Teen Mental Wellness Empowering Minds: Lyrique & Dr. Howard Fuller Collegiate Academy
“I thrive off of helping other people,” Lyrique said. “And I also learn more about myself the more I help other people.”
Lyrique is a student at Dr. Howard Fuller Collegiate Academy, one of the schools participating in United Way’s Teen Mental Wellness: Empowering Minds initiative. The initiative invests in strategies to build comprehensive mental health systems in local high schools.
Lyrique had a tough childhood. She struggled with life at home and wasn’t doing well in school, despite her intelligence. She didn’t speak to anyone about her struggles and had a hard time trusting people. When she switched schools and began attending Howard Fuller, something else changed as well. She realized that not only could she trust others to help her, but that she enjoyed helping her peers.
She joined the school’s REDgen group, which puts mental health first and teaches students how to be mental health allies.
“It’s very important to have something like this in a school,” Lyrique said. “We can get mental health resources in the school without having to beg parents to take you somewhere. Some people struggle with transportation. So, you have a good chunk of resources in the school, rather than having to find ways to get to other places.”
“This school and the community that they offer changes you for the better.”
When you donate to United Way’s Teen Mental Wellness: Empowering Minds initiative, you are helping students like Lyrique feel a sense of belonging and empowerment. United is the Way we support the mental well-being of students at Dr. Howard Fuller Collegiate Academy and beyond.