There are few people who are a part of the life of one of Western New England’s greatest treasures, and I am privileged to say that I am one of them. After all, it is easy to say that you have heard the name Steven O’Brien Jr. It’s a common Irish name, especially in the commonwealth of Massachusetts where this story takes place. It is easy to say you know a tall, brunette Italian boy that plays the guitar. However common he may seem, the story, the life, and the man is anything but.

Steven O’Brien Jr., or Stev as I have affectionately come to call him, was born on June 25, “in the wee hours of the morning” O’Brien said with a contagious smile. The Pittsfield native grew up with a love for sports (the Patriots, and the Bruins), music, and especially dogs like his recently deceased Pomeranian pup, whose name was substituted by a variety of nicknames like Fish, Mrs. Pom, Pomalina, Woofer, Loaf and Dogger. As anyone who is his friend on Facebook would know, Loaf is not where his obsession with dogs ends. When asked about his favorite kind of dog, O’Brien didn’t think twice, “Poms (Pomeranians) and Shibes (Shiba Inus). Poms because they’re infinitely huggable and Shibes because they’re assholes [laughs] I’m kidding, they are regal, and beautiful.” With countless pictures of Shiba Inu’s from memes spanning every corner of the internet, anyone can see how much the dogs mean to Steve despite his minimal contact with the breed, “I have seen a few, but I’ve never pet one. One day though,” O’Brien sighed with a hopeful chuckle. Upon seeing his first shiba inu in real life, I remember getting a phone call, and his excitement when he explained, “Babe, I was driving and I saw a Shibe! I almost pulled over so I could pet, but could not!” He exclaimed to me the moment he could in the kind of true happiness that you only really see in rare moments, and to the surprise of most, this is especially true for Steve.

When I asked him if dogs contribute to his happiness, his answer was exactly what I expected, “what happiness?” he laughed in a way that would make anyone who didn’t know him think that he was kidding. As someone who has become close friends with people like Steve O’Brien over the self-deprecating humor that comes with the struggles of mental health, I knew his coping mechanisms well. On January 23, 2017, Steve O’Brien began his “My Battle with Mental Health” series on the Odyssey by telling the world “I was formally diagnosed with Generalized Anxiety Disorder many years ago.” (Read the series HERE) With dozens likes of support and shares of people resonating with the words in the article, O’Brien kicked off his 10 part series that became a university wide trending topic according to the Odyssey Online. “What really inspires me about Steve is his mental fortitude.” Roommate Jimmy Sullivan admitted “no matter what life throws at him he takes it and rolls with it...on his own terms”.

Regardless of the positivity that surrounds him, Steve explained his own opinion when his “My Battle with Mental Health Part 6: Depression” released, “When people ask me why I don’t like myself, I can rattle off several reasons. But at the core, the idea of not liking myself is so normal at this point that I don’t even need an active reason.”

Unofficially diagnosed depression, officially diagnosed anxiety and the symptoms of both are a daily struggle for O’Brien and his day-to-day activities, which, at Western New England University, means classes, and clubs. His favorite club being the campus theater company, Stageless Players, of which he is the president. “Theater usually ends up being a channel for whatever is happening inside. Like...emotional motivation” O’Brien reminisced on the recently ended musical season. Beauty and the Beast was performed by the Stageless Players April 7th and 8th with Steve as the Beast. I talked to graduate student, and assistant director, Alexandria Escribano about the role “I wasn't apart of casting… but I know he came in and killed everything.” Escribano, who has known O’Brien for three years, gladly described fond memories of her and Steve over the past three years. “He has this invasive personality that...if he's in a good mood, I’m automatically happy.”

For those who do not know Steve, he is adorably charming, inexplicably funny, ridiculously talented, unfortunately depressed, horribly anxious, amusingly awkward, painfully sweet, fiercely loyal, and one of the biggest dorks I have ever had the pleasure of growing in mutual weirdness with. Steven O’Brien Jr. is a treasure, a beast, and my best friend. So, to answer the infamous question posited at the beginning of Beauty and the Beast “For who could ever learn to love a Beast?” when that Beast is Steven O’Brien Jr. of Pittsfield, MA , then I will forever love a Beast.