My journey with mental health began at age 7 when my aunt, who was one of my favourite people, sadly passed away from suicide. This triggered a series of mental health challenges. By Year 7, I was diagnosed with social anxiety and later, in Year 9, with depression. Those few years transformed me from a shy, scared girl with low self-esteem into a bold, confident, and strong teenager - all because of a pledge I made to myself: that I would never allow someone I know to suffer in silence, as both my aunt and I did, vowing to help those I could. This pledge gave me a purpose, a desire to keep surviving. So I joined a mental health charity called Beyond, where I learned to embrace the stigma around mental health.

Since then, I’ve appeared on panels presenting on adolescent mental health to thousands, including at the Royal Foundation Festival, where I met the Prince and Princess of Wales and discussed the importance of mental health awareness. Recently, I’ve been focusing on the impact of social media on mental health. I participated in a panel for the MHFA, discussing, alongside two other teenagers, the highs and lows of modern technology and media, and how to manage it.

I believe that these platforms and discussions will make a difference in people's lives, and this is the driving force behind my decision to take part in as many opportunities as possible. Many of the panels I’ve attended have been directed towards parents and carers. I do my best to educate them on how to help their teenagers who might be going through similar experiences, as I believe getting a teenager’s perspective provides them and their children with relatable insight into what teens go through.

I'm very aware that parents' only wish is to protect their children, and helping them achieve this gives me a sense of purpose and value. One of the most crucial things I have done is to advise a Labour MP on how to improve mental health awareness in schools, by changing the curriculum to inspire and educate students to speak up.

The way to embrace the stigma around mental health is to talk about it, to express your feelings instead of keeping them in, which is possibly the most difficult thing to do. When you keep all your feelings inside, they bubble up and eventually explode in a very negative way. But you can avoid this by expressing how you’re feeling!

I know from personal experience that talking about your emotions is immensely beneficial - it has saved me from spiralling - and I wish others knew just how much it helps. This is exactly why I do what I do. If I can educate others on the importance of embracing the mental health stigma, then together, we can make a difference in people's lives.