Award Winner

7 - Copy (3)

Emily Salazar

Sixth Grade, Hialeah Gardens Middle

Emily and Khristyn had recently participated in a presentation on school safety that focused on identifying signs, signals & threats, the importance of taking threats seriously and finding a trusted adult to speak to. Emily and Khristyn put these lessons to practice when they grew concerned about a friend who was seriously struggling with mental health issues and expressed a desire to commit suicide. Due to several difficult situations that this student was enduring, Emily and Khristyn knew they needed to speak up and help the student receive assistance. Both girls spoke to the counselor about the situation and immediate interventions were put into place to support the student in crisis. Emily and Khristyn followed the “see something say something” rule and due to their efforts, a classmate’s life was saved.