Topteen Fall Edition - Keaten Vale Cover

TT - Do you have any other hobbies or
interests that Top Teen readers might
not know about?
KV - Ever since I was old enough to hold
one in my arms, I’ve never wanted to put
my guitar down. It’s been my passion
since I was a little kid and it's helped me
through the good and bad times. It’s been
there for me when I felt alone and was a
voice when I felt I had none. Even now I
find myself turning to it as a method of destressing
and expressing emotion in a way
that everyone can enjoy. I play it everyday,
always looking for a new challenge and
I see my guitar following me through my
future for the rest of my life.
TT - What is something that you’ve
always wanted to try?
KV - I’ve always wanted to try skydiving!
TT - What advice do you have for
teens struggling with their mental
health?
KV - Mental health is such a difficult issue
as every person has their own unique
story and different methods of dealing
with and overcoming these obstacles. I
suppose the best advice I can give to
anyone struggling with mental health is
to find someone to talk to and some outlet
to express yourselves. Speaking out to
someone is such a good feeling as it lifts so
much weight off a person's shoulders and
there are so many people out there that
are ready to listen and help in any way
that they can. The only thing separating
these people from you is reaching out and
making the first move.
TT - From everything that you've been
through up until now, what is your message
for other people?
KV - Luck is something that people find, it is
not something that finds you. What I mean
by this is that from the outside, it may seem
like someone has all the luck in the world
and that everything fell perfectly into place
for them, but in reality more often than not
that person has worked extremely hard for
their accomplishments. Too often people
wait to get “Lucky” and for their time to come
and suddenly they'll get the opportunity of a
lifetime. The truth is that those opportunities
don’t come to those who wait in line, it comes
to those who go out of their way and work
hard to get them.
TT - Tell us a fun fact we might not
know about you!
KV - I have always led an extremely
active lifestyle and working with my
very competitive nature I found myself
competing in sporting events. All
the time. I’ve bounced from sport to
sport finding what keeps me on my
toes and fuling my competitive nature.
The first year of junior high I
tried out for the volleyball team
and have never felt so happy doing
something in my life. I’ve
played not only varsity volleyball
but club and beach
as well. I’ve met some of
my best friends through
the sport and have developed
connections
with teammates that
would otherwise
have been
impossible.
14
Fall edition 2021