For Immediate Release

Contact:         Maryjane Briant
                        News and Media Relations Director
                        Galloway, N.J. 08205
                        Maryjane.Briant@stockton.edu
                        (609) 652-4593
                        stockton.edu/media

Galloway, N.J. - Jordan Ramos-Farhat, a senior at Stockton University, has been named the Mental Health Association of Monmouth County’s 2017 Volunteer of the Year.

Ramos-Farhat is from Belmar, N.J., and is very active both on and off campus.

“Mental health is an area that has many stigmas associated with it, and I wanted to work toward breaking those stigmas so people could seek the potentially lifesaving support they need,” said Ramos-Farhat, who was successfully treated for depression last year. “I have personally seen mental health negatively impact many peoples' lives, and wanted to be an advocate for them and others, so they know how to get connected with the resources they need.

“It definitely wasn’t easy,” he said of his bout with depression and subsequent treatment. “But by surrounding myself with the right people and the right resources, I have come out a stronger and humbler man.”  

As the current public relations chair of Alpha Phi Delta and former president, he personally has been an advocate and utilized the fraternity as a resource to aid in mental health support. He has organized fundraisers and other events, and spoken on a university panel about men and mental health every semester. He is also vice president of Order of Omega Honor Society, an intern for the University Relations and Marketing Department at Stockton, has two part-time jobs and takes the maximum amount of undergraduate classes. 

Ramos-Farhat is majoring in Business Studies with a concentration in Marketing. “My future goal is to open my own marketing agency after establishing a career in the field. I enjoy volunteering and helping others, and have had thoughts about working for a nonprofit agency as well,” he said.

“We are so excited to honor Jordan Ramos-Farhat for all of his accomplishments and advocacy efforts related to mental health,” said Ashley Pacifico, special events coordinator for the association.

The Mental Health Association of Monmouth County (MHAMC) will hold its annual awards dinner at The Oyster Point Hotel in Red Bank on Wednesday, May 10 from 6 – 9 p.m.  For more information, call Pacifico at 732-542-6422, ext. 107, or visit www.mentalhealthmonmouth.org.