Swag Bender Ep 033 “Black College Males & Suicide Ideation” (Part 2) w/guest Dr. Malissa Sanon

Swag Bender with Dr. Dariel "DT" Henry

Dr. Malissa Sanon has successfully defended her dissertation from Florida Atlantic University (FAU) in the Educational Leadership and Research Methodology program. Her concentration is in higher education. Sanon has presented at American Education Research Association (AERA) in 2016, University Council for Educational Administration (UCEA) in 2017, Association for the Study of Higher Education (ASHE) in 2018, Student Leadership Summit in 2020, and Florida Educational Research Association (FERA) in 2020. Currently, Sanon’s dissertation, If You Can’t Make a Sound, Make a Peep: A Narrative Inquiry of the Lived Collegiate Experiences of Black Male Students Who Dealt With Suicide Ideation, focuses on Black men and their mental health, how they choose to get help, and what resources and support they deemed most helpful when they do seek help.

As a Haitian first-generation college student, Sanon has first-hand experience of hardships. She understands the importance of addressing mental health issues and would like to continue to promote mental well being. Her interest in mental health is inspired by her lived experience, her family, and her community. Her aim is to encourage and empower others facing hardships through her research, writing, and presentations. Sanon earned a bachelor’s degree in Psychology and her first master’s degree in Clinical Mental Health Counseling from Florida Gulf Coast University, and a second master’s degree and Ph.D in Educational Leadership at Florida Atlantic University. It is important that Sanon tells her story of challenges so that others may be encouraged and continue their pursuit of higher education. Sanon is the Assistant Director of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion at the Paul O’Neill School of Public and Environmental Affairs at Indiana University, Bloomington.