Everyone needs a way to express themselves. For Jerome High School student Prisha Shah, art has always been the most powerful way to create that line of communication. With a passion for art and mental health awareness, Shah works to connect with multiple communities and support their emotional and mental wellbeing.
Prisha Shah
Prisha Shah
Art and expression
Shah’s passion for art has been apparent since early childhood; however, her draw towards mental health advocacy emerged from her time living in India. While living in India from ages 7 to 9, Shah became familiar with the cultural unease surrounding conversations about mental health and emotional wellbeing.
Additionally, Shah’s uncle, Mehul, is on the autism spectrum and has faced challenges with communication and connection. Witnessing the barriers he and others in her community faced when expressing themselves, she became interested in creating spaces where people could communicate more freely, especially through art.
“I’ve always loved art. I’ve always loved creating. I was the child who’d draw on any hard surface,” says Shah, “and I realized that we don’t always need words to express how we’re feeling and it can happen through different forms, especially for people who are neurodivergent or have trouble putting those feelings to words.”
Returning to help
With this realization in mind, Shah returned to India in the summer of 2025 to facilitate an art camp at Jaswantlal Jiwanlal Charitable Trust (JJCT), a center supporting individuals with diverse physical, developmental and cognitive needs in Gujarat. She was familiar with JJCT’s work because of her uncle’s experience as a former student.
Prisha Shah
JJCT Art Camp
With this existing connection and her knowledge of art therapy, Shah was welcomed to design and host an art camp that catered to the unique needs of JJCT’s students. The program prompted participants with questions about their emotions and encouraged them to express themselves through their art.
One question that Shah frequently asked participants was, ‘What does stress look like for you?’ The participants’ responses were innovative and diverse in perspective.
“There was one boy, he scribbled all over his paper. There was one boy who crumbled up his paper. There was one boy who painted his whole canvas red… everyone can express these emotions, but in different ways,” she says.
Shah is happy to have directly impacted students, and she says that the camp also left a lasting impression on the JJCT community and on the participants’ parents. The loosely structured and adaptable art program highlighted how people with mental and physical challenges can experience and express their emotions through creative outlets.
Discovering a vision
Although Shah admits she’s a bit of a perfectionist, she says she felt inspired by the participants’ commitment to creativity and their unrestrained exploration of different colors and techniques.
“The kids were so resilient, and they had such determination to create,” says Shah. “I realized that art doesn’t need to be perfect… It’s just about fostering that connection with yourself and learning how to express it.”
One participant named Shubam was non-verbal and, as a result, faced challenges when communicating and expressing himself to others. However, Shubam’s personality and distinct perspective were able to shine through his creative processes with painting, drawing and more.
Shah created a non-profit organization, MindWell, todisplays some of the participants’ artwork on itswebsite so people can admire and purchase the pieces or donate to support their artistic and financial freedom.
“I wanted a way for their work to be recognized or at least acknowledged. So, I set up MindWell to kind of recognize their impact and share their differences and also shed light on JJCT,” says Shah.
Prisha Shah
Shah leads art sessions.
Local impact
Following her experience with JJCT, Shah has brought her practices to the Dublin community.
She hosts monthly art sessions at Friendship Village in which she asks the residents questions about their feelings and encourages them to express their emotions through art. Shah’s teen and tween art sessions take place across Columbus Metropolitan Libraries such as the Whitehall and Dublin branches. These sessions are similar to the Friendship Village ones but often encourage participants to elaborate more on their memories and experiences to consider how they may overcome obstacles in their lives.
“(I) give them a chance to talk about their stories as well, and a lot of them have a lot to share…starting off those conversations within teens, within seniors and families, I think is what I try to do,” says Shah.
Life in motion
Prisha Shah
Outside of her mental health advocacy efforts, Shah enjoys being outside, hanging out with her friends, playing board games and creating her own art.
For the past year she has been working to write, illustrate and publish a book called The Cloud that Follows Milo.
“From my own experiences of recognizing how mental health isn’t talked about in homes… or (that) people don’t know how to start those conversations, I hope, in my dreams, that this book is kind of like an opener for those (conversations),” says Shah. Most recently, Shah shared more about her book and advocacy work with local students, teachers and school administrators at Dublin City Schools’ Agents of Change Festival.
Once she graduates, she hopes to attend college and follow a pre-med track.
“My dream is to ultimately become a doctor, but also an advocate for mental health,” says Shah.
Katarina Guy is an editorial assistant at CityScene Media Group. Feedback welcome at feedback@cityscenemediagroup.com.
