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 1:00 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
Gavin is a computer science major on the machine learning track. He loves rice!
Gavin Crisologo
He/Him
Co-President
Wren enjoys crocheting, thrifting, hiking, gaming, and spending time with friends! They're also involved with the UMD Gamer Symphony Orchestra and Hack4Impact-UMD.
Wren Poremba
They/Them
Co-President
Amrutha
is a freshman neuroscience major and data science minor on the pre-med track. She's members of both Moksha, a competitive Indian classical dance team, and The Scribe in AMSA, and she's on the exec board
of Remote Area
Medical!
Amrutha Alibilli
She/Her
Finance
Leon is a biology major on the pre-med track. He enjoys hanging out with friends and family, watching movies, playing video games, or going to restaurants and cafes!
Leon Zhang
He/Him
Finance
Sragvi is a junior neurobiology/phisiology and psychology double major. She's in the UMD Orchestra, a member of UMD's SHAC, loves to read and bake fun desserts, and is vegan!
Sragvi Pattanaik
She/Her
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
Riccy is a
kinesiology major. She's
been a pediatric medical assistant for 5 years+ and is a member of UMD's Food Recovery Network! She has a lot of Harry Potter Funk Pops and loves Twilight, the Weeknd, to spend time with family, and try new food places!
Riccy Gonzales
She/Her
Training Coordinator
Tanvi is a sophomore neurophysics major and business minor. She has been dancing since she was 5 years old!
Tanvi Bolarum
She/Her
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 psychology major and LGBTQ+ studies minor. He's also a student worker at the LGBTQ+ Equity Center! He enjoys cooking and baking, playing guitar, and juggling!
Leo Osei
He/Him
Marketing Coordinator
Sneha spends her free time at the gym, volunteering, or spending time with her friends and family! She also enjoys trying out new things!
Sneha Abraham
She/Her
Events Coordinator
Bridget is a junior sociology and family science major. She's passionate about promoting positive mental health! In her free time, she enjoys painting, reading, and road trips!
Bridget Fannon
She/Her
Supporter Coordinator
Aliza is a sophomore business info systems major pursuing a minor in sustainability. She loves Gracie Abrams and Conan Gray!
Aliza Syyid
She/Her
Supporter Coordinator
Elli is a
psychology and
human development double major. She's a part of Alpha Phi Omega and a research assistant at the cognition and development lab! She loves crocheting and the outdoors!
Elli Papasava
She/Her
Merch Coordinator
Our impact
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Join Us for Sunset Yoga
Come join us for some sylly week sunset yoga! Bring your own blankets and we'll bring the relaxing vibes!
September 3rd, 2023
La Plata Beach