[Music]
hi I'm Michaela I'm a junior in high
school I love to play the violin and
piano and I'm stressed I'm stressed
about homework because I have so much
homework to do every day and every class
has hours of homework
I'm also stressed about not getting
enough sleep both due to the homework I
have to do and extracurriculars I do
from the school newspaper to the speech
team to play in the violin in this Youth
Symphony Orchestra it all adds stress
because it all takes time another thing
you may know we high schoolers are
stressed about is having all those
college apps applications submitted I
thought all high schoolers were just
like me stressed about all these things
and not getting enough sleep so I
decided to ask them I created an
anonymous survey and I sent it out to my
friends school and students I knew in
other countries around the world about
160 people filled it in 160 high
schoolers who I thought were just like
me
after reading the responses I realized
that many of them were stressed about
the same things I was but what surprised
me was how open they were about the
other things that were stressing them
out the things they weren't telling
other people they weren't sharing these
things with their parents friends
therapists or counselors they weren't
sharing these things with anyone but
they shared them with me you know what
those things were let me give you four
examples one student who's gay shared
that they didn't want to tell their
friends and family that they were gay
because they were afraid that their
friends and family would leave them and
move on another student who's
transgender shared that they've already
told their parents they want to have
surgery done to change their gender that
they were suicidal but their parents
didn't want them to have the surgery
proof and to that student they didn't
seem to care that they were suicidal the
impact they have attempted suicide three
times three times they used my survey to
talk about it to reach out and share
with me because they didn't feel that
they were being listened to another
response I read was from a student who's
been hurting themselves a student around
my age who has been harming themselves
since sixth grade that is four five or
six years of which they haven't told
anyone not a single person now the last
response I would like to share with you
all today has impacted me in a big way
what this person shared had me asking
how can I help how can I reach out to
them now this person had so much stress
so much now I'd love to share with you
what they wrote but I care about them
too much what hit me though was that
they had actually set a date as to when
they were going to commit suicide I was
at home reading their words on the
screen and I was upset and then I saw
the date it was only a week away I was
scared I didn't know what to do I didn't
want to possibly lose another person at
my school or in this world and to think
that they had actually set a date and
told me to the student I have a message
for you wherever you are I see you and I
care about you and all those students
who took my survey and even to those who
didn't I see you and care about you too
now after this experience I found out
that many of the students who took my
survey were more willing to share with
their peers than with their parents
therapists or counselors the ones that
actually have the degrees to help them
there is so much more young people are
not telling and she
sharing with you this experience has
taught me that this is the only the
beginning of the conversation my hope is
that together we can do something about
this thank you
[Applause]