SHS Senior Receives Mental Health Award

Rick YangThe Jed Foundation (JED) has selected 17-year-old Rick Yang, a senior at Scarsdale High School in Scarsdale, New York, for the 2024 Student Voice of Mental Health Award. He was chosen among dozens of high school and undergraduate applicants to receive this distinguished national award, which recognizes students who lead advocacy projects to establish youth mental health support systems and encourage help-seeking in their school communities.

The Jed Foundation (JED) announced today that students Rick Yang and Areli Rosales are the recipients of the 2024 Student Voice of Mental Health Awards (SVMHA). Each year, JED honors one high school student and one college student doing outstanding work to create communities of care in their schools. Award recipients are raising mental health awareness by leading initiatives, encouraging their peers to reach out for help, and building support systems for youth mental health and suicide prevention.

Rick Yang (he/him/his) is a senior at Scarsdale High School in Scarsdale, New York, and describes himself as a “mental health champion” who experienced feelings of isolation as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic and virtual learning. He identifies as Chinese-American and has experienced the cultural struggles associated with help-seeking for mental health issues, prompting him to begin his advocacy work. The 17-year-old is the co-founder and CEO of “Frontiers of Fulfillment,” a nonprofit that operates in more than 30 states and impacts thousands of people through advocacy and lobbying workshops that ensure youth voices are heard in local, state, and federal mental health policymaking. In his school community, Rick organized and implemented “SchoolSight: A Comprehensive Mental Health Vision” an initiative that seeks to implement evidence-based mental well-being interventions throughout Westchester County. Rick will be attending Harvard University in the fall.

The Scarsdale Schools recently signed an agreement with the JED Foundation a non-profit whose mission is to protect emotional health and prevent suicide for the nation's teens and young adults.