Olivia McMullen will be inducted next month as Miss Worldwide Teen New Jersey Ambassador for Live Out Loud Charity.
Olivia McMullen knows firsthand what it is like to struggle with mental illness.
McMullen, a 15-year-old rising sophomore at Cherry Hill High School West, was diagnosed with depression and anxiety about three years ago. Since then, she has dedicated much of her free time toward working with Live Out Loud Charity, a nonprofit organization with a focus on preventing suicide and bullying and developing character.
Now, McMullen is becoming an outspoken leader with Live Out Loud. On Aug. 19, McMullen will be inducted as Miss Worldwide Teen New Jersey Ambassador for the organization. McMullen will be the organization’s first ambassador from New Jersey since its founding in 2010.
McMullen has come a long way in the last few years. Looking back on her childhood, McMullen realizes she had depression and anxiety long before she was diagnosed, but didn’t realize how to handle it at the time.
“I always had depression from even before 2015, but I was always so nervous to talk about it,” she said.
“Around 2015, I personally was diagnosed with depression and anxiety,” McMullen continued. “Around that same time, my mom found the Live Out Loud Charity on Facebook. I started getting involved then with training and starting things in my school.”
Live Out Loud Charity was originally founded in 2010 by Sherrie Gearheart, an Illinois woman who had lost a childhood friend to suicide. The organization’s mission is to raise awareness about mental health issues and educate people on the signs of depression and suicide prevention.
McMullen has completed multiple training programs focused on Live Out Loud’s three core areas of suicide prevention, anti-bullying and character development. The first training was on an emergency suicide intervention system through the QPR Institute. QPR stands for question, persuade and refer and details the three steps someone should take when they encounter someone who they believe is exhibiting suicidal thoughts.
The second training program McMullen completed was on core character development. McMullen described the training as a self-reflection program where participants go through eight steps to better understand themselves.
The third training was on an anti-bullying program called STAR. STAR stands for stop, think and react. Like QPR, it details the three steps people can take when encountering a bullying situation. McMullen said the program is tailored for use in elementary schools.
“This definitely helps because it gives examples and it shows you real-life situations where this stuff does happen,” she said of the program.
McMullen spoke highly of all three programs and said they have changed her personally in a number of ways.
“Going through this entire thing really changed my outlook,” she said. “Really going through QPR and all of that stuff, it’s eye opening and it helped me understand myself better and what I’m going through.”
McMullen’s selection as an ambassador began a few weeks ago when she submitted an essay. After her submission, she had an interview with Gearhart over the phone and had her submission sent to the charity’s board. Two days after the interview, McMullen received an email saying she would become an ambassador.
McMullen is excited about the role, saying it will allow her to spread the word about Live Out Loud’s programs better within the Cherry Hill community. She is most looking forward to working in her own school.
“I’m going to have the opportunity to speak to schools and community groups,” she said. “One of the big things I want to talk about is talk to teachers and get them more familiar with the steps of QPR and core character development.”
McMullen is also planning to hold fundraisers for Live Out Loud Charity. She is currently planning to host a concert fundraiser along with her vocal coach, Izabela Adams. McMullen said the concert will allow singers who have struggled with depression and other mental health issues to be given a platform to tell their story.
McMullen is looking forward to traveling to Indianapolis next month for her induction ceremony. She will also attend Live Out Loud’s annual fashion show.
“The first 30 to 40 minutes are (Gearheart) speaking and other ambassadors speaking on QPR, core character development and their stories,” McMullen said about the fashion show. “Then it goes into the fashion show element. About 90 to 95 percent of the models in the show have struggled with depression, have thought about suicide or have been bullied.”
McMullen has started a GoFundMe page to raise money for her trip to Indianapolis. Any funds not used for McMullen’s travel expenses will be donated directly to Live Out Loud. To donate to McMullen’s fundraising efforts, visit www.gofundme.com/suicide-break-the-silence-lolc. For more information on Live Out Loud Charity, visit http://liveoutloudcharity.org.
