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A new space on campus will help students connect with trained peers to socialize, de-stress, and share their struggles and successes.

Dozens of students, staff, faculty, administrators, and community members attended the grand opening of 51����’s Pio-to-Pio Peer Support Center on Wednesday, March 15^th.

Located in Andrews 204, the center’s goal is to provide support and encouragement to students who may be struggling with personal success, mental health/fitness, and academic goals. Students who are Certified Peer Educators will staff the center from 6:00–9:00 p.m. Monday through Thursday, and the center will be open but unstaffed Monday through Friday from 8:00 a.m.­–6:00 p.m. The CPEs do not act as counselors but are trained to recognize when a student needs to see a mental health professional and will connect the student to that service.

The center was made possible by funding through the Sisters Health Foundation and the Appalachian Children Coalition. Current CPEs, members of the student group Marietta Mindset, and the College’s Center for Health and Wellness staff have worked to plan the space.

Gary Cates, Senior Vice Chancellor of the Ohio Department of Higher Education, said Marietta’s center is unlike other higher education services, adding that it will become a model for other schools.

“Providing total wrap-around services has become really important in education,” Cates said.

Lilly Posti ’25 is a CPE and said the center will be very important to student success and overall health.

“This is a big part of my life — something that I’ve struggled with for most of my life,” Posti said. “Students can’t function If their brains aren’t in the right mindset. They can’t learn and grow if their brains aren’t in the right mindset. They need someone who can ask, ‘Hey, are you OK?’ It starts with checking up on a person. It starts with you and me. It starts right here.”