Three teenagers from Olentangy Liberty High School are advocating for change after going through personal trials.
Harshita Ray, 16, Chloe Noren, 17 and Olivia Ball, 17, met each other for the first time, of all places, in a psych ward.
“The three of us, we got together because the three of us had attempted suicide,” Ball said.
Around the same time, they say Jacob Bice, a freshman at the school took his own life. They say the reason was believed to be bullying.
“It’s bad,” Ray said of bullying. “It’s bad. I mean, you can look at Jacob and see what bullying does to people. It drives them to suicide. It drives them to thinking that they’re isolated. that they’re by themselves.”
But they’re not by themselves.
It’s why the girls started the You Are Not Alone campaign, a page on Instagram to let other people know they are not alone in the fight against mental illness, eating disorders and bullying.
Noren says the page has helped be an outlet for others.
“People are sending in things I never knew a thing about their mental illness, until they sent it in and had the courage for us to post it out there,” Noren said.
They’re the face of change. They’re the voice of change.
The girls spoke to the issues at the 10TV live broadcast, “Hear Me Now,” Tuesday night.
“If adults aren’t willing to take a step in bringing that change, I don’t see why the three of us could do something when we have dealt with the problem first hand,” Ray said.
And by helping others, they’re helping themselves.
“I’ve learned to love these two more than I thought I could love anyone,” Noren said.”
