TCNJ

37 SPRING 2022 people. And I saw queer people. But I didn't see a lot of queer Asian people." Wong, too, feels a responsibility to younger LGBTQ Asian people. His coming out experience was compli- cated, but ultimately okay; he and his family remain close. But that's not always the case. Wong is fueled by a sense of urgency. ... Like many LGBTQ individuals, he had his own suicidal thoughts when he was a teen. In 2020, after The Trevor Project research found that Asian/Pacific Islander LGBTQ youth were signifi- cantly less likely than others to share their identity with parents, Wong wrote a personal essay about his own challenges, from his fear of rejection to how he normalized his sexuality in hopes that the family would eventu- ally accept it. Opening up about his experience was not only a smart media strategy that helped promote the research, but a means of modeling a possible path for LGBTQ Asian youth. "I received notes after that saying, 'I've had that experience,' and 'This is validating to know that I'm not alone,'" he says. These days Wong is especially busy. The pandemic increased mental health challenges for many, including LGBTQ young people. In the organiza- tion's 2021 survey, more than 80% of LGBTQ youth reported that COVID-19 made their living situation more stressful, with only 1 in 3 describing their home as LGBTQ-affirming. Additionally, 48% said they wanted counseling from a mental health pro- fessional but weren't able to receive it. Expanding The Trevor Project's audi- ence feels more critical than ever, and with Wong 's leadership, the communi- cations team is doing just that. In the last year, The Trevor Project was featured on the cover of Adweek and its CEO was named to Fortune's 40 Under 40 list — both significant boosts for the brand's exposure. Wong expanded outreach across social media, hosting Instagram conver- sations with celebrity chefs Melissa King and Ronnie Woo and appearing in Abercrombie & Fitch video cam- paigns about mental health. But the year's most impactful com- munications moment may have arrived when Carl Nassib, then a defensive end for the Las Vegas Raiders, became the first active NFL player to come out. Wong and a colleague had quietly helped Nassib gauge how the news might be received ahead of time. When Nassib came out in June, he simultaneously announced a $100,000 donation to The Trevor Project and praised its work on behalf of LGBTQ youth. Coverage of the organization's mission immediately blanketed the biggest broadcasts across the country, while traffic to its website spiked more than 350%. For Wong, the triumph of such mes- saging victories is always tempered by what drives the work. He has never forgotten what he realized in his ear- liest days on the job as he read about the young boy's death by suicide. "I remember having that moment and feeling specifically like I could make a difference in the lives of LGBTQ young people if we make sure they know about us," he says, adding, "You have to be connected to why you're doing this." ■ If you or someone you know is feeling hopeless or suicidal, The Trevor Project's trained crisis counselors are available 24/7 at 1-866-488-7386, via chat at www.TheTrevorProject.org/ Get-Help, or by texting START to 678-678. Liz Leyden is a writer in New Jersey. Answering the call Student-run hotline helps community members in crisis Harish Rajagopal '22 had seen people close to him struggling with mental health and wanted to help. As a freshman, he learned he could volunteer as a crisis hotline specialist with Contact of Mercer County in Pennington, New Jersey, after completing an intensive 10-week, 30-hour required training. "Each week I would catch an Uber to go to the training class off campus," says Rajagopal. But he thought the lessons — learning how to be an active listener and offering support and resources — were so valuable that he wanted to bring the experience back to TCNJ. With the help of Mark Forest, the college's director of mental health services, the pair established Contact of TCNJ as an official club, featuring a call center and the necessary trainings right on campus. Now, more than 200 students are trained and volunteer to man the campus call center, which receives calls from the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline and Contact of Mercer. "We get everything from people who are nonemergent and just want to talk to people on the verge with suicidal thoughts," says Rajagopal. "It can be terrifying to answer a call," says Aahna Rathod '23, one of the student volunteers. "But most of the time, I can tell the callers feel better after having talked about whatever they needed to. That's why I keep going." — Kara Pothier If you need someone to listen, call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-8255.

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