It was Christmas morning. After a rushed gathering to open presents, then-15-year-old Wesley Ince and his family “haphazardly” tossed the gifts into their car and prepared for a 1,400-mile road trip. They were leaving Wesley’s hometown in southeast Kansas, headed for his dad’s new job in eastern Oregon.
“Initially, it was really, really hard,” Wesley said. He was losing most of his friends, right in the middle of his sophomore year. “My depression got significantly worse. Life just sucked for a little bit, and that’s kind of all you can expect when you move at that time in your life.”
Wesley didn’t know anyone at his new school. Going into his first day, he felt the growing anxiety of not being able to make new friends. Although Wesley made acquaintances in his classes, he hadn’t made many close connections. But over the next two years, Wesley would come to find …