by Beth Trimarco
As part of Mental Health Awareness Month, Blue Shield of California is spotlighting young people who are helping their peers shift how they talk about and prioritize mental health. One of them is Chloe Lau, a 17-year-old high school junior from San Francisco and a student representative for Mind Out Loud, a national, youth-led group powered by Wellness Together and supported by Blue Shield’s BlueSky youth mental health initiative.
Lau’s mental health advocacy began with her own experience. In middle school during the COVID-19 pandemic, she felt isolated and disconnected from friends. She recalls, “I wasn’t doing well. I’m a person of Asian heritage, and mental health can be ignored sometimes in our culture. It’s not something that’s talked about.”
Her small school at the time didn’t offer mental health resources. Fortunately, that changed in high school, where she found a supportive environment, mental health-focused courses, and even a meditation room. She lights up when talking about her psychology and history classes, which fueled her curiosity about how society has treated mental health over time.
“It’s interesting how mental health problems used to be taboo, and they’d lock people away,” she said. “But now people are treated a lot better. I love learning the biological, cognitive and socio-cultural aspects of mental health, and how I can apply that to everyone including myself.”
Youth-led, national reach
Last year, Lau discovered Mind Out Loud through Instagram and applied to become a student representative. The program, supported by BlueSky, hosts free, monthly virtual workshops for youth and an annual national online event.
“What’s great about Mind Out Loud is that it reaches everyone across the country from different backgrounds, races, cities, rural areas — even globally,” said Lau, who now serves on the group’s communications committee and co-produces their podcast, which reaches more than 300 listeners.
Paula Ambrose, Blue Shield of California’s principal of Corporate Citizenship who heads up BlueSky, said, “One of the many things I appreciate about Mind Out Loud is that it centers youth agency and provides opportunities for them to support their peers in authentic and meaningful ways. What’s so important about groups like Mind Out Loud is that it’s youth speaking to their peers. There’s a different level of trust and understanding among peers, and we believe that elevating their voices is the foundation of youth mental health advocacy.”
What began as a personal interest for Lau quickly became a leadership role. She’s especially passionate about ensuring mental health resources remain in schools.
“Mental health programs are already underfunded. If there are budget cuts, it’s going to affect youth programs. We need more of these resources in schools — not less,” she said, “We spend eight hours a day there. Young people need spaces where we can feel seen and heard.”
Reflecting on why so many youth struggle with mental health challenges, Lau cited pressures coming from home life, school, keeping grades up, SAT scores and the fact that college acceptances are getting harder.
“People feel like they’re not good enough. Students will break down and feel like their future is being stripped away because of one bad grade. Everything comes crashing down.”
She encourages peers to reach out: “Give yourself a break and ask for help when you need it. Asking for help is not a sign of weakness. It takes courage to be vulnerable and share that you’re struggling. It’s so much stronger than pretending to be okay when you’re not.”
Mental health resources
- Youth mental health resources supported by BlueSky:
- Mental Health California’s Into the Classroom from Brother Be Well
- Wellness Together’s Mental Health Literacy for Students and Adults
- The Trevor Project: Crisis support for LGBTQ+ youth.
- The 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline: Free, confidential service available 24/7 in multiple languages. You can call, text or chat, and it’s not just for emergencies — it’s also a resource when you feel stuck or overwhelmed.
- California Peer-Run Warm Line: Call 855-600-WARM (9276) to talk to a peer counselor before you're in crisis.
- Blue Shield members can search for a mental health provider or access self-guided mental health resources on the Mental Health Resource Hub.
- Wellvolution is Blue Shield’s online lifestyle-medicine platform, available at no cost to most members, with tools to support mental health — including the meditation app Headspace.