By Ellie Smith
Features Editor
From middle school into high school, senior Vanessa Palermo struggled with an eating disorder, and she saw videos of people talking about how they were able to recover and found them extremely helpful.
“Freshman year I spent a lot of time in the hospital in inpatient and outpatient,” said Palermo. “I saw people who recovered talk about their experience and I found it really helpful. I knew since then that I wanted to make a difference in some way.”
When it came to choosing a topic for her senior project, Palermo always knew she wanted to do something related to eating disorders, and eventually narrowed it down to a video.
Taking two AP classes this year, Palermo decided on a senior project instead of an internship because they would have been too difficult to juggle. She also decided on completing a senior project because she has always wanted to make a video on the topic of eating disorders, and making it for a school project was a good way to motivate her.
After deciding on a project, Palermo posted a Facebook status explaining her project and asking for people who might be interested in participating in the video.
“I actually had an overwhelming response…I had over 25 people reach out to me. It was amazing. It was more difficult to schedule meetings with everyone, which I couldn’t even do, than to find people willing,” said Palermo. “There were so many people that wanted to help that I wished I could have included.”
During the interview process, Palermo started by saying, “tell me your story.” From there, she would ask questions including what caused your eating disorder, when did you realize you had a problem, how have your families dealt with it, what would you say to someone dealing with an eating disorder, and more.
Palermo found that the most organic responses came from when people just shared their story and gave their own unique, personal experiences.
With this project, Palermo hopes to raise awareness of eating disorders and show how many people are affected by them every day, including students at Westford Academy.
“I am hoping to show people how many people suffer from eating disorders, especially to show people how there are so many faces at Westford Academy,” said Palermo. “I want to raise awareness. I also want people who have one to feel less alone and like they can overcome it.”
Health teacher Lauren Coffey, who advised Palermo’s senior project, is extremely pleased with the end result and plans to show the video to health classes in upcoming years.
“Students at WA will find hope and strength in Vanessa’s work. I see her movie helping start discussions between friends,” said Coffey. “When she approached me about creating a short documentary of the subject, I was thrilled. I also thank the brave students who shared their stories.”
After publishing the video, Palermo immediately felt the impact that it had on others. Students often approached her to tell her how much they enjoyed the video.
When she receives praise for her work, Palermo says she feels happy that the video is appreciated and realizes she is making a positive impact. When people watch the video, she hopes it will open people’s eyes to the serious issue of eating disorders and get rid of the stereotypes that come with having an eating disorder.
“I hope others realize that eating disorders are real and that there are so many people who suffer,” said Palermo. “They are a mental illness that typically gets brushed off because there is a stigma that people are choosing to have an eating disorder, which is obviously not true. I want to change that.”
Palermo will be attending the University of Vermont next year, majoring in biology. Though she is not completely certain what she wants to do after college, she hopes to be successful in a career where she can somehow actively better the world.
