Artist Biography
Alexandria Dostie is a senior studying interior architecture who will receive her bachelor’s degree in the spring of 2024 from Endicott College. She played on the Endicott Women’s Soccer team during her four years at Endicott, which provided the inspiration for her thesis. She struggled to balance her social life, academics, and soccer career throughout her time in college, which inspired her to study more about mental health and strategies for overcoming it.
Thesis Abstract
Every day, college athletes suffer with their mental health. Whether it be a lack of time for work, difficulty maintaining a social life, managing an ailment, etc. Being an athlete involves a number of different aspects, many of which can be extremely stressful and, regrettably, have a negative impact on mental health. Unfortunately, some athletes have to worry about losing their scholarships, playing time, or even their degrees if they get hurt or take a mental health leave. Some athletes have even taken their own lives as a result of this. These days, sports centers place greater emphasis on the newest technologies to help with injuries and boost performance, but they overlook one essential component of being an athlete, namely the mind. Focusing on the mind and enhancing one’s mental well-being can significantly enhance performance. Establishing a sports facility for collegiate athletes that focuses not only on innovative and improved approaches to enhancing mental health but also concentrates on certain design elements that will serve as an extra tool for fostering college athletes’ mental health and wellbeing.