Miss Illinois, Ariel Beverly, recently visited Rosecrance for Red Ribbon Week ® to speak with clients and tour the Griffin Williamson Campus in Rockford. Beverly discussed her experiences with topics such as self-esteem, potential dangers of social media, and overcoming personal obstacles and struggles.
“Every single problem that you’ve faced is developing who you are,” said Beverly. “Everything you’ve gone through in your past has made you into the person you are today. The best thing you can do is just try to view what positive thing can come out of the struggle you’re facing; that can help get you through it. Try to see what you can learn from what you’re going through right now.”
Teens in treatment for substance abuse and mental health disorders listened as Beverly shared how to manage expectations in life: “When we’re living our lives and it’s not perfect, we think we’re doing something wrong. We’re not. Nothing is perfect.”
Beverly encouraged clients to focus on what traits they like about themselves in order to build confidence as a way to combat thoughts of low self-esteem.
The Red Ribbon Campaign® is the oldest and largest drug prevention program in the nation reaching millions of young people during Red Ribbon Week, October 23–October 31 each year.