My struggles with severe depression, anxiety, and suicidal thoughts began five years ago, when I was in middle school. At the end of my eighth-grade year, my family moved to Idaho with a fresh start in mind. My symptoms and struggles only worsened in 2019 when my parents separated. In December 2021, I voluntarily committed myself to a mental hospital because I was at rock bottom. It was incredibly mind opening for me to see what being in a mental hospital in Idaho is like. I was surrounded by people who were homicidal, people who used plastic forks to self-harm, and people who were at the lowest point in their life, like me. I learned a lot about life during that week that I stayed at the hospital. It was not a pleasant experience, but I can say that I walked away with valuable lessons that I will never forget. I learned that despite all the hardships I have faced, life is a precious gift. I learned that I want to give meaning to my life, and one of the passions that gives my life meaning is helping other people. This experience in the hospital truly changed my beliefs and how I look at the world. I feel like I understand people and emotions a lot better now. Being in an inpatient psychiatric healthcare setting with many nurses looking after me inspired me to study nursing in college. I had a lot of really kind, caring nurses who really helped me. I am enrolled at Boise State University and plan on majoring in nursing. I want to be a nurse so that I can help people in the ways that I was and am being helped. I want to provide a support system for the people who are struggling and suffering from mental illness. For my senior project in high school, I decided to focus on mental health and suicide prevention in Idaho. Idaho's suicide rate is 46% above the national average and is ranked 48 out of the 50 states when it comes to providing mental health resources, according to Mental Health America. For my project I got over 2,600 signatures on my petition for the West Ada School District to allow mental health days as excused absences. My school district only allowed three absences per class before they would pull credit, which I thought was unfair due to the mental health crisis my community is facing. I have lost my teenage years to depression, but I am determined to get the rest of my life back. The first step to being happy for me comes with helping others who are suffering from the same empty, lonely feelings. My experiences with mental health and hospitalization as a teenager have inspired me to study nursing in college, which will allow me to help other people.

My struggles with severe depression, anxiety, and suicidal thoughts began five years ago, when I was in middle school. At the end of my eighth-grade year, my family moved to Idaho with a fresh start in mind. My symptoms and struggles only worsened in 2019 when my parents separated. In December 2021, I voluntarily committed myself to a mental hospital because I was at rock bottom. It was incredibly mind opening for me to see what being in a mental hospital in Idaho is like. I was surrounded by people who were homicidal, people who used plastic forks to self-harm, and people who were at the lowest point in their life, like me. I learned a lot about life during that week that I stayed at the hospital. It was not a pleasant experience, but I can say that I walked away with valuable lessons that I will never forget. I learned that despite all the hardships I have faced, life is a precious gift. I learned that I want to give meaning to my life, and one of the passions that gives my life meaning is helping other people. This experience in the hospital truly changed my beliefs and how I look at the world. I feel like I understand people and emotions a lot better now. Being in an inpatient psychiatric healthcare setting with many nurses looking after me inspired me to study nursing in college. I had a lot of really kind, caring nurses who really helped me. I am enrolled at Boise State University and plan on majoring in nursing. I want to be a nurse so that I can help people in the ways that I was and am being helped. I want to provide a support system for the people who are struggling and suffering from mental illness. For my senior project in high school, I decided to focus on mental health and suicide prevention in Idaho. Idaho's suicide rate is 46% above the national average and is ranked 48 out of the 50 states when it comes to providing mental health resources, according to Mental Health America. For my project I got over 2,600 signatures on my petition for the West Ada School District to allow mental health days as excused absences. My school district only allowed three absences per class before they would pull credit, which I thought was unfair due to the mental health crisis my community is facing. I have lost my teenage years to depression, but I am determined to get the rest of my life back. The first step to being happy for me comes with helping others who are suffering from the same empty, lonely feelings. My experiences with mental health and hospitalization as a teenager have inspired me to study nursing in college, which will allow me to help other people.

My struggles with severe depression, anxiety, and suicidal thoughts began five years ago, when I was in middle school. At the end of my eighth-grade year, my family moved to Idaho with a fresh start in mind. My symptoms and struggles only worsened in 2019 when my parents separated. In December 2021, I voluntarily committed myself to a mental hospital because I was at rock bottom. It was incredibly mind opening for me to see what being in a mental hospital in Idaho is like. I was surrounded by people who were homicidal, people who used plastic forks to self-harm, and people who were at the lowest point in their life, like me. I learned a lot about life during that week that I stayed at the hospital. It was not a pleasant experience, but I can say that I walked away with valuable lessons that I will never forget. I learned that despite all the hardships I have faced, life is a precious gift. I learned that I want to give meaning to my life, and one of the passions that gives my life meaning is helping other people. This experience in the hospital truly changed my beliefs and how I look at the world. I feel like I understand people and emotions a lot better now. Being in an inpatient psychiatric healthcare setting with many nurses looking after me inspired me to study nursing in college. I had a lot of really kind, caring nurses who really helped me. I am enrolled at Boise State University and plan on majoring in nursing. I want to be a nurse so that I can help people in the ways that I was and am being helped. I want to provide a support system for the people who are struggling and suffering from mental illness. For my senior project in high school, I decided to focus on mental health and suicide prevention in Idaho. Idaho's suicide rate is 46% above the national average and is ranked 48 out of the 50 states when it comes to providing mental health resources, according to Mental Health America. For my project I got over 2,600 signatures on my petition for the West Ada School District to allow mental health days as excused absences. My school district only allowed three absences per class before they would pull credit, which I thought was unfair due to the mental health crisis my community is facing. I have lost my teenage years to depression, but I am determined to get the rest of my life back. The first step to being happy for me comes with helping others who are suffering from the same empty, lonely feelings. My experiences with mental health and hospitalization as a teenager have inspired me to study nursing in college, which will allow me to help other people.

My struggles with severe depression, anxiety, and suicidal thoughts began five years ago, when I was in middle school. At the end of my eighth-grade year, my family moved to Idaho with a fresh start in mind. My symptoms and struggles only worsened in 2019 when my parents divorced. It got to the point where I could not get out of bed in the morning. I was so depressed that I lost weight and lost interest in everything in my life. I did not want to hang out with anybody and I just wanted to be alone in my room. My sophomore, junior, and beginning of senior year were the darkest and scariest times of my life. I was stuck in a deep hole and did not know what to do to get myself out, despite all the help from my therapists and psychiatrists. In December of 2021, I voluntarily committed myself to a mental hospital in hopes of getting better. As a high functioning patient, it was so mind opening for me to see what being in a mental hospital in Idaho is like. I was surrounded by people who were homicidal, people who used plastic forks to self-harm, and people who were at the lowest point in their life, like me. It was not a pleasant experience, but I can say that I walked away with valuable lessons that I will never forget. I learned that despite all the hardships I have faced, life is a precious gift. I learned that I want to give meaning to my life, and one of the passions that gives my life meaning is helping other people. For my senior project, I focused on Idaho's mental health crisis. Idaho's suicide rate is 46% above the national average and is ranked 48 out of the 50 states when it comes to providing mental health resources, according to Mental Health America. For my project, I collected donations of clothes, art supplies, and books to give to a local mental hospital. Being in a mental hospital is not fun, and if I had been given a book or a coloring page with some markers, I would have felt so much better. I also started an online petition asking my school district to implement mental health days as excused absences, since students lose credit if they have more than three absences. I got over 2,600 signatures on the petition and as a result my school district has decided to create social emotional learning classes for the next school year. I have also been raising awareness on an Instagram page that I created called @IdahoMentalHealth. I also made a mental health resource board in the counseling department of my high school. The board highlights Idaho mental health statistics and gives students resources. I want people in my community to be aware that we have a high rate of mental illness so that we can work together to bring those numbers down. I am committed to Boise State University and plan on studying nursing. I want to be a nurse so that I can help people in the ways that I am being helped. I want to provide a support system for the people who are struggling and suffering from mental illness. I have lost my teenage years to depression, but I aim to get the rest of my life back. The first step to being happy for me comes with helping others who are suffering from the same empty, lonely feelings.

I have been struggling with depression for years, so self-care is a super important and daily part of my life. My favorite form of self-care is journaling. It's so comforting to easily let the words that are stuck in my mind to freely flow onto paper, allowing me to put my mind to rest. I have been journaling ever since I was in elementary school and have nine journals full of all my life's events, from age eight to seventeen. Journaling allows me to let go of what is bothering me, from daily stressors to anxiety triggers. Journaling allows me to identify what is bothering me in my life. For example, when I write about the anxiety I am experiencing it allows me to pinpoint the cause of it. I always have a journal and pen with me at all times because it truly does allow me to feel better about myself and the world.

I have been journaling ever since I was in elementary school. It is one of my favorite hobbies and has helped me with my mental health. When I was diagnosed with depression and anxiety, my journal became my best friend. I bring my journal with me everywhere and document whatever I like; how I feel, my perspective of the world, and other ideas. Journaling makes me happy because it allows me to put all the chaos going on in my mind onto paper. It is so healing and therapeutic to write about my struggles. When I write down my thoughts, it almost allows me to let go of the anxiety in my head. Writing in my journal may seem like a small, silly thing to others, but it has truly saved me. Whenever I'm at a low point, my journal always seems to aid in my healing. I am so grateful that I found writing at a young age and that I have carried it with me into adolescence.

My struggles with severe depression, anxiety, and suicidal thoughts began five years ago, when I was in middle school. At the end of my eighth-grade year, my family moved to Idaho with a fresh start in mind. My symptoms and struggles only worsened in 2019 when my parents got a divorce. In December of 2021, I voluntarily committed myself to a mental hospital in hopes of getting better. As a high functioning patient, it was so mind opening for me to see what being in a mental hospital in Idaho is like. I was surrounded by people who were homicidal, people who used plastic forks to self-harm, and people who were at the lowest point in their life, like me. It was not a pleasant experience, but I can say that I walked away with valuable lessons that I will never forget. I learned that despite all the hardships I have faced, life is a precious gift. I learned that I want to give meaning to my life, and one of the passions that gives my life meaning is helping other people. For my senior project, I have decided to focus on mental health and suicide prevention in Idaho. Idaho's suicide rate is 46% above the national average and is ranked 48 out of the 50 states when it comes to providing mental health resources, according to Mental Health America. For my project, I have been collecting donations including clothes, art supplies, and books to give to local mental hospitals. Being in a mental hospital is not fun, and if I had been given a book or a coloring page with some markers, I would have felt so much better. When you are in such a dark place, something as small as art supplies can mean so much and give a feeling of hopefulness. I have also been raising awareness on social media pages that I created to target Idaho's mental health crisis. After winter break, I plan on creating a poster in the counseling department of my school, highlighting Idaho statistics and resources. I want people in my community to be aware that we have a high rate of mental illness. I also want resources to be widely available to Idahoans, so I think creating a resources board in my school is a great first step to raising awareness. I have lost my teenage years to depression, but I aim to get the rest of my life back. The first step to being happy for me comes with helping others who are suffering from the same empty, lonely feelings.

My struggles with severe depression, anxiety, and suicidal thoughts began five years ago, when I was in middle school. At the end of my eighth-grade year, my family moved to Idaho with a fresh start in mind. My symptoms and struggles only worsened in 2019 when my parents got a divorce. In December of 2021, I voluntarily committed myself to a mental hospital in hopes of getting better. As a high functioning patient, it was so mind opening for me to see what being in a mental hospital in Idaho is like. I was surrounded by people who were homicidal, people who used plastic forks to self-harm, and people who were at the lowest point in their life, like me. It was not a pleasant experience, but I can say that I walked away with valuable lessons that I will never forget. I learned that despite all the hardships I have faced, life is a precious gift. I learned that I want to give meaning to my life, and one of the passions that gives my life meaning is helping other people. For my senior project, I have decided to focus on mental health and suicide prevention in Idaho. Idaho's suicide rate is 46% above the national average and is ranked 48 out of the 50 states when it comes to providing mental health resources, according to Mental Health America. For my project, I have been collecting donations including clothes, art supplies, and books to give to local mental hospitals. Being in a mental hospital is not fun, and if I had been given a book or a coloring page with some markers, I would have felt so much better. When you are in such a dark place, something as small as art supplies can mean so much and give a feeling of hopefulness. I have also been raising awareness on social media pages that I created to target Idaho's mental health crisis. After winter break, I plan on creating a poster in the counseling department of my school, highlighting Idaho statistics and resources. I want people in my community to be aware that we have a high rate of mental illness. I also want resources to be widely available to Idahoans, so I think creating a resources board in my school is a great first step to raising awareness. I have lost my teenage years to depression, but I aim to get the rest of my life back. The first step to being happy for me comes with helping others who are suffering from the same empty, lonely feelings.

My struggles with severe depression, anxiety, and suicidal thoughts began five years ago, when I was in middle school. At the end of my eighth-grade year, my family moved to Idaho with a fresh start in mind. My symptoms and struggles only worsened in 2019 when my parents got a divorce. In December of 2021, I voluntarily committed myself to a mental hospital in hopes of getting better. As a high functioning patient, it was so mind opening for me to see what being in a mental hospital in Idaho is like. I was surrounded by people who were homicidal, people who used plastic forks to self-harm, and people who were at the lowest point in their life, like me. It was not a pleasant experience, but I can say that I walked away with valuable lessons that I will never forget. I learned that despite all the hardships I have faced, life is a precious gift. I learned that I want to give meaning to my life, and one of the passions that gives my life meaning is helping other people. For my senior project, I have decided to focus on mental health and suicide prevention in Idaho. Idaho's suicide rate is 46% above the national average and is ranked 48 out of the 50 states when it comes to providing mental health resources, according to Mental Health America. For my project, I have been collecting donations including clothes, art supplies, and books to give to local mental hospitals. Being in a mental hospital is not fun, and if I had been given a book or a coloring page with some markers, I would have felt so much better. When you are in such a dark place, something as small as art supplies can mean so much and give a feeling of hopefulness. I have also been raising awareness on social media pages that I created to target Idaho's mental health crisis. After winter break, I plan on creating a poster in the counseling department of my school, highlighting Idaho statistics and resources. I want people in my community to be aware that we have a high rate of mental illness. I also want resources to be widely available to Idahoans, so I think creating a resource board in my school is a great way to raise awareness. I have lost my teenage years to depression, but I aim to get the rest of my life back. The first step to being happy for me comes with helping others who are suffering from the same empty, lonely feelings.

Watching my single mother struggle to support herself and her children has been mind opening for me. The lesson she has taught me is to go to college and learn a lucrative skill so that I will never have to depend on anybody else. As a teacher in Idaho, she makes half of what she used to make when we lived in California. Once we moved to Idaho and my parents got divorced, my mom, brother and I had to change our lifestyle and financial habits. It was very difficult to witness the breakup of my family alongside watching my mother struggle to pay our bills, but it has proven to be one of the most valuable financial lessons I have ever learned. Watching my mother struggle has encouraged me to go to college and receive a higher education so that I can get a job that will support me. I am determined to find a career that I love so that I know I will always be able to take care of myself and the people that I love.

My favorite book, We Were Liars by E. Lockhart, is a thought provoking novel that I will never forget. I first read it in seventh grade, and have read it many times since. It is a story about a girl, Cadence Sinclair, who spends the summers with her cousins off Nantucket. The book documents her adventures with the cousins, also known as the liars, because they all have secrets that they do not share with each other. One day, the liars get into trouble while deciding to burn down the family's house in an attempt to restart their family and to burn away the family's sins. They go swimming off the shores of their family's beautiful private owned beach after this, watching the flames reach the sky. While swimming, Cadence hits her head on the rocks and suffers from amnesia after being rescued. Her other cousins die in the accident. It is later revealed that the entire story that Cadence told about her summer was all her mind's recreation of the events that led to her tragic accident, including the deaths of her cousins. The entire book was Cadence's mind making up events with her cousins in an attempt to cope with the grief and survivor's guilt. I love this book because it is so unpredictable; you never once think that the entire first part of the book is the creation of Cadence's amnesia. It makes you rethink the entire story that was told and what the true meaning behind the book really is. It is a book that makes the reader realize that one's mistakes can lead to horrible, deadly consequences and that life is not something to take for granted.

My ultimate dream in life is to become a pharmacist. I want to go to college, perhaps Boise State University, and get my bachelor's degree and then go on to pharmacy school. I want to help people when it comes to their health, and assisting the community with the medications they take is a great way to help. I have struggled with depression and anxiety the past few years after a rough divorce in my family. I took medications to try to help, and it was a very difficult and confusing process. I want to be able to help other people who are confused and hopeless when it comes to their diseases and medications. I also want to be a pharmacist to be financially independent, that way I do not have to rely on anybody else in my life to support me. Aside from being a pharmacist, I also want to own many pet cats! I have had cats for as long as I can remember and they make me very happy to cuddle up with. Ultimately, in my dream life, I am happy. I think that accomplishing my goal of becoming a pharmacist and keeping my childhood love for cats around will keep me happy. In my dream life I am helping other people in my career.

In February 2020, half a year after my parents separated, I was diagnosed with depression and anxiety. I had just moved to a brand new state, experienced a painful divorce, and did not have many friends. I could feel myself slipping into a deep, dark place. My best support system has been my school. My counselor, Mrs. Trull, has provided me with so many resources and tips on how to manage my anxiety. She has helped me to slowly change my mindset from negative to positive. When healing from my personal battle with depression, I tried doing the things that I used to love to do, even if I didn't want to do them. One of those things was painting. Before depression, I painted on all types of media; canvas, paper, and even rocks. As I became more depressed, I lost the interest and motivation to do fun things like painting. I started painting rocks with happy messages and putting them around my community. I loved doing this so much that I started a project called Painting Eagle Idaho. I run social media platforms where I post photos of the painted rocks I leave around town. I also use Painting Eagle Idaho to spread awareness about Idaho's mental health crisis. I have been through a lot the past few years, but I honestly would not change it if I had the chance. I have become such a strong person and have learned so much about who I am and what I want out of life.

Dancing through the hallway that is glowing with the early morning sunlight, I gaze upon the painting high up on the wall. A sky of aquamarine shaded with long green tree trunks that extend up towards the Heavens. Creamy flower blossoms extend from the branches. It's my favorite painting, symbolizing the rebirth and awakening of a new chapter in life. I love that my parents have the painting in the living room of our house. Flowering trees were special to Vincent Van Gogh, as he saw them as a sign of hope. I have not seen my almond blossoms in almost two years. I did not realize the true meaning of the almond blossoms until they were gone; until my parents divorced. My father kept the house and the almond blossom painting, leaving my mother, brother and I to start over fresh. It was the loudest awakening I've ever had. My parents' divorce and the traumatic events that unfolded after was the most difficult process I have ever had to go through, but it has made me so much stronger. When I think of the almond blossoms now, I am not sad because I am missing what I lost. I am reminded of the strength and hope that I had that got me through one of the worst situations in my life. The almond blossoms will forever represent the strength I carry inside myself.

Almost 2 years ago, when I was a rising sophomore in high school, my parents divorced and my dad immediately started dating a new woman. It slowly become more and more apparent that he only wanted to be with this new girlfriend and not me or my younger brother. He seemed to completely abandon us, ignoring our texts and leaving the house in the middle of the nights when we were sleeping to go see his girlfriend. I quickly spiraled into a deep depression that would affect me for the rest of my high school career. One of the biggest problems facing the world right now is the fact that more and more children are fatherless in America every year. I never thought my dad would abandon me or my brother; he seems like the perfect family man, the one who has a great job and can do whatever they want. Every night I would cry myself to sleep, asking, "why?" After all, why do men leave their children? A lot of men abandon their kids after a divorce because they feel like a failure, and facing their kids while knowing that makes them leave. I think that's why my father left. He could not handle shame and since he grew up in a time where he wasn't encouraged to talk about his feelings, he let our relationship become nonexistent. I feel like the only way to fix this problem is to teach the next generations the importance of family and to offer more resources to single parent households.