Kids Care: Molly Kerrigan
MONDAY. GOOD MORNING AND THANK YOU FOR JOINING US FOR THIS LATEST SEGMENT OF KIDS CARE. I AM JOINED BY MOLLY KERRIGAN, WHO’S A STUDENT AT LONDONDERRY HIGH SCHOOL, AND SHE HAS BEEN AN ADVOCATE FOR TEEN MENTAL HEALTH. WHY IS TEEN MENTAL HEALTH SO IMPORTANT TO YOU? IT’S SO IMPORTANT TO ME BECAUSE I REALIZED THAT THERE’S SO MANY DIFFERENT STEREOTYPES AND STIGMAS AROUND CHILDREN THAT STRUGGLE WITH THEIR MENTAL HEALTH. IT’S ALSO SOMETHING I’M VERY PASSIONATE FOR, AND I REALIZED THAT THERE’S A BIG IMPACT ON TEENAGERS THAT AREN’T BEING CARED FOR WHEN THEY’RE STRUGGLING, AND IT’S SOMETHING THAT I WILL CONTINUE TO RAISE AWARENESS FOR AS THE YEARS COME. SO WHY DID YOU CHOOSE TO FOCUS ON THIS AS YOUR COMMUNITY SERVICE INITIATIVE? I GET SO MANY OPPORTUNITIES TO SPEAK WITH DIFFERENT YOUNG INDIVIDUALS AND MAKE IMPORTANT CONNECTIONS, AND THAT TIES WELL WITH MY COMMUNITY SERVICE INITIATIVE, BECAUSE I THINK THAT TAKING CARE OF A DIFFERENT TEEN’S MENTAL HEALTH, IT’S IMPORTANT THAT I’M CONNECTING WITH OTHERS CAN THAT CAN REALLY HELP INDIVIDUAL’S SELF-ESTEEM WHEN THEY’RE HAVING THAT ONE ON ONE CONVERSATIONS LIKE I CAN WHEN I’M OUT IN PUBLIC AND YOU’RE DOING SOMETHING SPECIFIC IN LONDONDERRY TO HELP WITH THIS. SO CAN YOU TELL ME A LITTLE BIT ABOUT THAT? YEAH, SO I’M DOING A FEW THINGS. RECENTLY, I’VE MADE A MENTAL HEALTH SECTION FOR TEENS IN THE LIBRARY. IT’S I, IT’S A SPACE WHERE WE PROVIDE BROCHURES AND BOOKS COVERING TOPICS THAT IMPACT TEENS, BUT IT’S ALSO JUST A COMFORTABLE SPACE THAT TEENAGERS CAN GO TO IF THEY NEED, YOU KNOW, A MENTAL HEALTH REST AND THEY DON’T HAVE A HOME WHERE THEY CAN GO AND HAVE THAT. SO I THINK IT’S IMPORTANT THAT THAT’S PROVIDED. WHAT HAS BEEN THE REACTION FROM YOUR FELLOW STUDENTS WHEN YOU TELL THEM WHAT YOU’VE BEEN DOING? FOR A LOT OF STUDENTS, IT CAN BE A SHOCK, SOMETHING A LITTLE BIT SILLY IS THAT A LOT OF PEOPLE KNOW ME AS THE PAGEANT GIRL IN SCHOOL, AND I THINK THERE’S NOT MUCH OF A BIG SHOCK BECAUSE AS IT’S HIGH SCHOOL, THERE ARE LESS STUDENTS INTERESTED IN COMMUNITY SERVICE, INITIATIVE AND VOLUNTEERING. BUT I THINK THAT AS SOMEBODY WHO IS INVOLVED WITH THE NEW HAMPSHIRE SCHOLARSHIP PROGRAM, IT’S MY JOB TO GET DIFFERENT TEENAGERS INTRIGUED AND VOLUNTEERING BECAUSE IT SOUNDS NOT SO MUCH FUN WHEN YOU JUST SAY IT LIKE THAT. BUT WHEN YOU TALK ABOUT ALL THESE OPPORTUNITIES AND EXPERIENCES THAT YOU HAVE, IT SOUNDS A LOT DIFFERENT. AND PROBABLY A LOT OF STUDENTS MIGHT BE HAVING SOME MENTAL HEALTH ISSUES. THEY JUST MAY NOT WANT TO TALK ABOUT IT, BUT THEY SEE THAT YOU ARE GIVING THEM A SPACE, MAYBE AT THE LIBRARY AND DOING SOMETHING ABOUT IT, RIGHT? YEAH, I THINK A LOT OF THE TIME, STUDENTS. AS FOR ME MYSELF, WE TEND TO NOT WANT TO TALK ABOUT IT. IT’S A TOPIC THAT PEOPLE DON’T REALIZE NEEDS TO BE DISCUSSED. BUT I THINK WHEN WE ARE HAVING CONVERSATIONS LIKE WE ARE RIGHT NOW, IT OPENS UP DIFFERENT IDEAS FOR OTHER INDIVIDUALS TO SEE THAT, OH, THEY’RE TALKING ABOUT IT AND SO CAN THEY. SO I THINK THAT’S VERY IMPORTANT. YOU HAD AN AWARD THAT YOU GOT FROM NAMI, NEW HAMPSHIRE, AS A YOUTH LEADER OF THE YEAR. THAT IS HUGE. CAN YOU TELL ME A LITTLE BIT ABOUT WHAT WENT INTO THAT, AND WHAT DID THAT MEAN FOR YOU? SO I GOT NOMINATED A FEW WEEKS BEFORE, AND IT WAS QUITE A SHOCKER BECAUSE I HAD NO CLUE. I DIDN’T KNOW WHO NOMINATED ME. AND AFTER THE NOMINATION, I THEN FOUND OUT THAT I HAD WON LEADER OF THE YEAR BECAUSE THERE ARE A BUNCH OF INDIVIDUALS THAT WERE NOMINATED, AND I WAS SHOCKED, BUT I WAS ALSO VERY HAPPY BECAUSE I GET A MOMENT TO RECOGNIZE THAT MAYBE I HAVE MADE A SMALL IMPACT FOR SOME INDIVIDUALS. AND I THINK THAT’S WHAT’S SO IMPORTANT TO ME IN THIS ORGANIZATION WITH MY COMMUNITY SERVICE INITIATIVE, IS THAT IT’S NOT ONLY SOMETHING THAT IS VERY SPECIAL TO ME, BUT I REALIZE IN THAT MOMENT THAT I DID MAKE AN IMPACT. THANK YOU SO MUCH, MOLLY. WE APPRECIATE YOUR TIME. AND IF YOU KNOW A KID OR YOUNG ADULT IN YOUR LIFE
Molly Kerrigan, Miss Greater Derry’s Teen for 2026 is a student at Londonderry High School. She’s been an advocate for teen mental health.
Molly Kerrigan, Miss Greater Derry’s Teen for 2026 is a student at Londonderry High School. She’s been an advocate for teen mental health.