FT WAYNE, IN (WPTA/CNN) - Sarah Podzielinski just completed her freshman year at Bishop Luers High School.
"I watched '13 Reasons Why' on Netflix over spring break," she said.
The drama series about a young girl who killed herself resonated so deeply that for her honors English class end of year project, she chose to do her part to prevent teen suicide, the third leading cause of death for young people, in a video titled "13 Reasons Why Not."
She'd read about a Detroit-area high school using the idea.
"It was Oxford High School, I believe. They did a '13 Reasons Why Not,' but they did theirs over the announcements, and then I just made it different from theirs," Sarah said.
The self-described introvert recorded fellow students giving testimonials about a special person in their lives who affects them in a positive way.
"Some of them were seniors that did it, so I think for the freshmen and the younger classmen to see it, it was just looking up to them," Sarah said. "I think it's different because it's coming from a student's standpoint rather than a parent's or an adult's, so it's more moving. I had a lot of classmates that cried and were really glued to it. So they thought it was very powerful."
She interspersed slides with facts about teen suicide, as well as uplifting messages telling viewers they have a purpose and that suicide is not the answer.
"A lot of people struggle with teen suicide, depression, anxiety and all that, so I'm hoping that this could be a reason to help them move on, move forward," Sarah said.
Her video is certainly resonating with people.It's been shared from her Facebook page hundreds of times.
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