Meet the Dedicated Team 

I’m an undergraduate film student and plan to get my masters degree in film studies. My goal is to become a film studies professor. I’m from Forest Grove and care about my community and especially my campus. I hope our work here can help people and raise some awareness about harm reduction! I spend my time outside of school watching tons of movies, playing guitar, and listening to hardcore music with my friends. Some of my favorite bands are Have Heart, Snowing, Gorilla Biscuits, Dinosaur Jr.,  xNOMADx, Title Fight, and Braid.

My Why:

I’ve gone to local shows since I was a teenager and I’ve seen what drugs do to people. I’ve witnessed people overdose on multiple occasions and every time there was someone there who had Narcan and knew how to help, but you can’t always rely on there to be someone who knows what to do. I think it’s important to have information about how people can get involved with harm reduction in their community and better yet I think it would be great to combine that with introducing people to a genre of music they might not be familiar with. Drugs have always been synonymous with hardcore, whether that’s in movies where punks OD like Heroin Bob in SLC Punk or in subgenres like straight-edge hardcore which has an anti-drug use message. I’m very passionate about people having the help they need and the compassion of others with their addiction or the addiction of someone they know and I think the first step in helping people understand that is by giving them the informational basics of harm reduction. 

I am currently pursuing a double major in philosophy and psychology, with aspirations of advancing to graduate school to earn my PsyD. My long-term goal is to establish my own practice, where I aim to integrate innovative treatments such as ketamine-assisted therapy with cognitive and somatic approaches. My passion for mental health and therapeutic innovation drives me to explore new ways of supporting individuals on their journey to healing their mind. Oregon has been my home for nine years now, where I live with my husband and our three fur babies. When I am not at school you will find me at local edm shows or your local sushi spot.

My Why:

Throughout my life, I have faced significant challenges related to substance use and mental health, marking a difficult and dark period for me. Unfortunately, being involved in the drug scene led to the tragic loss of many individuals I met along the way, particularly due to the rise of fentanyl. However, what ultimately helped me find healing was engaging in therapy specifically tailored to substance use disorders. This transformative experience ignited a deep passion within me.

Having personally navigated the complex relationship between mental health struggles and substance use as a symptom, I developed a unique understanding of the challenges others face. I am deeply committed to providing a safe and supportive space where individuals can address their symptoms while focusing on the underlying root causes of their struggles. My goal is to help people recognize that their challenges are not permanent, and that with the right support, they can achieve lasting healing and recovery.

Hi there! I'm an undergraduate psychology student situated in Hillsboro, Oregon, with plans to pursue a doctorate in Clinical Psychology after graduation. My ultimate goal is to work with a diverse range of clients, although I’m particularly focused on supporting individuals who have faced or are currently experiencing neglect. The specific client base I aim to serve includes those struggling with schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, identity disturbances, and trauma from various forms of abuse. I hope to be a supportive guide in people's healing journeys, using proven therapy techniques while being someone they can feel comfortable and open with. When I'm not working, I'm typically hiking, making candles and perfumes, baking, or doing some computer programming -- basically anything that allows me to express my creativity and try something new!

My Why:

Throughout my life, I have seen, like many of us, the inexplicable harm that mental illness can inflict on a person. Substance misuse often emerges as a consequence of mental distress, serving as an unhealthy but adaptive coping mechanism. Numerous people I know, some of whom share deeply personal connections with me, have been or are currently at the center of this intersection, resulting in a diminished quality of life for them and those around them. I believe this is what has fueled my passion for wanting to help those with substance use disorders overcome their challenges and restabilize their lives. Nonetheless, I firmly believe that the solution to this issue begins with education-- education on mental health, substance use, and, importantly, harm reduction.