2022 is off to an exciting start for our Alumnus of the Month, Claire Hendrickson! Claire, a former Jacksonville High School FOCUS President, has been crowned Miss University of North Alabama, an official preliminary for the Miss Alabama/Miss America. She is a scholarship recipient, award-winning member of the UNA ROAR Dance Team, and is an aspiring news reporter majoring in mass communication with a focus in journalism and digital media.
Although Claire is a busy college sophomore, the mission of FOCUS has continued to remain close to her heart. In fact, Claire’s Miss UNA platform, “Check On Your Friends Before They Check Out,” is her effort to bring awareness to the warning signs and risk factors of suicide. Claire states that “suicide is silently suffocating those around us. Recognizing the warning signs and risk factors is crucial in order to save lives. Although preventative measures are widely discussed, it’s not the first step. The reason suicide is a silent killer has a lot to do with the lack of recognition and intervention. I plan to specifically focus on the importance of knowing the signs someone might have if they are suicidal. I will educate the community on how to identify and address different risk factors, and I want to encourage and empower people to check on others without fear of overstepping.”
Claire also shares that she has personally seen lives change for the better because of the FOCUS program. As she begins her year of service by speaking in schools, with community leaders, and organizing educational events, her goal is to educate and equip individuals with the tools they need to assess, intervene and save a life! As a representative of the University of North Alabama, Claire plans to encourage FOCUS programs across Alabama to work toward this goal as well as advocating for student-led prevention. Claire feels strongly about this and states that “every school in Alabama should have a FOCUS program. FOCUS has taught me that checking in on others could be the one thing that changes someone’s day for the better or even save someone’s life!”
We are so proud of Claire’s platform, and we wish her the best as she serves, shares and advocates for FOCUS programs in schools. We also look forward to cheering her on when she competes in the Miss Alabama pageant this summer. In the meantime, you can join her Instagram page, “checkonyourfriends_initiative@clairehendrickson.” If you’re interested in having Claire speak with your students in person or virtually, then contact the Miss UNA Director, Rebecca Bush.
Phone: 256-765-4792
