WOHS graduate awarded ‘Future Female Leader’ scholarship

Olivia Raymond was awarded a Future Female Leader scholarship by the National Society of High School Scholars (NSHSS).

“It feels amazing!” said Raymond, who graduated from West Orange High School last month.

The $1,000 NSHSS scholarship recognizes young women who are leaders in the schools and communities, empowering them to become mentors for the young women following in their footsteps.

At West Orange High School, Olivia worked to curate a space that destigmatizes mental health through an initiative called “Green Ribbon Week,” which happens the third week of September.

“The beginning of the school year when everyone is stressed and in a different environment,” said Olivia.

The effort is to educate young people about ways to maintain good mental health practices, and to encourage adults to engage in practices that facilitate dialogue with young people, and make conversations about mental health as common as conversations about physical health.

The education takes place through messages of positive mental health practices via social media, over the school loudspeaker, and creating a wall of positivity that all students contributed to.

Olivia said the messages are uplifting.

“Tell people to keep pushing, to breath, not be so hard on themselves,” she said.

A “listening jar” has also been created for teachers and adults. Olivia said, “A big part is adults not placing judgement. The adults want to fix a child instead of listening to them.” Green Ribbon Week contributed to cultivating an atmosphere that reminds adults of the importance of simply listening to kids and the importance of giving youth a voice.

“I felt so deeply connected to this work,” said Olivia. “A few people in my family struggle with mental health issues.”

While Olivia has a strong connection with her family, she realizes other kids aren’t as blessed, but she wanted to create a space for that. “I felt very seen with my family.”
According to Olivia, the biggest challenge in what she does is getting the word out and social media is a big help. It’s also important to have adults understand the importance of mental health.

For anyone in school who is having a rough time, Olivia advises, “Take a little step at a time. That happened to me as well. Tackle what’s right in front of you. You will go a lot further than you think you can. One step and keep moving, then it will become so much easier.

This fall, Olivia will be attending Brown University. She’ll be studying public health and public policy. In her future, she plans to continue creating safe spaces by working to expand the Green Ribbon Week initiative.

In her free time, she loves to listen to music, go to concerts, paint, read, spend time with her family, and watch movies and tv shows. “I love watching rom-coms,” she said.

To learn more about the National Society of High School Scholars (NSHSS) visit: https://www.nshss.org/

  scholar, scholarship, West Orange