Our mission
Lean On Me strengthens communities by providing peer-to-peer text lines that allow for easy access to confidential non-crisis support. We envision a world where anyone can seek and receive emotional support.
Our chapter
Lean On Me at The University of Maryland, College Park is a chapter of Lean On Me, which was founded at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 2015. To learn more about their impact or inquire about establishing a new chapter, visit their website here.
How our hotline works
Lean On Me allows students to talk to trained peer Supporters in a convenient and anonymous setting. To learn more about our training process, please click here.
1. Text our hotline
Text UMD’s hotline number whatever you’d like to talk about! This can range from brief messages such as “All of my friends are busy and I want someone to talk to” to a longer, more serious message. Our Supporters are here to listen and be there for you - the topic is your choice!
3. Receive a reply
The expected wait time is just under 5 minutes. While the service is available at any time, please remember that Supporters are your peers, who lead their own busy lives and occasionally remember to sleep. So the wait time for a conversation sent in at 4:30 AM may be longer, and we thank you for understanding that!
5. End the conversation
Conversations last for as long as you would like them to, and you can end a conversation with a Supporter at any time by texting “/bye” to the hotline. If you text again you will be matched with a new Supporter and they will not see what you wrote before.
2. Match with a Supporter
Once a text is received, all active Supporters will be informed that a request has come in, and within a few minutes you will be matched with one!
4. Have a conversation
You can now have a conversation with the Supporter! Feel free to text for as long as you like. If you ever feel uncomfortable with a Supporter text “/flag”, and we’ll match you with another! For a full list of commands, text “/help” to the hotline. Supporters never see your slash commands.
6. Provide feedback
Once a conversation ends, you will be asked to provide feedback, helping make the service better for future users. By no means is this mandatory, but we would really appreciate it. Your input will have a very real effect on the future of Lean On Me, and on changes we make to the service!
Meet our team
Lily enjoys listening to music, eating spicy food, watching horror movies (only with friends), and generally pestering her family (or spending time with them).
Lily Li
She/Her
Co-President
Wren enjoys crocheting, thrifting, hiking, gaming, and spending time with friends. I'm also involved with the UMD Gamer Symphony Orchestra and Hack4Impact-UMD.
Wren Poremba
They/Them
Co-President
Jayda is a neuroscience major minoring in human development on the pre-med track. She loves to dance, cook TikTok recipes, and try new restaurants with friends!
Jayda Fomengia
She/Her
Finance
Leon is a biology major on the pre-med track. He enjoys hanging out with friends and family, usually watching movies, playing video games, or going to restaurants and cafes.
Leon Zhang
He/Him
Finance
Gahl is a bioengineering major minoring in Spanish on the pre-med track. He loves to dance, spend time with friends, and watch Netflix!
Gahl Shem-Tov
He/Him
Training Coordinator
Laurel is a junior public health major with plans of getting a masters in Public Health: Environmental Science. She enjoys crocheting, concerts, spending time with friends, and nail painting. She runs the front desk at Johnson-Whittle hall, and is also involved in AMSA.
Laurel Montgomery
She/Her
Training Coordinator
Nick spends his free time playing board, card, and video games with friends. An avid music and fine arts nerd, Nick enjoys cooking, mixology, and travel.
Nick Froehlinger
He/Him
Training Coordinator
Connor is a senior studying Computer Science with a concentration in Machine Learning. He enjoys loud music, whistling too much working out, and all things related to storytelling.
Connor O'Meara
He/Him
Training Coordinator
Ella enjoys spending time with my friends and family, working out, and spending time outdoors.
Ella Ashby
She/Her
Marketing Coordinator
Leo is a sophomore Psychology major and LGBTQ studies minor. He is a co-facilitator of Male Identified Queers and a member of the Mental Health Coalition. He enjoys anime and manga, indie rock and pop, and powerlifting and eating.
Leo Osei
He/Him
Marketing Coordinator
Sneha spends her free time at the gym, volunteering or spending time with her friends and family, and enjoys trying out new things.
Sneha Abraham
She/Her
Events Coordinator
Garmani spends most of his time doing research on campus. In his free time, he loves to play tennis, read comics, and bake creme brûlée.
Garmani Thein
He/Him
Events Coordinator
Mallory is a Junior who is majoring in psychology and minoring in Law and Society.
Mallory Van Dyke
She/Her
Supporter Coordinator
Katherin is a sophomore planning to double major in International Business and Finance who TAs for UNIV100. She enjoys learning languages, walking with her dogs, going out with friends, trying new hobbies/clubs, and making art.
Katherin Sandoval
She/Her
Supporter Coordinator
Paul is a senior business management major who enjoys attempting to learn how to draw, creative writing, cow puns, making stickers, and pet-sitting (especially for Lu).
Paul Leeds
He/Him
Merch Coordinator
Our impact
Follow us on Instragram
Join us at our Mental Health Awareness and Bracelet making event
Learn how to emotionally support your peers using specific conversational skills and make your own bracelet for mental health awareness!
November 13th at 7pm
Art Soc 3221
