A leader in the collegiate recovery movement for more than 25 years, StepUP庐 at 含羞草传媒 is now poised to reach more students through new partnerships with Twin Cities-area colleges and universities. Minnesota Public Radio recently featured StepUP Director Ericka Otterson, Recruitment and Outreach Coordinator Nell Hurley, and Ethan Laugen 鈥�24 in a story about the need for recovery support in higher education.聽
StepUP provides an array of support services for students in recovery, including sober living college experience in Oren Gateway Center, weekly meetings with alcohol and drug counselors, and access to a strong alumni network. With new partnerships forming post-COVID-19, including a formal agreement with the University of St. Thomas, these resources will be available to more students from across the Twin Cities metro.聽
鈥淭here鈥檚 no shortage of need, and students time and again will say the community has been the most valuable aspect of participating in this program,鈥� Otterson told MPR. 鈥淪o the larger the community is each year, the more opportunity there is for that.鈥�
鈥淭his is my community,鈥� said Laugen. 鈥淚nstead of a student group or a frat, it鈥檚 StepUP. These are my people who get me, who understand me, who I get along with. And it has given me the college experience in the way that I needed a college experience.鈥�