Ashley Schellhase wrote a letter thanking the judges for evaluating her senior project. For her project, she created an online blog to raise awareness about depression and suicide in memory of her cousin. The blog contains research, facts, pictures, and stories about mental illness and available help. While her research made her decide against pursuing psychology or counseling as a career due to the sad topics, it inspired her to continue raising awareness about depression in college through a To Write Love On Her Arms club.

1. 1550 Owens Store Road
Canton, GA 30115
April 18, 2012
Judges, Senior Project
Creekview High School
1550 Owens Store Road
Canton, GA 30115
Dear Judges,
My name is Ashley Schellhase, and I would like to sincerely thank you for
volunteering your time towards judging me today. For my Senior Project, I chose to
create an online blog that raises awareness for the seriousness of depression and suicide. I
created my own blog in loving memory of my cousin, and my main goal is to educate,
inspire, and warn people of how serious depression and suicide really are. Not only did I
accomplish this in our community by sharing my project with friends and family, but also
around the world by allowing my blog to be public.
I conducted research on the correlation between mental illness and suicide, signs
of depression, and what help is available. I also researched a non-profit organization
called To Write Love On Her Arms who began through a blog themselves. TWLOHA is
focused on raising awareness, just like me! TWLOHA has been my main inspiration for
the content of my blog, and my blog consists of facts, pictures, videos, and stories. To
allow my blog to be more appealing, I took and edited my own photos, and they tend to
be the bulk of my presentation. Tragically, over 17 million people worldwide are
currently suffering from depression, and I simply want to raise awareness of such a
serious issue. I feel as if my blog was created to help and inspire others!
My topic and research relates to a career along the lines of psychology or
counseling. Through my research, I have learned that I do not want to pursue this topic in
a career because the sub topics are too sad for me. On the other hand, I have been
inspired to continue this topic by joining/starting a TWLOHA club in college that will be
solely focused on helping those suffering!
As a whole, I feel that my Senior Project has opened new horizons on how I can
inspire and help others get through this life. I hope that more people will join me in the
movement to decrease the suicide rate. Again, thank you so much for your time, and I
hope that my project will also open your eyes to a few startling yet inspiring facts about
depression and suicide!
Sincerely,
Ashley Schellhase