She told me she was okay. When I texted my best friend over the weekend and didn't receive a response, I assumed she was busy with schoolwork. I would have never guessed that she had tried to overdose on pills. When I went to school on Monday, I had no clue what had happened until someone told me. On the outside, many would have assumed I was okay, but on the inside, I was trying to hold it together. While she survived the attempt and recovered, I still kept a close watch on her. If I hadn't gotten a reply back from her, I got anxious, the memories of almost losing her coming back to me all over again. To this day, I make sure to check up on her, but unfortunately, other friends and family in my community weren’t so lucky. Only a year after my best friend attempted suicide, a middle schooler committed suicide after intense bullying, and the entire community was spotlit, with fingers being pointed, and online discourse growing, overshadowing what should have been an opportunity to prevent future suicides, instead of a controversy. The school began to celebrate Anti-Bullying Month and emphasized its reporting policy. Still, when a student asked why they were only now bringing the subject up, they never brought up the girl, making students feel less trust in the administration to speak up about suicide. I dedicated myself to learning more about mental health and suicide prevention. I volunteered with the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention (AFSP), quickly gaining a vibrant community of supporters. They understood the struggle of seeing a loved one attempt, or even lose them to suicide. I joined the committee that oversaw the Out of Darkness Walk, a fundraising event for suicide prevention. I worked in the Hope Beads tent, which provided participants with colored Mardi Gras necklace beads based on who they had lost or if they had personal struggles. I noticed an overwhelming number of teenagers grabbed teal beads, which represent support for a friend who had attempted suicide. While others may have seen them as just some cheap plastic beads, I saw them as a connection to Mississippi culture and suicide prevention. And a conversation. I got over 20 people from my school to volunteer, and heard their stories of struggling peers. In my senior year, the organization Hope Squad was set up in Southern Mississippi, with the express goal of forming groups of peers as a support system in the schools. My peers nominated me, and I organized and led multiple projects over the school year, dedicated to sparking conversations about mental health. Now that I am in college, I am continuing the fight. I plan to organize an Out of Darkness Walk on my campus and join Active Minds, a campus-led mental health group. I will continue my advocacy after I become a clinical psychologist, specializing in adolescent and college students, some of the most at-risk groups for suicide. Not only will I change the conversation around suicide, but I will also create a safe space for adolescents to discuss their struggles and seek help. After Hope Squad was implemented, the school hired a therapist whom students could see during school, and my best friend began to see them. I talked to the school board with other Hope Squad members about the importance of these conversations, and I believe our school can change for the better due to our contributions. Even when stress overwhelmed me, I found the arts, and I believe in my ability to help others find their spark too.

My name is Gabrielle Drews, and ever since my sophomore year, I have noticed a need in my community that needs addressing: mental health access. After my best friend attempted suicide, I saw her go through hospitalization and therapy, but she still felt unsupported by her community. Since then, I have also watched others my age, both in my community and others on the Gulf Coast, attempt and commit suicide at unprecedented numbers. In my personal experiences with seeking therapy, I found it difficult to find clinical psychologists and other types of therapists who were close by, and some of them had critical reviews questioning their expertise. Despite this, I still see hope in the future of mental health in Mississippi. I went to Ocean Springs High School and began advocating for suicide prevention by joining the recently established Hope Squad that has been implemented along the Gulf Coast, as well as the Mississippi chapter of the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention (AFSP). With these groups, I have recruited volunteers for the Out of Darkness Walk in Biloxi and spread awareness about suicide to my peers and how to support positivity and growth. My best friend started seeing a therapist brought in by the school, so mental health access has improved significantly. I believe that through my education, I can keep making a difference on the Gulf Coast and across Mississippi. I am majoring in Psychology with a minor in Spanish and Creative Writing with the intent to become a Clinical Psychologist. I would like to either start a practice on the Gulf Coast or work in a clinic to provide my services to adolescents in need of therapy. After seeing the success of the Out of Darkness Walk in Biloxi, I intend to implement one on Mississippi State's campus, and have already joined the AFSP Committee for Out of Darkness Walks on the Gulf Coast. In particular, I will be leading the tent that distributes Hope Beads, colored beads that each represent someone lost to suicide or the person's own attempt/struggle. I feel that these beads not only connect Mississippi's Mardi-Gras culture with suicide prevention, but also allow those who attend to connect with others who share struggles, and create conversations that break the stigma around discussing mental health struggles. Another way I intend to make an impact in Mississippi is by promoting the arts, particularly the performing arts such as theatre and choir. When stress took a toll on my own mental health when I started high school, I turned towards the performing arts as a healthy way to cope, and I believe that other adolescents can do the same, and continue building the arts on the Gulf Coast, which already has a strong connection to the arts. Together with the strong community on the Gulf Coast, I believe I can make a positive impact on the youth so that they can live, grow, and change Mississippi for the better.