Suicide Prevention Month

Prosper works to support student mental health

Counselor shares passion of guidance

Girls lacrosse coach advocates for mental health

In early 2023, Prosper girls lacrosse welcomed Alexander, an ambassador for the mental health non-profit Morgan’s Message, to lead the team.

“We’re really just trying to take the stigma away from mental health,” Alexander said. “There’s nothing bad about it. It’s a part of life, and we’re trying to get people to come forward and feel comfortable talking about it.” 

The former Syracuse lacrosse player said the organization’s message really hit home as she struggled with mental health herself as a Division I athlete.

“I tore both my ACL‘s, so I went through a lot mentally as well as physically, and I came forward about my struggles,” Alexander said. “But, it definitely has taken a different course in the last couple of years, in comparison to when I started college.” 

Now, bringing her skill set to the coaching side of the game, Alexander also influences students with the position she holds as a Morgan’s Message ambassador.

“I feel like coach Morgan focuses a lot on making sure that we feel good whenever we’re practicing so everyone’s getting to participate,” senior Lauren Garst said. “She doesn’t really focus on the negatives of practice. She just focuses on us improving ourselves.”

For some athletes, mental health is not treated the same as physical health, or even seen as a priority. But, senior Shae Hagans said she does not agree with that sentiment.

“Mental health is so important,” Hagans said. “If your mind is not healthy, neither is your body.”

Garst said that people should be aware of the mental health needs of themselves as well as of those around them.

“It’s important to bring awareness to mental health because there are lots of people and athletes who struggle with mental health and don’t speak up about it,” Garst said.”It’s important to help people who are struggling know they can come forward and get help from others around them.” 

Eliminating the negative stigma surrounding mental health stands as a primary goal of the Morgan’s Message organization, along with connecting athletes who have similar experiences.

“When you talk about anything mental, everyone’s like ‘you’re kind of weak,’ so we’re trying to steer completely away from that,” Alexander said. “How I do that is making the conversations more comfortable. It’s the language you use, and it’s how you use it.” 

Alexander was the second ambassador of the organization, which has now expanded to having thousands of them. The group also organizes dedication games with professional sports teams and sets up workshops at high schools and colleges across the country.

“It is pretty cool to see how big this has grown over three years,” Alexander said. “It just shows the need for it if you give somebody a flat platform to do so. It’s awesome.”

Isabel Multer, sports editor for Eagle Nation Online, also works for Eagle Nation News, Prosper High School’s broadcast program. Multer wrote the feature article here, and she assisted Kross Nickerson of ENN with the broadcast package, as well.