A K-State alum turns social media into a frontline defense against fentanyl.
Shocking news: Kansas is currently leading the nation in drug-induced deaths of 15–19-year-olds, and 86% of those deaths are directly linked to synthetic opioids like fentanyl.
But K-State alum Erica Short is actively fighting to save those lives by meeting teens where they are — on social media.
Drug awareness
Short is working with her team at a creative agency based in Kansas City called Overflow. The fentanyl awareness campaign “You Never Know” quickly and concisely educates teens about the dangers of fake pills through short video clips.
“It truly just takes the one time of thinking, ‘It’s probably fine to take this pill my friend gave me,’” Short said. “But it’s not harmless. You never know where it came from. You can’t trust it unless it was prescribed to you by a doctor, filled at a licensed pharmacy, and taken as directed.”
The campaign was nominated for a Mid-America EMMY Award, but what matters most to Short is that young people are being reached.
Her beginnings
Short started her journey at K-State as a journalism education major. Throughout college, her focus switched to public relations and communications, but she held onto her love for serving.
“I was seeking a career path where I could do cause-oriented work in some way,” she said. “I switched to PR, and it was such a good fit, because I felt like it let me dabble in all the modalities. You have writing, design, fundraising, planning and more.”
She took what she learned at K-State and turned it into a career focused on helping, achieving her original goal.
But “You Never Know” is not her only cause-oriented campaign. She has created a teen mental health initiative called “Zero Reasons Why” and an educational model for secondary students that gives them real-life experiences based on their interests.
Short emphasizes the importance of educating youth, not just about their future careers, but also about how to make good decisions and stay safe. Everybody can play a part in this by spreading the “You Never Know” message through word of mouth or even on social media.
By Kate Ellwood
Curated from Creativity for a cause: How Erica Short ’07 uses her talents to inspire change