On a ten-point scale, adults rate their stress level averages at 3.8, while high school students rate their stress levels at 5.8. From classes, clubs, to sports, teenagers in the modern day are no strangers to stress. Fortunately, seniors Ania Saladi, Humera Sayed, and Tvisha Dass know that students do not have to deal with the pressure alone.
In an effort to combat the difficult feelings that come with high school, Saladi jump started her community project, “Dear Dopamine,” through Future Business Leaders of America (FBLA) during her junior year alongside Sayed.
“It started based on just my passion for wanting to support mental health, especially after I had some of my own dear friends struggle with that,” Saladi said. “I would say I was really dedicated to serving that community and actually having feasible ways that they can actually manage their stress.”
To tackle the stress epidemic, Dear Dopamine works through workshop-based programs that are made available to the school community. Activities of the project include making crafts such as gratitude and memory cards, which are adapted forms of art therapy.
This year, however, Dear Dopamine has gone above and beyond as it partnered with UpsideDown Moments, a non-profit organization right in Loudoun that works specifically with the foster care system to better the lives of children through advocacy and charitable services that provide essential resources.
“We were talking with the organization,” Sayed said. “We learned a lot. Foster kids in the system have a lot of stressful factors in their life–when it comes to moving to different homes, they get a lot of stress from that. So, we thought it would be a good idea to help them, not just in our schools, but for those in a different country as well.”
Alongside the workshops to tackle the stress found within the student body, the girls work through combating other stressful challenges with community service, like the current donation drive they are running boxes to donate can be found in L514 and items range from hygiene products like shampoo or toothpaste to more hands-on activities for kids in need like coloring books and toys. Already, the girls have received over 400 items through the donation window.
“It was exciting to see all of the different people across our community really getting to understand why it’s so impactful to support the foster care system,” Saladi said. “It’s fun to see how much community service really does bring joy into people’s lives.”
Each of the girls’ unique skill-sets come together to bring the vision of “Dear Dopamine” to life. With Saladi’s background in health, she is able to understand the scientific factors contributing to the issue; Sayed’s efficiency for communication shines through when it comes to organizing meetings; and Dass’s proficiency of getting the word out about the program has allowed it to grow into what it is today.
“[I wanted to help the community by] just highlighting the fact that mental health is so important,” Dass said. “Especially nowadays, we want to normalize that conversation and that discussion.”
