Francesca Pileggi - Class of 2006

A third generation Auk, Francesca Pileggi graduated from Archmere in 2006 and went on to study Psychology and Religious Studies at Lafayette College. Pileggi started a chapter of Active Minds, a group dedicated to “changing conversation about mental health on college campuses” during her sophomore year at Lafayette and founded The ME Project in Chadds Ford in the spring of 2010.

Part of her motivation and interest in educating teens on this topic came from personal tragedy. Pileggi’s cousin took his life in 2005 after struggling with mental health issues for a number of years. Though at first speaking in public and sharing her story seemed daunting, she soon found that her passion for the cause helped her overcome her shyness. Now, one of the pieces of advice she shares with students during her speaking engagements is this: “Every single person has a story and every story is valuable.”

The ME Project has been featured by media outlets such as The Garnet Valley Press, The Delaware County Daily Times and The Philadelphia Inquirer, and Pileggi appeared on “Good Morning America” in September of 2010 to speak about depression in teens. She was recently named "Suicide Survivor of the Year" by the Philadelphia chapter of the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention and will officially receive the award in May 2011 at their "Party with a Purpose" fundraiser.

The ME Project offers open houses, parent-teen education nights, teen “stress-relief fun nights,” and open resource hours and information. http://www.meproject.org/