Taryn Simon is currently a student at Machon Maayan in Israel. Previously, she worked in her high school to crush stigmas and shame around mental health by sharing her stories about depression, suicidal ideation, and generalized anxiety disorder. Taryn strives to be someone that can support and be there to listen for others because that was what she felt she needed most during her hard times. She desires to create a space where others can be genuine and share their ideas, by running TED-talk events at her high school and hosting speech contests. Following her gap year, Taryn will study neuroscience, psychology, and behavior at McMaster University, with the goal of getting a Ph.D. in psychology.