Image made by Karely Molina Martinez
Karely Molina Martinez staff writer 
Time to Talk Club is composed of students who come together to talk about important issues which may not be directly discussed during school. The club not only offers students resources which they can turn to, but also works to create a safe environment for students to talk to each other. 
The main focus of the club is to give students a place to converse about topics such as nutrition or stress. The club also invites weekly guest speakers, such as nutritionists and mental health professionals, to offer words of encouragement and motivation for students. 
Sophomore Ariella Youssefeyh recently joined the club and she feels students are more comfortable talking with someone who is a professional in certain areas where they may have concerns. 
“I really think that [club members] do benefit from [guest speakers] because they touch on topics we don’t typically talk about in class,” Youssefeyh said. “I feel like there are some teachers I have a good relationship with and I would talk to them, but like I mentioned, most of these topics are things we don’t learn in school so sometimes it can be really nice to talk to a counselor or one of the guest speakers.” 
Though counselors and staff are there to guide students through difficult times, students often turn to talk to their peers about topics they feel others may relate to as well. 
“It’s much easier to feel [more] comfortable. You’re less judged when you talk to your peers because maybe they’ve been through the same thing or they know how to help you from personal experience. When you’re talking to a counselor you might feel judged or you may not feel as comfortable as if you were talking with a student,” Time to Talk co-president senior Simone Medeizadeh said.
Some topics may not be as heavy as nutrition or mental health issues, but are still problems which may be concerning for students.  
“With kids that want to talk about it, there’s drinking [or] smoking, or relationship advice. I feel like that’s important too, whether it’s with a family member, boyfriend, [or] a friend. I feel like those are important issues that a kid would want to resolve,” Medeizadeh said. 
Although students confide in teachers and staff, in certain situations there is a level of comfort between students. 
“I think that students relate better to one another than they do to teachers. Also, I feel like even if you are comfortable with an adult, there’s always a level of, not nervousness, but a level of not being completely truthful around adults,” co-president senior Kayla Nehmandi said. 
Counselors, teachers and staff allow for a broad range of resources in which students can choose who to turn to in times of difficulty. Time to Talk Club achieves this by providing professionals in fields which may be useful to students. 
“Guest speakers are very professional, they have a higher knowledge than just a regular student,” junior co-president Sophia Roshan-Kashani said. “They’re specialized in different areas.” 
The environment created by Time to Talk Club grants students comfort to come forward and talk about their problems. 
“It’s hard to get help, just like it’s hard to go to NormanAid, but people do it,” Roshan-Kashani said. “So I think after they reach out or come to the club, they see how beneficial the information can be.”