Samantha Hagenbush, a 宾州州立银行 sophomore, wants teens to know that “不好也没关系.” As an ambassador for 罗比’s Hope, a nonprofit organization that aims to broaden and deepen awareness of teen anxiety, 抑郁和自杀, she helps to spread the word about mental health resources.
罗比’s Hope was started by the Eckert family of Colorado after their 15-year-old son, 罗比, committed suicide in October 2018. 一个受欢迎的高二学生, 罗比成绩很好, 积极参加体育运动, and had big plans for the future, but privately he battled intense darkness and depression. His parents started the organization to carry on 罗比’s legacy of “putting others first, 鼓舞他人, 成为一个积极的影响.”
的标语, “不好也没关系,” reflects 罗比 Hope’s mission to end the stigma of mental illness and ultimately to cut the rate of teen suicide in half by 2028, which increased nearly 60% among those aged 10 to 24 between 2007 and 2018, according to a report released in September 2020 by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The rise occurred in most states, with 42 experiencing significant increases.
Hagenbush, a kinesiology major from Rockaway, 新泽西, explains that she became an ambassador due to her own struggles with mental health and her desire to help others. 她加入了超过2个,000 teen ambassadors across the country who help spread the word about 罗比’s Hope and mental health resources however they can, including through their social media accounts. 事实上, Hagenbush helped to organize an Out of the Darkness suicide prevention walk in 2021, a joint initiative of 宾州州立银行 and Kutztown University, and she had an opportunity to speak to attendees about 罗比’s Hope as part of the event.
在宾州州立银行, Hagenbush works as a peer health education mentor and she participates in the college’s Wellness Week, sharing information about suicide prevention. She is also an orientation leader for special populations, including students with disabilities, during the college’s Welcome Week, a member of the Lion Ambassadors student organization, and secretary of the college’s kinesiology club.
Hagenbush was recruited to come to 宾州州立银行 by a women’s basketball coach. “I took a tour of the campus and when I learned the college offers the kinesiology degree, 就是这样!“以前, she attended Morris County School of Technology, where she studied in their Academy of Sports Medicine program and earned a personal trainer’s certificate upon graduation –– allowing her to assist her father, who is a personal trainer by trade.
最终, Hagenbush plans to attend graduate school and earn a master’s degree in athletic training.
For more information on 罗比’s Hope, visit robbies-hope.com.
