By: LUCAS ADAMS
Staff Writer
Jared Scott was a shy kid at school. He felt alone even if he was surrounded by people in the class and out of class. Things at home were no better with Jared’s parents both being high school kids. Kids trying to raise kids. Unfortunately, they split apart, leaving Jared in the middle both having to listen to his mother’s emotions, and his father’s emotions, and trying to figure out his emotions. To cope with all the feelings he was dealing with, he began to suppress his emotions and this suppression of his emotions would all accumulate into his depression, making him feel even more isolated and anxious.
Then one day, one of his friends committed suicide. The more tragic part of her death wasn’t the fact she had died, but it was the fact she never showed signs of depression. She was the type of girl that was tough, brave, and tried to make you laugh, while Jared thought he was the only one wearing a porcelain face to cover up his tears. He had now come to a realization that everyone around him was wearing a fake smile. In that one year, 4 kids at Jared’s school committed suicide.
With everything that had happened, Jared and his friend made a song about their friends and how her death affected them. As they made the song Jared was starting to think of the “what it’s,” like what if people don’t like it or what if people don’t listen to it. He was about to give up on releasing the song but then a woman heard some singing and had come in to listen to the song. Partway through the song, the woman had left and Jared and his friend thought she didn’t like the song so much that she couldn’t listen to it the whole way.
Jared and his friend gave up on releasing the song due to the woman leaving, but then as they left the studio, the woman returned back to hand Jared a ring that had the name Hope on it. This was the name of Jared’s friend that had committed suicide and the woman was telling them about how she was in town to comfort her sister with a recent suicide that had affected her. This whole situation led Jared and his friend to release the song and soon after Jared decided to try to speak to fellow students in his school about his experience with suicide.
After he gave his speech, students, teachers, and even the principal came to Jared to tell him their story. He did this at the age of 15 and was able to build a more positive community. He helps kids come out with their problems at home, with their families, and at school.
Jared Scott now has given speeches at many schools and venues and has changed the lives of many people. Jared says that it only takes one kid to change the whole climate of their school by telling the truth. All you need to do is speak from the heart.
