Active and involved junior student of the Regina Dominican community, Nina Menon, was recently selected to attend the Kennedy Forum in downtown Chicago. Nina serves on a youth advisory board for the Mental Health America North Shore (MHANS) and was one of the ten students selected from that board to take part in this amazing event.

At the event, Nina met Michelle Williams, former member of the musical group, Destiny’s Child.  Nina also had the opportunity to meet eight time Olympian medal swimmer and three time Olympian attendee, Allison Schmitt, as she speaks out about her own life experiences and her passion for helping those with mental health issues.

Patrick J. Kennedy founded the Kennedy Forum in 2013 to focus on advancing ideas, policies, behavioral ideas, and improving the lives of individuals living with mental illness or addictions while promoting behavioral health for all. The Kennedy Forum’s annual meeting took place this year on December 6 at the Hilton Chicago on S. Michigan Avenue.

The mission of the Kennedy Forum is big and clear. They seek to unite the health care system and regroup the mental community while working with business leaders and government agencies together to eliminate issues of stigma. They work with providers to guarantee equal care access as well as making sure consumers understand their rights.

This year makes the Kennedy’s Third Annual Forum premiering national and global leaders to ignite new ideas and build collaboration. Nina heard from a number of keynote speakers sharing their own personal experiences with depression and mental health issues.

Including Michelle Williams and Allison Schmitt, a total of eleven different keynote speakers shared their personal experiences of their battle with depression, eating disorders, and interest in erasing the stigma associated with such common problems.

Inspiring stories  were shared at the forum, all with a common passion for helping individuals overcome mental health illnesses. Storytellers included Sarah Willis, Michelle Williams, Elizabeth Vargas, Maggie Skoch, Allison Schmitt, Steve Rosado, Vivek H. Murthy, Darryl “DMC” McDaniels, Patrick J. Kennedy, Elizabeth Einig, Maya Dru, and a few more were given at the event downtown.

Nina described the event as a wonderful experience and said, “The Kennedy Forum really opened my eyes and made me see how many things need to change before the stigma of mental illness isn’t there anymore. People need to understand that just because mental illness isn’t as viable as something like the flu, it can still change a person and this is an issue.”