After battling mental health and addiction, Sault woman determined to help others

Alexxa Collins is dedicated to helping her fellow Sault College students experience mental health and wellness during the course of their studies.

As the 22-year-old Sault native works toward graduating from the college’s Social Service Worker program in the spring, she devotes a great deal of time and energy to being a member of the post-secondary institution’s student-led Mental Health and Wellness Advisory Committee (MHWAC).

The committee was formed in 2022 with five members, including Collins.

She was asked by Luke O’Brien, Sault College student services officer, and college counsellor Kim Morin to be MHWAC’s lead student representative.

“I was more than happy to,” Collins said in an interview with SooToday.

“I found I really enjoyed it. I did not know it at the time but I tend to like leadership roles. I felt confident in it. I like education and I like doing what we do.”

Thanks to Collins and her fellow MHWAC members, the Sault College group has grown to 23 members over the last two years.

“The students are from all walks of life. When we sit down, when we have events together, when we have meetings, when we meet in the hallway, it’s a beautiful thing. We can talk and connect. It’s students supporting students. It’s a very stressful time in post-secondary and the group between 18 and 25 years of age is the most likely to be diagnosed with mental illness. So to be together when these changes are happening is really helpful. We educate, we have wellness boards.”

For Collins, being an MHWAC member is a matter of giving back as she has come through addictions and is successfully dealing with mental health challenges.

“High school was a big adjustment,” Collins said.

“I came from a relatively small elementary school and then I was in one of the bigger high schools with lots of people. In the first week of high school I started experiencing panic attacks. I actually passed out on a flight of stairs. I couldn’t breathe. I couldn’t even touch the door handles at the front of the school without getting sick. It really impacted my academics in general. It was a whole new world for me. Anxiety and depression were just starting to be talked about a little bit more openly but there was not a lot of knowledge or education about it so it made me feel isolated.”

The struggles went from bad to worse.

“I love to learn but when one thing is out of balance the rest is out of balance. I really had a tough time coping in high school. I started using drugs and I was in the Child and Adolescent Psychiatry (CAP) unit at the hospital twice for serious bouts with mental illness,” Collins said.

She credits many people and agencies, including Sault Area Hospital’s CAP unit, the Algoma District School Board’s Kina Awiiya Secondary Program, the Sault College Mental Health and Wellness Advisory Committee, family and friends for their support throughout her journey.

“It was really, really lovely what they did for me at the hospital,” she said.

Leaving the mainstream high school environment, Collins graduated from the Algoma District School Board’s Kina Awiiya Secondary Program located on Albert Street West.

The Kina Awiiya curriculum is taught from an Indigenous perspective.

“That was an extremely excellent move for me. It was awesome. It helped me in the healing journey because the teachers really care for their students. They took their time and it was a much nicer thing when I really needed it.”

“I started turning a leaf at Kina Awiiya. It comes down to you making the choice,” Collins said, stating she has been drug-free for four years.

“There was definitely a moment. I took a look at myself and said: ‘You deserve more than what you’ve been giving yourself.’ That first step is the hardest and from there, it’s ‘little wins.’”

Collins said she has been "semi-diagnosed" with borderline personality traits. 

“You have periods when you’re feeling so much emotion on a really, really high scale like intense anger, intense sadness and intense happiness and then there are times when you don’t feel much. There’s a lot going on in your brain at all times and that’s where that anxiety comes into play.”

“I still live with and I manage it,” Collins said.

“We work against mental illness but you can also work with it. I might have to go through life differently but I can still move through life and reach out for supports and education is so important on all of these mental health subjects.”

Collins wowed the Sault College board of governors at its most recent meeting in February.

With  O’Brien and Morin, Collins spoke of the Mental Health and Wellness Advisory Committee’s work, its expansion, and mentioned her own journey from being an academically struggling high school student to being a college student with a Grade Point Average (GPA) of nearly 4.0.

She credits MHWAC for being a valuable support in her ongoing journey.

Reaching out for help is vital when battling mental health issues, Collins said.

“Reach out to professionals and your friends. I would never discourage someone from telling their story.”

She has written poetry regarding mental health, her prose poem entitled Into the Storm having been published.

She said she wants to continue writing about mental health as a way to help others.

“It’s one of the ways I coped in high school when I started experiencing panic attacks. I hope one day it’ll be a side thing where I write the story of my life, a book about navigating mental illness. That’s definitely one of those dreams and aspirations I have for the future,” Collins said.

After graduation from Sault College, Collins wants to earn a Bachelor of Social Work degree from Algoma University. 

The Sault is where Collins wants to stay, at least for the foreseeable future.

“I would love to be a part of Sault Ste. Marie for as long as I can, building this community. I really love where I came from, where I’ve grown up. We face challenges all the time and there are a lot of things that are going on in our community with addictions and mental health and I would love to be a part of positive change,” she said, adding she loves serving on committees.

“I know I will always be in the helping field. Advocacy seems to be my role. I want to help other people. I want to be that person for someone and to never let them feel like they’re alone.”

“I survived long enough to find a reason to live so it won’t be just a job. It’s my passion. You don’t mess with passion.”