As an older student, it was a bit challenging to reach out to others, but [this event] helped me meet some great people.” 

Marissa Soriano, a senior graduating this spring, shared how many people mistake her for being younger than she is. “I’m an older student, [around 30], but people think that I’m fresh from high school, so it’s sometimes [a challenge].” Jasmine Rosas sympathized, sharing her own struggles with being assumed younger, recalling that she had to bring up her I.D. “I had to go to the store to pick up [drinks] for my dad, but they asked me to show I.D. because they didn’t believe my age.” 

A lot of students shared certain passions, for instance, wanting to travel to Japan. One student shared a resource on how to get scholarships to cover costs for such trips, bringing up the discussion on the helpful resources from the Campus Honors & Scholar Engagement office (CHASE). Some conversations were reflective, such as recalling the time on how the pandemic impacted everyone, keeping a steady flow. Towards the end of the event, participants were exchanging contact information, and volunteers were helping out with cleaning up the event.