My Experience at the Bring Change to Mind Summit

Last week, I had the chance to attend the Northern California Summit for Bring Change to Mind (BC2M), an organization that empowers students to advocate for mental health awareness and work towards creating more empathetic and inclusive environments. BC2M brings together high school students across the country to start conversations, share resources, and tell stories in hopes of ending the stigma surrounding mental health. From the moment I walked into the center, I knew it was going to be an experience that would leave me feeling inspired. 

One of the first activities we had was a breakout session on a topic of our choice; I attended one on managing inner monologues. We were provided with notebooks and pens, then prompted to reflect on our past conflicts. The goal was to look at situations from multiple perspectives, an exercise in empathy and self-awareness. I felt it to be a quiet and much-needed moment of reflection.

After lunch was the most awaited part of the event, the activity fair, which was an amalgamation of creativity and color. There was everything from slime-making and bath-bomb crafting to a collage station to let your creativity flow. I tried my hand at sand art, layering the colored grains into a simple, striped pattern, and of course, I couldn’t resist taking some fun photos in the photo booth with my friend, Meg, who happens to be part of the team at Soul Spill as well. We also had the chance to curate a personalized card collection, filling up boxes with thoughtful cards for our loved ones. 

The sand art author Ananya Raman created at the summit

But honestly, the highlight of my day wasn’t the crafts or activities—it was Brixton, the adorable golden retriever therapy dog. Dressed like a rather eccentric lady, he wandered around the event, taking pictures with the students, and bringing smiles to everyone. In my personal opinion, Brixton was the real star of the summit. 

Author Ananya Raman & Outreach Manager Meg Mulcaster with Brixton the therapy dog

Overall, it was a day of creativity, reflection, and fun—one I’ll definitely remember for a long time. I left the summit feeling lighter and more inspired to use the methods I was taught to reflect on the conflicts I’ll encounter later in life. Plus, I’ll always remember Braxton and his delightful outfits as the cherry on top.