In late January, UC High students will gather in the gym for the annual Mental Health Fair, an event to raise awareness for students’ emotional well-being, as well as help students acquire additional resources.   

  Senior Leilani Moore, one of the organizers of this event, said, “The Mental Health Fair’s main goal is to highlight mental health resources available to students in hopes of reaching those who need help but don’t know where to go or who to ask.” The Mental Health Fair is a way for students to get more resources and find people who they can talk to about their emotional well-being.

  Senior Evelyn Carranza shared that the planning committee for The Mental Health Fair includes Seniors Evelyn Carranza, Cheyenne Cammack, Leilani Moore, and Jennifer Castaneda. The two advisors are School Connections Specialist Tina Medina and Head Counselor Kelsey Bradshaw. The sponsor for the fair is the Bring Change to Mind Program; the program exists throughout the U.S. and helped fund the fair, giving them support and resources.

    Medina said, “I think the most important thing is for students to know that whatever they are dealing with they are not alone. There is support on campus for them.” This is why the members of the Aspen Challenge decided to start The Mental Health Fair in the first place and why they founded the Rising Tides club.

   Carranza said, “Events like these help bring everyone closer, and I feel like mental health is not talked about enough. A lot of people will try to hide what they are going through instead of reaching out.”

   The Mental Health Fair has been held every year for the last three years. Medina said, “They [members of the Aspen Challenge] were the ones who created the idea for the fair in the first place. We still have one member of that team at UC High, so we have sort of created a bit of a legacy with it. This will now be our third Mental Health Fair. Mrs. Bradshaw and I were the coaches for that first Aspen Challenge Team and now are the advisors for the club.”

   Junior Analisa Soltero said, “Mental health is important and it should be recognized by schools.” According to an article about school-based mental health services, “Nearly one in five students attending public schools in the United States utilize school-based mental health services, underscoring how schools can serve as an access point for mental health treatment among youth” (kff.org).

   Moore said, “Resources both on and off campus had booths at the fair, each bringing their own activities and goodie bags. This event would not have been possible without the help of campus faculty, community organizations, and every student who attends, for which Rising Tides members are forever grateful.”

  Carranza explained that it is very important for students to learn about their mental health so that they know they are not alone and there are others struggling with the same things. Medina said, “I think that the biggest challenge that we face is that students are not aware of what resources are available to them.”

   Soltero said, “The Mental Health Fair helps students by letting them know it is okay to talk about their feelings. It is also important for them to know that they have people who will support them.” Medina explained that she hopes students leave the fair knowing about the excessive amounts of resources that the school and school district provide for them.

  Moore said, “Rising Tides was created to destigmatize mental health on campus and bring awareness to the fact that everyone struggles in their own way, but that does not mean that we should struggle alone.”