PEABODY — In 2020, Essex Media Group honored Amber Kiricoples as Person of the Year for her work fundraising and raising awareness for mental health in Peabody. Now a sophomore at Bentley University, she remains steadfast in her mission.
Between studying for her marketing degree and minors in sports management and computer information systems and playing for the women’s lacrosse team, Kiricoples strives to make mental health awareness a priority.
At Bentley, Kiricoples started a chapter of Morgan’s Message — a national nonprofit that was established in memory of Morgan Rodgers, a sophomore on the Duke women’s soccer team. In 2019, after a devastating knee injury and rehabilitation prevented her from playing, Rodgers died by suicide at age 22.
“My friend and I started a chapter at Bentley where we complete the message of raising awareness for student athlete mental health across campus,” Kiricoples said.
Her chapter of Morgan’s Message had a dedication soccer game. The men’s soccer team wore green, the color of mental health awareness, and Kiricoples tabled at the game. She says the game alone raised over $100, which has gone back into the club to support other events. In addition to the club, Kiricoples also serves in her class cabinet, through which she has helped facilitate mental health and de-stressing events on campus.
As a student-athlete herself, Kiricoples has been working to carve a larger space for mental and emotional health in student athletics, even writing a 12-page paper on mental health in athletics. She said, “You can step away and take a day if you need to go to the trainer and say, ‘Hey, Coach, I need to go to the trainer — my ankle broke, my ankle hurts. But if you need a day for your mental health, there’s a lot of stigma around that in college athletes. You can’t come forward and take care of your mental health like you do your physical health.”
Kiricoples believes that sports culture is a contributing factor to overlooking emotional wellness. “Athletes have to have this superhero mentality that they can do everything, and they’re the best, and they need to load their plates up with a million different things, and there’s no room to be sad or no room to struggle. It’s been built since you’ve been younger. … And then I get to college and you really can see this intense culture.”
As widespread as the problem is, Kiricoples thinks little things can have a big impact. She says that the once-per-week mental wellness meetings with her lacrosse team allows her and her teammates to check in and catch someone who might seem off or overwhelmed.
Though Kiricoples has brought her mission of raising awareness to a new community, she is often reminded of where she started. “I used the same stress balls for the [de-stress] event that we held for Morgan’s Message, for my college event, that I did in high school.”
