Name: Erin Lafferty
Year: Junior
Major: RTF (primarily video aspect)
On-campus job: Student Production Assistant for Academic Technology
Hobies: Watching youtube videos and television shows (specifically Jane the Virgin,) baking, hanging with friends
Volunteer work: Local animal shelter (taking care of various types of animals) and Rowan’s preschool program (assisting with kids, creating lesson plans)
Interesting fact: Erin loves animals; she’s had a dog, cat, ducks, chickens, a snake, and more!
Behind her uplifting character, and aside from her many accomplishments and unique attributes, Erin faces inner turmoil. “I started having actual symptoms like panic attacks and anxiety summer 2013, right after graduation and right before college,” she said. “When I had my first panic attack, I just knew I was having a panic attack.”
Though she had panic attacks multiple times throughout each week following, she did not seek help for seven months. She was afraid to leave her room, manipulated by her anxiety; but after starting medication and attending therapy at Rowan University, Erin now is able to slowly face her fears each day through exposure therapy.
Yet, still, it is tough for her to determine the difference between her own thoughts and her irrational thoughts. For example, when someone seems upset, she automatically thinks he or she will get sick, which is one of her greatest fears. She knows deep down, masked by the negativity, that the person is probably just having a tough day, that she is completely overthinking the situation; but her anxiety usually wins. “There is not a day that goes by that I don’t have anxiety…like every single second of the day.”
Working with her therapist has helped Erin find hope despite her spouts of panic; she conquers her fears more each day.