2020
Arts
Young
Alumni
Award
recipient,
Tara
Hebblethwaite,
(BA
'13
Legal Studies)
Living
with
mental
illness
since
childhood,
Tara
Hebblethwaite’s
path
to
becoming
a
vocal
advocate
for
mental
health
began
after
graduating
from Waterloo
with
a
life-changing
moment
in
2014
when
she
was
a
witness
and
911
caller
for
a
young
man
who
died
by
suicide.
With
the
support
of
grief
counselling,
Tara
realized
that
seeing
someone
take
their
life
was
enough
for
her
to
stop
losing
any
more
days
of
her
own
life
to
mental
illness.
She
chose
to
continue
her
path
of
healing
and
by
2016,
Tara
began
to
drive
social
change.
Using
her
platform
as
a
former
Miss
Oktoberfest,
a
role
she
was
once
ashamed
to
associate
with
mental
illness,
she
became
unstoppable
in
her
community,
sharing
her
story
of
hardship
and
transformation
in
a
raw,
vulnerable
way.
In
2018
Tara’s
passion
for
mental
health
advocacy
prompted
her
to
leave
her
legal
career
and
work
with
Lutherwood,
a
leading
centre
for
children’s
mental
health,
where
she
is
now
an
Employment
Consultant,
working
to
help
barriered
youth
become
skilled
and
employable.
Tara
is
a
2018
recipient
of
the
Rogers
Women
of
the
Year
award
for
her
advocacy.
Her
dedication
and
contributions
to
supporting
a
community
where
no
one
lives
in
silence,
shame,
or
takes
their
life
because
of
mental
illness,
is
vital
and
worthy
of
high
recognition.
