How to find hope when all seems impossible | Roland Murphy | TEDxAttica 2019
Faced with guilt, remorse, and a sentence requiring him to spend more time incarcerated than he had been alive, Roland Murphy thought the answer to his problems was suicide. Listen to the story of how he found hope while living in prison. Roland Murphy is a proud father, loving husband, and resilient being. He's on a quest for success and is using what he learned from his past experience to get him there by remembering that the decisions he makes will ultimately decide his fate. Murphy was raised by two amazing parents who are now deceased but will forever live in his heart. They were excellent providers and always stressed the importance of working hard and getting an education in order to obtain sustainable success. By the time he was 12, he became very lazy at life and his decision-making, as he chose the streets over school, friends over family, and drugs over his dreams. By doing so, the only thing he achieved was a 25-to-life sentence. Hopeful that he'll receive a second chance, he is determined not to make the same mistake twice and is now embracing his parents' words of wisdom. While incarcerated he obtained his GED, completed various drug and anger management programs, and mentors youth.
You matter! | Jessica Barrett | TEDxAttica 2019
In this painful and gripping talk, Jessica Barrett reveals the nightmare her family lived through after her brother committed suicide. She implores that anyone contemplating suicide remember that they matter to someone and they should reach out for help. The oldest of three children, I experienced the true blessing of being raised by devoted and loving parents who instilled in us three critical attributes. The first being absolute reverence for our Polish heritage. Second, the often underappreciated ability to connect with others on an emotional and intra-personal level ,as well as the life lesson that if you are good to people, they will be good to you. During a parochial, public, and now correctional teaching career that has spanned 20 years, I have worked to hone these attributes not only to celebrate my Polish heritage, but also to try to brighten the future of others. The winding road that I have traveled has been filled with incredible highs and soul crushing lows, yet it is these experiences that have helped me realize how critical suicide awareness has become and how a once taboo subject has shaped my life and the person I have become.