The University of California has announced the winners of a statewide video contest focused on making a positive impact on campus life.
UC and California high school students were recognized for films they created as part of the Directing Change video contest. Winners were announced during a ceremony in Sacramento on May 13, Mental Health Matters Day.
Participants were asked to submit 60-second public service announcements in two categories: “Suicide Prevention” and “Ending the Silence About Mental Illness.” This year, 432 videos were submitted, representing 996 students from 112 California high schools and nine UC campuses.
Contest submissions were judged by more than 200 volunteer experts in mental health and suicide prevention, members of the media, and professionals in filmmaking and video production. Awards were presented by director Bradley Buecker and actor Max Adler from Fox’s television show “Glee.” Judy Sakaki, UC’s vice president of student affairs, assisted with the presentation of UC’s awards.
The contest is funded through the California Mental Health Services Authority (CalMHSA) Student Mental Health Initiative, also known as Proposition 63. Winning videos will be shared with higher education partners in the California State University system and the California Community College system, and used as education and awareness tools at UC locations.
Winning films in the suicide prevention category are:
University of California
- First: “Pain Never Lasts” by UC Riverside students Jared Odom and Morrise Richardson
- Second: “Push” by UC Santa Barbara students Gabe Fox and Carter Hiyama
- Third: “Paper” by UC San Diego student Rhiann Hang Lam Suen
- Honorable mention: “Labyrinth” by UC Santa Barbara student Mic Dahl
- Honorable mention: “You Are Important” by UC San Diego students Weixin Liao, Ya Gong and Jiayi Tao
- Honorable mention: “Army of Love” by UC Davis students Ed Ju and Marisa Morton
High school
- First: “A New Tomorrow” by Analy High School students Kendra Goff and Sullivan Rutherford (Sonoma County)
- Second: “Perception” by James C. Enochs High School students Caleb Meyer, Jacob McNeilly, Justin Benziger, Brandon Wilcox, Mariah Davis and Megan Johnson (Stanislaus County)
- Third: “Hey Taylor” by Canyon High School students Kimberly Stratton, Stephen Gracia, Cassidy Foelsch and Nicholas Jackson (Orange County)
Winning films in the “ending the silence associated with mental illness” category include:
University of California
- First: “We Are All Human” by UC Santa Barbara student Kathleen Oum
- Second: “Say Something” by UC San Diego students Ulysses Savage and Jessica Rosas
- Third: “Not to Be Ignored” by UC Merced students Kennan Conner and Salvatore Angrisani
- Honorable mention: “Break the Silence” by UC Berkeley student Nick Randhawa
- Honorable mention: “Fighters” by UC San Diego students Jason Ted Chang, Jenny Ly, Eric Han and Andrew Heideman
High school
- First: “Couldn’t Do It Alone” by Whitney High School students Madison Preston and Justin Conti (Placer County)
- Second: “Walk the Mile” by Pleasant Valley High School/ROP students Mary Beem and Lana Maderos (Butte County)
- Third: “If We All Speak Loud Enough” by Canyon High School student Nick Walker (Orange County)
Prizes:
First place: $1,000
Second place: $500
Third place: $300
Honorable mention: $100
UC campuses associated with student winners will also receive a Go-Pro camera for their counseling center.