Jacob Zaionz

Jacob Zaionz is an AP student at Foothill High School who is well-rounded in athletics, participation within the student body, and in academics. Coming from a high-standard community, he realized that many of the students claim to have, or have struggled with, mental illnesses such as depression. Having gone through the struggle of depression himself, Jacob quickly saw the many ways that media misportrays depression, and how misinformed many people are upon the matter. Jacob's goal is to allow other people to see that depression isn't a light-hearted topic, but rather a serious issue that needs to be addressed and openly-spoken about. Jacob has noticed shows such as "Thirteen Reasons Why," and saw the many ways it misinterpreted how depression affects people. Jacob wants for the parents of adolescents to better understand the thought process of the modern adolescent in light of depression, and how it is processed.

[Programming descriptions are generated by participants and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of SXSW.]