Drake Wood Suicide Awareness Scholarship

Drake wood was one of my best friends. We used to hang out every day and his house and do karaoke with this massive speaker he had, I still looks back on those times fondly. Drakes passing has impacted me more than probably anything else in my life, the moment I learned what happened will forever be seared into my mind, but the pain of that experience has helped teach me to be more present in my friends and families lives, to offer support even when it’s not asked for and to be more accepting of people’s personal struggles. So while stakes passing was and is horrible , I choose not to look at it with melancholy, instead I’ve tried to honor how great of a person and friend he was in a couple of different ways. The major one was that I sang a song in his honor at our Mr zionsville talent show which raised funds for the AFSP, it’s by far my favorite thing I’ve done throughout highschool, being able to share a tribute to Drake for a bunch of people who may never have known his name otherwise is something I’m immensely proud of. Another was that I participated in a charity soccer match with my showchoir that raised funds for the AFSP.

Starting my junior year, we had a disagreement that distanced us. I let my pride get in the way of fixing things. Deep down, I wanted to reach out to him and to make things right. I would tell myself, if he needs me, he will eventually come around. I thought I was the one holding the upper hand. The truth is I really needed him. He was one of the few people who understood me, and I didn't realize that until it was too late. Months passed with no contact. July 4th, I noticed he tried to add me back on Snapchat and I ignored it. I was too stubborn and immature to be vulnerable. Later that night, another friend asked me if I'd heard what had happened to Drake.  I didn't believe it... I couldn’t believe it. I didn't think something like this could be real. It had been months since we last spoke. I sat in denial, replaying everything in my head, hoping this was a terrible prank. But it wasn't. Call after call, text after text, and no response. That's when reality hit me. Drake had taken his life. I couldn't stop thinking about that friend request that I ignored. Constantly thinking if I had reconnected with him that night could things have been different, and could I have saved my best friend's life?  That question has haunted me since. Out of that loss came a lesson I'll forever hold onto, “Never take the people you care about for granted.” I don't let conflicts linger the way I used to after losing my built-in brother.  I reach out to my friends more than ever, let people know how important they are to me, and try to show up for them even in the smallest ways. I can’t change the past, and I wake up every day with regret. It hurts so much, only left with pictures and text, and the pain that he’s never coming back. I have chosen to live on every day to honor Drake by carrying forward what he taught me, the value of life and how important it is to choose compassion over pride. Drake changed my perspective on people. He made me slower to judge, quicker to forgive, and more open to friendships I might have once overlooked. He taught me that understanding others starts with simply giving them a chance.