Rashad Remembered by the Clark Chronicle

A while ago the Clark Chronicle contacted me and interviewed me about the death of my friend Rashad.

Here's the finished article:

http://my.hsj.org/Schools/Newspaper/tabid/100/view/frontpage/schoolid/2702/articleid/485803/newspaperid/2726/Clark_alum_commits_suicide.aspx

If anyone's interested, this was my full "official statement" to the press:

From what I knew of Rashad, even in his high school days, he was an extremely sensitive young man. He was like Atlas--but instead of carrying the world, he tried to carry the weight of the world's problems.  He cared about you.  Yes, YOU!  Even if he didn't know you, he cared about you.  Even more than he cared for himself.

Rashad's moods varied greatly.  When he was happy, he was really happy; when he was sad, it consumed him.  He struggled with his dark days, but did not believe in medication or even therapy.  Personally, I think that, if you need help, there's no shame in asking for it.  But Rashad never wanted to help himself.  He was all about helping others--and trying to make them laugh.

Rashad wanted to be famous--for anything.  Comedy was just one of many attempts at a spot in the limelight.  I truly wish that he had been successful.  He had so much potential for greatness.  But, he chose to jump off Suicide Bridge in Pasadena for a very specific reason: It was his last attempt to be famous.  And I think we need to respect that and not try to brush it aside or, worse, cover it up.  I realize it's a difficult issue to deal with--especially for the loved ones he left behind--but if we ignore it, then we disrespect him, his memory, and what he was trying to tell us.

For me, and many of the mutual friends who knew him, Rashad's death told a tale of wasted potential.  His life was cut short too soon.  Our dreams might not always come true right away, but that's no reason to stop dreaming.  And, if you need help, it's never too late to ask for it.
***

I thought it was nice that the Clark Chronicle chose to write a tribute to Rashad...  Our class graduated over 8 years ago now.  No one going to that school remembers him or even knows who he was.  But he was a Clarkie.  And they wrote about him.  That's kinda sweet.

Sure hope 2012 is better than 2011 was.

See you next Monday!

--Lauren*