Students tell of overcoming pain, loss at Crossroads High event

Published 1:30 am Saturday, February 4, 2017

GRANITE FALLS — The students came with stories to tell.

They’d overcome personal loss, bullying, addiction, homelessness, anxiety and depression. Eight teens shared their stories at the Voices of Youth event Thursday at Crossroads High School. Some asked staff members to read a written statement while they stood alongside them.

“We’re all sharing our stories for the same reason,” said Zane Lasich, 17. “It’s for you guys, to let you know what’s going on. There’s a lot that you don’t see.”

Lasich remembers the way the van he lived in as a young child smelled after his parents used meth, he said.

He moved in with relatives. They lost their house in Marysville to a fire and later moved to Granite Falls. Lasich said he got into trouble for selling marijuana and was expelled. He was kicked out of his family’s house, too, he said. He couch surfed until a friend offered him a place to stay.

Lasich is looking toward graduation. He wants to become a firefighter.

Cameron Moody, 17, didn’t know the Homecoming dance at Marysville Pilchuck High School would be one of his last memories with a close friend. He said he was just outside the cafeteria of the school on Oct. 24, 2014, when he heard a gunshot. The school went into lockdown. He later learned that his friend Gia Soriano had been shot. She died two days later. She was one of five students, including the shooter, who were killed.

Moody urged the audience at Voices of Youth to help prevent school violence by paying attention to teens’ social media, odd actions or words, and other warning signs.

Jacob Kerst, 18, battled anxiety that made him physically ill. He threw up before school, at school and once on the bus. He missed his entire freshman year.

After therapy, he purposely steps out of his comfort zone to work through his anxiety. He joined the leadership class at Crossroads and started heading up assemblies. Not long ago, he performed as part of a band. He’s been getting A’s in his classes. He plans to graduate on time despite missing a year.

Jessica Olson-Hernandez, 15, feels like she grew up the day she asked her moms why one of the neighborhood kids’ parents would never let the two girls play together. She learned it was because her parents were gay.

Olson-Hernandez was adopted as an infant, she said, because her biological mother had been addicted to meth. Her moms were there for her when Olson-Hernandez struggled with mental health issues. She worried about random and terrible “what-ifs” and she felt empty, she said. For a while she was getting counseling and wasn’t in school. She was hesitant about going to Crossroads at first.

Now, “my heart is full,” she said. “I know by the time I graduate, it’ll be tipped off and overflowing.”

Angel Gilbert’s mom went missing in February 2011. Her mother had been struggling with drug addiction. She was supposed to get help, but instead went hiking and hasn’t been seen since. The last words the now 16-year-old has from her are a Facebook message to say, “I love you.”

Jessiana King, 17, overcame drug addiction for her son, now six months old. She celebrated a year clean in October. King said she used to run from her problems, but now she’s on track to graduate. She hopes to become a veterinarian who specializes in exotic animals. She wants her story to bring someone hope.

Jorden Crosby, 16, was raised by grandparents due to his mom’s substance abuse, he said. His mom was hospitalized for a medical emergency and now is in recovery. His great-grandmother died in that same hospital. Crosby would like to make a career of helping people with dementia or mental illness.

“I’ve always told myself that if you have a positive attitude and say positive things, positive things will happen,” he said.

Another student, 15, talked about being bullied in middle school and being told that if she killed herself, no one would miss her. She’s attempted suicide twice, she said, and has since gotten help. She hopes sharing her story might give someone else strength.

Seth McBride, a U.S. Army veteran in the audience, commended the students on their courage. He told them about the Spartan Pledge, a promise he made with friends that they would not take their own lives. He asked if the students would be interested. More than 30 people gathered to take the pledge.

At the end of the evening, Crossroads principal Bridgette Perrigoue asked every student in the room to stand. She also asked teachers and staff to stand, and anyone who works with a local organization or has helped a youth in need. She asked parents, many of whom were already standing, to raise their hands.

Then she urged the students who had shared their stories to look out at all the people who care about them.

Kari Bray: 425-339-3439; kbray@heraldnet.com