Junior Tessa Clark is an active mental health awareness activist and co-leader of Lancers Helping Lancers (LHL). The club primarily focuses on mental health issues and spreading positive messages to the Lafayette community.

When did you become involved with LHL?

It started in 2014 or 2015 in remembrance of Avery Cantor, and it has been passed down to juniors or seniors since then. Esha Vij was picked by the people who were in charge of it last year. We were in ALARP [Advanced Language Arts Research/Presentation] together and I did a lot of presentations about mental health so she asked me to help.

How do you spread awareness for mental health?

I try to be as vulnerable as I can be about my own mental health, and ask people questions- if they are okay or if there anything they need to talk about. I share resources with people and try to open up a conversation to let people know that there is a space to talk. In LHL, we try to focus on making students more aware that people are there for them and whatever mental state they’re in is a valid place to be. Also, there are places to get help and hope to feel better.

Why do you think mental health awareness is important?

Because everyone is dealing with their own stuff, and it’s important to work through everything. You don’t realize how much one tiny piece of trauma can affect you for the rest of your life or make you feel isolated in some way. It’s important to help people figure out why they are the way they are and to help them get help to overcome that and be kinder to themselves.

How have your own experiences shaped what you do?

I struggled a lot in middle school and felt really isolated and alone. I want to make sure that other people are aware of what’s going on and know that they have a place to go because I always felt like I didn’t. I try to make sure that everyone knows that there is a place for them and that things can get better. 

How do you see LHL growing in the future?

I am hoping that more and more people become involved in it. We hope to make more school-wide events like maybe have LHL do something at an assembly. Maybe, have more counselors or psychologists at the school and have teachers talk about stuff. It doesn’t just have to be LHL but mental health education in general and helping to improve the awareness about it.