Shannon Ackerman is in the high school graduating class of 2018. She loves dogs, tacos, and the color orange. She hopes to travel the world and help all those around her. Shannon likes to watch bad movies to make fun of them and enjoys springtime.

Click to tweet: Shannon Ackerman shares her incredible journey on the i’M-possible Project Show!

Time Stamped Notes

• 2.00 Shannon volunteers with the Matthew Silverman Memorial Foundation helping prevent teen suicide
• 2.22 Shannon plays the baritone in her high school marching band. But she is originally a French horn/mellophone player
• 3.32 Shannon says that, “if you can’t see the good in the world, you have to be it. ”
• 4.20 One of the biggest obstacles of Shannon’s young life is the suicide of a close family friend. She subsequently began self-harming and developed bulimia because of the loss of her family friend to suicide 5.11 Shannon first admitted to her parents that she had a problem with bulimia and self-harm, which helped get her on track to begin healing emotionally from the loss of her family friend to suicide
• 7.40 Shannon’s mom had a difficult time understanding and accepting that Shannon was having difficulties with her mental health, but in time she’s come to support her daughter in a big way 10.05 Shannon copes with her mental illnesses by writing, reorganizing her closet, running on the treadmill, cleaning the kitchen 13.03 In 2016, Shannon won a “Matt’s Hero” award from the Matthew Silverman Memorial Foundation for her work as an advocate in teen suicide prevention
• 17.28 Shannon says she is terrible at walking—despite being in marching band (Find out more fun facts about Shannon in the Quick Fire Round)
• 19.55 After high school, Shannon will be pursuing a career in counseling psychology

Key points

1.  It can be difficult to understand the hardships a person goes through when living with mental illness—empathy is key.
2.  Employing and developing coping skills is paramount to a life well-lived. Coping skills look different for different people
3. It’s okay to not be okay. There is strength in asking for help.

Resources or Websites Mentioned