Alexandra Fiorenzi
Senior at Penn State University
LATEST PROJECTS
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Project |01 Kevin Breel at Penn State
As Vice President of Active Minds, I work to bring events to Penn State campus that will increase mental health awareness. This year, I was able to bring Kevin Breel, a 20 year old writer, stand up comic and activist for mental health, to speak to the Penn State campus. As a mental health advocate, he’s been seen on media outlets all around the world- including CBC, CTV, MTV and The TODAY Show on NBC. His TEDx talk titled “Confessions of a Depressed Comic” went instantly viral online- with more than half a million views in less than 30 days. It's one of the most watched TED talks of all time with nearly 2 million views; along side talks from Steve Jobs, Bill Gates, and Seth Godin. Bringing warmth in to the topics people tend not to talk about, Kevin has become an in demand speaker at colleges and events throughout North America.
Click here to read more about the event:
http://onwardstate.com/community/kevin-breel-to-speak-at-penn-state-tonight/http://onwardstate.com/community/kevin-breel-to-speak-at-penn-state-tonight/
Project |02 Volunteering at Tides
Tides is a non-profit organization funded through charitable donations from individuals, corporations, foundations, and community service organizations. There are no fees for participation in any support group or program. Tides believes that grief is a natural response to loss for children, adolescents, and adults. Although the duration and intensity of grief is different for each family member, each person has the ability to work through grief with the support from family and friends. Tides offers support for families coping with the death of someone special to them. I am a group facilitator for the high school aged kids. I am constantly inspired by their strength and wisdom.
Project |03 Active Minds
I was just elected as Active Minds at Penn State's President for the 2014-2015 school year. I am so excited to begin this new role! Active Minds is a national organization that works to start up conversations about mental health and help reduce the stigma associated with mental illnesses. We have had several events thus far to do so! Check them out by clicking on the pictures!
This is just a small sample of my work. To see more or discuss possible work >>
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Project |04 Academic Work
Over the past three years at Penn State, I have completed several writing assignments that I am especially proud of.
Here are a few of them:
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Project |01 Send Silence Packing
As President of Active Minds, I raised $5,000 to bring this event to Penn State's Campus. Send Silence Packing is a nationally recognized traveling exhibition of 1,100 donated backpacks, representing the number of college students lost to suicide each year. The program is designed to raise awareness about the incidence and impact of suicide, connect students to needed mental health resources, and inspire action for suicide prevention. At each exhibit of Send Silence Packing 1,100 backpacks are displayed in a high-traffic area of campus (like the campus quad), giving a visual representation of the scope of the problem and the number of victims.
Where do the backpacks come from?
Active Minds Inc. has collected and continues to collect backpacks and personal stories in memory or in honor of loved ones impacted by suicide. By displaying backpacks with personal stories, Send Silence Packing puts a "face" to lives lost to suicide and carries the message that preventing suicide is not just about improving statistics, but also about saving the lives of daughters, sons, brothers, sisters and friends across the nation. Contributions serve as a meaningful outlet for survivors' grief as well as a powerful way to raise awareness and work towards suicide prevention.
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Project |02 The Jana Marie Foundation's Stomper's Project
Jana Marie Foundation's Stompers Project uses art, music, stories and other forms of creative expression to educate the community about mental health and helps stomp out the stigma that surrounds mental illness. In a nutshell, Jana Marie Foundation is working with local artists, schools and organizations to create life sized sculptures of people formed out of old sneakers. The sculptures are called “Stompers” to acknowledge their symbolic role in helping to stomp out stigma. I have worked with this foundation in local middle and high schools to make the scultpures as well as educate the students about depression, stress, anxietyy, and coping skills.
