Kristen's Story
Kristen's childhood was marked by significant trauma, including her mother's attempting and completing suicide. As she grew older, she struggled with mental illness and substance use disorder as a way to cope with her pain. At one point, she even believed she wouldn't live past 18.
However, through numerous treatment efforts, Kristen was able to attend long-term treatment, go to a recovery high school, and eventually become a Penn State graduate, where she earned her BA in Corporate Communications. She was honored to be the commencement speaker at her own graduation.
Throughout this process, she has replaced harmful coping mechanisms with positive ones. She has been sharing her story since 2016 alongside Minding Your Mind, talking about the importance of therapy, a support structure, and how to ask for help.
"Our students are not an easy audience. However, Kristen was able to keep their attention and connect with nearly 260 students at each assembly. From the moment she started her presentation to the last word, our students were engaged. After each presentation, Kristen had a line of students who wanted to speak with her personally. To say she made a profound impact is an understatement."
- Camden County Technical Schools
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