On March 28, our school brought in Greg Vogt, a professional mental health speaker from Active Minds. Active Minds is an organization to help those who struggle with talking about mental problems they may be facing. You can learn more about it at activeminds.org.

Mr. Vogt talked about the struggles he faced throughout his life and the ones he still deals with today. His opening statement was about how he found himself in the back of a cop car his sophomore year of high school. This was his final attempt at suicide before he was sent away to a mental hospital for 11 months. That day was the last day he ever set foot at his high school. He never expected his life to take a turn like that once he got into high school, because all of his life he was so excited for it. It took a turn when his dreams of being a basketball star were crushed. He was kicked off the team and could no longer do what he loved.

During his stay at the mental hospital, he met many people whom he felt truly cared for him. Some of them he still knows to this day. In the end, he was very thankful that he had the opportunity to go there, because it changed his life around. He now has a wife, and they are expecting their first child.

Overall, throughout his speech he made it clear that he did not want this help, but it was what he needed. He wanted all of us to know that even though something may be hard, it can be the right choice. Also, even if you are not a professional when it comes to mental health, just talking to someone can help. Mr. Vogt expressed that you just need to be there for people.