On Sept. 12, wellness keynote speaker Wes Woodson from the Wes Woodson Company spoke to the senior class in Rugby Auditorium about mental health, anxiety and the college admissions process.
Woodson said although he experienced severe anxiety and depression that culminated when he became a victim of domestic abuse in college, his struggles inspired him to begin supporting others in similar situations.
“When I [became] a survivor of domestic violence, I felt like I lost my voice, and I feel like storytelling gave my voice back,” Woodson said. “If I could inspire one student in this room to not feel the way that I once did, that’s why I do what I do.
Woodson said one of his biggest obstacles was learning to fail, and he wishes that he had allowed himself to do so at a younger age. He said that he now appreciates failing as much as he does succeeding because of what he can learn from it.
“Failing is a part of the process,” Woodson said. “You can’t avoid it. It doesn’t make you a failure, but it’s an opportunity to learn so much about you.”
As college application deadlines approach for the class of 2026, Woodson said the best thing the students can do now is focus on what they can and can’t control.
“Sitting here waiting for that acceptance letter, you can’t control what’s going to happen,” Woodson said. “But you can control your response, how much time you put into your application, how you perform on those interviews and how you actually perceive what’s going on right now.”
A few of the school’s most recent other keynote speakers have consisted of an author, a NASA speaker and a Holocaust survivor. Daniel Baek ’26 said he enjoyed how this presentation felt more aimed towards what students are experiencing in their lives right now.
“Compared to a lot of the other speakers that we’ve had in the past, this felt more targeted,” Baek said. “It’s very relevant for the time we’re all going through right now – application season.”
Baek said the message made more of an impact coming from a younger speaker outside of the school.
“Having an outside perspective from someone other than a dean who just went to college and is relatively young was definitely helpful,” Baek said. “Hearing that everything’s gonna work out from someone that’s outside the Harvard-Westlake community was helpful because I feel like a lot of Harvard-Westlake students kind of live in their own bubble.”
Woodson said he wanted to put heavy emphasis on being more open with mental health and reducing the stigma around talking about it, especially as students go through the most stressful parts of their college search.
“It’s okay to not be okay,” Woodson said. “All you have to say is, ‘I want to talk to you about how I feel, but I don’t know how to. Can you help me?’”
Woodson said the Wes Woodson Company has impacted over 100,000 students. Alisa Williford ’26 said she can relate to Woodson’s message, which made her feel less alone.
“I have so much test taking anxiety,” said Williford. “Just hearing someone saying they’ve had this since third grade made me feel a little bit less alone.”
