Mental health conditions like anxiety and depression are extremely common in today's world. But that doesn't mean that they aren't also incredibly tough to deal with. One Maryland teen, Chloe LaRue, knows the struggle all too well. Chloe has been coping with severe anxiety and depression for years. But she recently learned something pretty incredible about mental illness — that it can also be your superpower.
Chloe, who just turned 18, is a senior at Cristo Rey Jesuit High School in Baltimore. When it came time to apply to colleges, Chloe, understandably as an anxiety-sufferer, was feeling the pressure. While she says she was advised to apply to about five schools, she was nervous that she wouldn't get into any. So she did a little more than that. In total, she applied to 16.
"It just kind of spiraled because I thought I wouldn’t get into any," she told LittleThings. What's so interesting about Chloe's story is that even though her anxiety has plagued her for most of her life, in this case, she believes it actually helped her. As it turned out, Chloe didn't get into just a couple of schools. She got into all 16.
Chloe was thrilled that she got into every single school she applied to. But, of course, she could choose only one. She decided on Point Park University. She had previously visited the school and absolutely loved it. She'll begin studying criminal justice there in the fall.
Chloe's mother, Emperatriz Agresott, is enormously proud of her daughter. She shared her excitement over Chloe's acceptances in a Facebook post. She wrote, "You may also knows that Chloe suffers from anxiety and that manifests in doubt and overthinking most times. Well Chloe was so stressed about college that she applied to 16 different colleges and universities thinking that she wouldn’t get in to many but at least one would take her…that’s how anxiety brain works folks!!"
Her post continued, revealing the good news. "Weeelllllll not only did one take her….but she was accepted into ALLLLLLLLLLL 16 of them!!!!" the ecstatic mom wrote. "Literally EVERY college and university she applied to accepted her!! The acceptances started coming in by December and just kept coming!! Not only that but ALLLLLLL of them with some sort of merit scholarship or grant!! I mean ABSOLUTELY amazing!! To say I am proud of her is an absolute understatement!!"
Some of the colleges Chloe got into were St. Mary’s College, Ohio University, McDaniel College, Goucher College, and more.
Emperatriz tells us she didn't realize how many schools Chloe had applied to until acceptance after acceptance started coming in: "After about the fifth yes came through, she was like, 'Mom, people really want me.' Then she came clean about applying to so many and the reason why. To me it was just [an] affirmation of all of her hard work and a validation for her self-esteem. Just extremely proud but not surprised."
While Chloe's anxiety definitely worked for her in this case, that hasn't always been true. Chloe has overcome a lot in her young life. Her anxiety kicked in when she was around 6 years old, and it's only grown more challenging as she's gotten older. But this amazing teen has used her mental health condition as an opportunity, not just for her own growth but to help others.
Chloe actually started a group at her high school that focuses on students' mental health, called the Clear Your Mind Club. Chloe tells us, "It’s a safe space for students to go and not feel judged by others being what they go through in their lives and how they’re feeling." Don't we all wish there had been a club like that in our own high schools? I know I do.
It definitely goes to show that high schoolers these days understand mental health a lot more than previous generations. And it's really a beautiful thing. Still, there's a long way to go in terms of acceptance for mental health conditions. There's still a huge stigma around so many mental health issues, even as common as they are. People like Chloe are helping to change that.
As an 18-year-old who will be heading off to college in a few months, Chloe is just starting out in the world. But she's already made some incredible contributions. It's exciting to think about the kinds of important conversations she'll start once she gets to college, and thereafter.
For Chloe, coping with mental health might not be easy, but it's already taught her so much about who she is and wants to be in the world. She also says that she's learned the importance of not staying quiet. "You aren’t gonna receive the help you need unless you speak up," she says. "People can't read your brain."
Being so open and vulnerable about her struggles and her successes is undoubtedly going to help so many people do just that.
