VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. — "I hope that they realize that it's normal."
Virginia Wesleyan soccer player Mackenzie Kerns wants her fellow student athletes to know, it's normal to struggle with mental health.
Kerns, and a group of fellow student athletes and coaches, are on a mission to normalize seeking help for mental health issues. She's doing so as an ambassador for Morgan's Message, an organization founded by the family and friends of Morgan Rodgers, a Duke lacrosse player who took her own life in 2019.
The organization has ambassadors at colleges all across the country, with the goal of "eliminating the stigma surrounding mental health within the student-athlete community and equalize the treatment of physical and mental health in athletics. We aim to expand the dialogue on mental health by normalizing conversations, empowering those who suffer in silence, and supporting those who feel alone."