JERSEY SHORE — Singer Justin Bieber was so impressed with Julie Coker, a senior at Stockton University’s promotion of mental health awareness that he gave her $100,000 toward her cause recently.
Bieber presented Coker, of Union Beach, with a giant check on MTV honoring her work with Active Minds, a nonprofit supporting mental health awareness and education to young adults.
The pop star wanted to support a person involved with mental health and he and his team picked Coker for the work she has done with Active Minds. She serves as president of the Stockton chapter and is a member of the national Active Minds Student Advisory Committee.
“I’m still in shock,” she said on social media. “The check is in my room at home, but I still feel like it almost didn’t happen.”
Having fought anxiety and depression after Superstorm Sandy destroyed her family’s home, she received help from counselors at Red Bank Regional High School. That made her want to help others.
Under her leadership, Active Minds has become very visible with more than 50 events annually. Some of those events include national speakers. Coker also participated in Stockton University Resiliency Project where she told her story in a video as a means to help reduce stigma concerning issues of mental health.
It didn’t hurt that she is also a fan of Bieber fan. She went to one of his concerts when she was 13. She met him and his wife, model Hailey Baldwin, backstage. She will get to see him again as she received tickets to one of his upcoming concerts.
Coker will graduate in May
The student will receive a social work degree when she graduates in May and will use some of the funds for attending graduate school. She is considering creating a scholarship to help Red Bank Regional High School students attend college.
YouTube is airing the MTV video where Bieber is presenting Coker the check.
