When I was a freshman in high school, a suicide prevention organization presented to my class - a random Thursday morning at 10 am.

Having already attempted suicide twice by the 8th grade, I was overwhelmed by the sterile, outdated presentation. The presenter's lack of care. No previous warning about the content being shared that day.

I cried as my friend comforted me in the dark science room. What happened next would stick with me forever. The presenter saw me crying as they were packing up their things to go and they walked out of the room —no acknowledgment or support for what I was feeling. No trip to the counselor's office. Not a word. Nothing.

That taught me that if you are working in the field of mental health that there NEEDS to be love, care, and empathy involved. Especially for Youth.

This experience pushed me and a few friends to start our own teen-led suicide prevention group, LOVEit Teens, in 2012. We created motivational YouTube videos and presentations for local schools, using a peer-to-peer format that resonated far more than adults telling us things would get better.

After high school, I founded Seven Ways To Live in 2018 to foster real, empathetic conversations about mental health. I envisioned creating a supportive digital space where people could share their stories, find workshops, and access mental health resources.

The goal is simple: Teach people how to care for themselves, show themselves compassion, love, and kindness, and keep fighting another day.

My journey into mental health advocacy is deeply personal. At the age of 12, I began struggling with various mental health challenges, including depression, anxiety, and an eating disorder.

I came from a home that most people desired: a 2-parent household, not exactly wealthy but making it, and a roof over my head and food on the table.

This made me feel even more guilty about the way I felt. Was I not grateful or strong enough? I never felt like I was enough. Being from a 1st-generation home, mental health wasn’t a word in our vocabulary. I was taught to push feelings down, be strong, act like nothing happened, and never talk about it.

Over a decade, I would continue to struggle with my mental health. I never learned how to cope with my emotions properly - turning to substances, cheap dopamine, and escapism. With 7 suicide attempts by the age of 23, my path to healing was a long and difficult process and didn't truly being until my early 20s.

I could never imagine my life would look this way at 27. I have never been happier and felt freer. I often think about all the things I would have missed out on and it makes my eyes water daily.

Now as a mother, everything has changed for me. For those of you who are also parents, you know what I mean.

Every day I try and make progress to live out my dream - which is this. I carefully create each workshop, class, and presentation with my audience and younger self in mind. I love putting in the work and sharing my story in hopes of reaching the right person on their worst day.