The first time I ever gave a presentation was just five months after my dad passed away. I volunteered to speak for two main reasons. First, my dad’s death was published in local newspapers because of his involvement in the Denver community, and I was frustrated by how he was portrayed. He wasn’t some selfish, untrustworthy businessman - he was struggling with his mental health and was unable to climb out of the deep hole he was in. Along with that, I was inspired by a mental health presentation at my school, where I noticed how disengaged and uninvolved my peers were. That experience motivated me to step up and share my story at a school event, which became the first of many presentations to come.

 

About a year later, I spoke again, which was fueled by more loss. In the fall of 2018, two friends at a neighboring high school died by suicide within two days of each other. I noticed that one of their moms, Maria Bales, had begun sharing her family’s story on social media, so I reached out to her. She joined me for a school presentation a year after my first talk. That partnership became a turning point, and I immediately contacted local schools. Together, Maria and I spoke at schools and state-sponsored events across Colorado, combining our perspectives - mine as a child who lost a parent and hers as a parent who lost a child - to connect with audiences in a powerful way.

 

In 2019, I graduated from high school and headed down south as a freshman at Ole Miss, continuing to share my story with college students nationwide. My advocacy grew through involvement with Active Minds, a mental health organization for young adults, and serving on the NAMI Mississippi Board of Directors. One of my most meaningful experiences was speaking at two Oxford “Out of the Darkness Walks,” hosted by the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention. Today, I’ve had the privilege of speaking to more than 16,000 people across 25 states.