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Chris Herren Returns to Campus for “Healthy Choices” Programming

Earlier this month, Chris Herren returned to campus to discuss substance abuse and recovery with Episcopal students. The former professional basketball player is one of three guests in the 2022-23 Healthy Choices Speaker Series, organized by Wellness Coordinator Emily Straight. The speaker series is one way students are able to engage in important conversations and develop skills that support all aspects of their well-being.

A standout athlete throughout high school, Herren continued his basketball career at Boston College. After failing several drug tests during his freshman year, he was given a second chance and transferred to Fresno State. After graduation, he was drafted by the Denver Nuggets and then traded back to his home state to play for the Boston Celtics, all while battling his substance use disorder.
 
“When Chris Herren comes to speak you can always hear a pin drop in the audience,” said Straight. “Many students relate to his story about feeling awkward in social settings, pressure to perform, and insecurity around who he was as a person, despite being a hometown hero.”

Herren’s perspective as a former professional athlete also had an impact on EHS students. "As an athlete, I was excited to hear from not only a former professional athlete but one with a powerful and influential message on something that affects our youth tremendously,” Nala Cornegy ’23 said. “Mr. Herren shared a very interesting perspective on addiction and drug usage in a manner that made it relatable to everyone in the room, from students to teachers. He shared his honest and engaging story leaving everyone understanding that anyone can become an addict and that everyone can be susceptible to the desire to use drugs."

In closing his presentation, Herren told students about the importance of seeking help from adults in their lives. He emphasized switching the conversation to “understanding how addiction begins rather than how it ends…” stating that “prevention starts on the first day.” Straight noted the unique approach of Herren’s thoughtful presentation. “Often, substance abuse speakers focus on the ‘rock-bottom’ days of addiction. Chris shows how addictions often start; feeling a lack of self-worth at a party on the weekend and grabbing a beer instead of managing those feelings,” she said.

Herren left students with the sentiment, “I hope there is one student at this school who will walk out of here and say, ‘I want to feel better.’ The real you lives with your teachers, not the kid you pretend to be. Let them help you.”

Episcopal’s counselors and members of the Student Assistance Team visited dorms that evening to ensure that students could share their reflections on the presentation and connect with trusted adults.
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