Spotlight

November 2022

Ashley Espiritu

A goal of the Connect-OC Coalition is to highlight the voices and work of young adults advocating for mental health and wellness. In this interview we speak with Ashley, a CSULB student and Connect-OC intern. Ashley shares with us a bit about her personal struggles with mental health and how studying health science opened her world up to different resources and outlooks on mental health/illnesses.

September 2022

Leslie Tapia

A goal of the Connect-OC Coalition is to highlight the voices and work of young adults advocating for mental health and wellness. In this interview we speak with Leslie, a current student at Cal State Fullerton and a member of the Connect-OC Young Adult Advisory Committee. In this interview Leslie shares with us her personal journey with mental health and how being transparent with herself and others in life allowed her to have more open and deep connections with people. “ If you stay, the world will repay you.”

July 2022

Megan Buncher

A goal of the Connect-OC Coalition is to highlight the voices and work of young adults advocating for mental health and wellness. In this interview we speak with Megan, a college student and yoga teacher with UPLIFT Teen Yoga. In this interview Megan shares with us a bit about her love for yoga and meditation and some encouragement she has for other young adults. In Megan's words "Stop figuring out how to look good on the outside, and start figuring out how to feel good on the inside."

April 2022

Joy Medina

A goal of the Connect-OC Coalition is to highlight the voices and work of young adults advocating for mental health and wellness. In this interview we speak with Joy, a local college student and Connect-OC intern. In this interview Joy shares with us some of her college experience, her favorite self-care activities, self-help books, and how art has played a role in her mental wellness.

February 2022

Mia Dilalla

A goal of the Connect-OC Coalition is to highlight the voices and work of young adults advocating for mental health and wellness. In this interview we speak with Mia, a local high school student and Girl Scout. In this interview Mia shares with us about her outlook on life, her experience as a Girl Scout, and her plans to achieve her Girl Scout Gold Award through educating local teens and children on mental health awareness.

November 2021

Christian Dela Cruz

A goal of the Connect-OC Coalition is to highlight the voices and work of young adults advocating for mental health and wellness. In this interview we speak with Christian Dela Cruz. Christian is a student at Cal State Fullerton studying psychology. In this interview Christian shares with us about his artistic passion for poetry and how writing became a way from him to address his own mental wellness.

September 2021

Vivi Vu

A goal of the Connect-OC Coalition is to highlight the voices and work of young adults advocating for mental health and wellness. In this interview we speak with Vivi Vu. Vivi is a student at CSULB studying Health Sciences with a focus in Community Health. In this interview Vivi shares with us how games, various forms of art, and doing things that make her happy have helped with her mental health and development as a person.

August 2021

Laila Nahas

A goal of the Connect-OC Coalition is to highlight the voices and work of young adults advocating for mental health and wellness. In this interview we speak with Laila, a local high school junior, active in peer mental health support at her school and in the community. In this interview Laila shares with us about her outlook on life, the role art plays for her as a means of self-care, and her experience as a leader with HOPE Squad locally and at the national level.

July 2021

Sarah Petrus

A goal of the Connect-OC Coalition is to highlight the voices and work of young adults advocating for mental health and wellness. In this interview we speak with Sarah Petrus, former Connect-OC intern and new Connect-OC Health Educator! Sarah is a recent graduate from Cal State Long Beach with a Bachelor’s in Community Health Science and a high school leader with the high school ministry at Arbor Road Church in Long Beach. In this interview Sarah shares with us about her outlook on life, experience with mental health struggles, and what she has learned so far from working in the mental health field.

June 2021

Saoud Moon

A goal of the Connect-OC Coalition is to highlight the voices and work of young adults advocating for mental health and wellness. In this interview we speak with Saoud.  Saoud is a 17 year old high school student in Irvine and works with Crossroads Initiative. Here is a quote from Saoud "I feel the only thing that matters is how we impact people when we are on this planet. For me specifically, I want to help with issues around mental health. I hate that kids, especially little boys, feel afraid to open up about their issues because of the fact that they do not want to seem "weak." I hope to do a lot of work in the mental health field that fights towards reducing that problem."