Over the years, this initiative of the NH Children’s System of Care has enabled students in fifth through 12th grade to share their voice through art depicting their individual mental health journeys. For many, the contest itself has helped with healing, and for others has become an opportunity for continued advocacy to raise awareness, erase stigma and effect change to help ensure the social and emotional health of youth in the Granite State. Read the stories below from Mia, Erin, Morgan and Abby to learn how they have shined a light on youth mental health.
MIA
Mia, a finalist from the 2018 contest, has continued to share her story through features on WMUR, WZID and the Union Leader, writing for various newsletters, and even presenting a finalist award and being the keynote speaker at Magnify Voices celebration events.
Mia’s essay, “Helpless” was written about a trip she took to California where she realized for the first time that she had been living with generalized anxiety disorder for most of her life. During her West Coast visit, she was able to master her first coping strategies — meditation and journal writing — which began her journey to managing the anxiety disorder.
Through it all, Mia recognizes that mental health, and especially anxiety, can evolve and alter as individuals grow and change.
She is currently a freshman at Syracuse University where she majors in Human Development and Family Science. She plans to eventually become a Child Life Specialist and hopes to study Public Health as she continues her college education. Mia knew that she may face challenges with her anxiety as she entered a new chapter at Syracuse but was unsure as to what extent. By adjusting as needed, she has persevered through hardships, setbacks and other challenges and has not let her anxiety progressions hold her back.
One piece of advice that Mia would like youth to know: “I think it is important for young people to know that it comes in waves and it’s totally okay to have to go through adjustment periods like this!”
ERIN
Since submitting a video with her cousin in 2021, Erin, Magnify Voices artist and People’s Choice Winner, has become an advocate for mental health reform, partaking in various leadership opportunities to continue to share her story.
Following the 2021 Magnify Voices Expressive Arts contest, Erin was invited to share her story with the NH Governor Chris Sununu. The chance to share her experiences opened the door for other speaking opportunities at local schools, suicide prevention walks and even statewide and national conferences.
Through these encounters, Erin began to find her purpose: to make a profound impact on adolescent mental health. Since the 2021 contest, she has been able to share her story with thousands of people which has led to changes including mandating suicide prevention training for all school staff in New Hampshire. Erin has also personally raised $5,000 for mental health nonprofits in the Granite State and has led teams that collectively raised $9,000.
Erin is now studying Elementary Education at the University of Tampa and working as a paraprofessional. Through it all, Erin’s family continues to be her biggest supporters who encourage her to continue sharing her story with people across the country.
Serendipitously, Amy, Erin’s cousin and co-contributor on the 2021 video submission, is also attending the University of Tampa. They often reflect on their experiences with Magnify Voices andhow it brought them even closer together. Just last fall Amy and Erin took part in the AFSP-Tampa suicide prevention walk which reaffirmed their shared passion for spreading awareness for mental health advocacy.
Erin has found the most meaningful part of her journey comes after many of her speeches, when being approached by individuals in the audience who can relate to her story. “Listening to their stories, reassuring them they are not alone and offering a glimmer of hope has been one of the most meaningful parts of my journey. Because of this, I know I will be able to make a lasting impact on my future students and peers.”
MORGAN
When Morgan submitted her essay about what it was like growing up with a mental illness, she had no idea what could come from it, other than a chance to share her story. Morgan, a 2024 Magnify Voices artist and People’s Choice winner, has quickly become a leader in the youth mental health community and continues to share her story nearly a year later.
As a kid, Morgan never believed there would be a time that she wouldn’t be surrounded by darkness and struggles, brought on by mental illness. There have been many times in her life that mental illness has had a strong grasp on her life and controlled her ability to see the beauty that life brings and the enjoyment of growing up. Morgan has now gotten to a place where life isn’t so heavy and she is able to have control over her mental illness, to which she credits years of psychotherapy, transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) treatment and medication.
Morgan learned about Magnify Voices through a friend at school and felt it was a perfect way for her to take the darkness and turn it into light that could help guide and inspire others through their own dark times. She saw the positives of sharing her story and realized others may relate and be inspired to also speak up about their own experiences.
Morgan has continued to tell her story over the past year, including being a member on the YouthWell New Hampshire panel, which followed a screening of the film “Screenagers.” She was also a member on Dartmouth Health’s Political Drivers of Health Symposium Panel.
Beyond sharing her story, Morgan has also become a leader in the local community. She volunteers regularly with YouthWell New Hampshire and is a Youth Ambassador with Connor’s Climb, an organization that raises awareness for suicide prevention. She also helped establish “YouthWell Voices”, a youth-driven, youth-focused and youth-facilitated group centered on youth mental health that brings together students from across New Hampshire who are interested in mental health.
One year ago, Morgan submitted her essay to the Magnify Voices contest and now she is even on the contest’s Planning Committee, where she can provide a participant’s perspective on the process and contribute ideas for upcoming events. Throughout this whole process, she also discovered her passion for psychology and learning about mental illness and the impact it has on the brain.
What is she most passionate about? “Helping others find the same peace I did and supporting them through their struggles with mental health.”
ABBY
Abby, a 2024 finalist for her “Heartmap” submission, created an artwork that demonstrated some of her darkest struggles. Over the past 18 months, she has overcome many challenges with mental illness and an eating disorder and has found her own voice following last year’s contest.
For Abby, October 2023 was one of the lowest points in her life. She was struggling with her physical and mental health and not finding success with treatment. She felt like she was losing everything she once loved, including family life, school, sports, hobbies and more, while spending all her time in a hospital bed getting minimal sleep and being tube fed. It was at this point Abby lost her ability to communicate her emotions which left her feeling drained and alone.
The support system around Abby rose up and wanted to listen and care for her, including a team at Boston’s Children’s Hospital. These were the first people Abby opened up to about how she was feeling. Much to her surprise, she was met with care, support and understanding from both the doctors and her family.
Even with the supports in place, Abby’s time in the hospital still had its challenges as she worked on sharing her feelings, doing exposures, gaining physical strength and eating. Looking for a way to occupy herself and cope with anxious feelings, she started folding paper cranes, which are a symbol of peace, love, hope, healing and lifelong health. On the first day, she made 10. This moment is when she decided she would create 1,000 paper cranes as a way to make a promise to herself that she would stay alive. This provided a goal and a way to symbolize a life she could look forward to.
Abby credits these cranes for saving her in a way that only art can. When she eventually finished her 1,000th paper crane, she wrote a wish inside and folded it into the crane. The cranes helped her through the hardest moments and became an inspiration for her artwork that would open many doors for her.
After months of hard work, Abby began to see the improvements she was making with various challenges. She was handling her emotions with a new toolbox of coping skills, eating full meals, walking on her own and communicating her feelings with people.
Abby hopes her story means something to others and that it can help people know they are never alone. One piece of advice Abby has for others: “For anyone who feels like they can’t keep going on, remember that you do have it in you to get through this. Have trust that life can change for the better. Don’t be afraid to ask for help, because even if you feel terribly alone there are people out there who will support you through the toughest times.”
Abby and her mother, Melissa, spoke at the 2024 Suicide Prevention Week Press conference. Abby has also been selected as the keynote speaker for the 2025 Magnify Voices Expressive Arts Contest Celebration event.
