2015 Rich Mahan Best Student Portfolio
First Place: Callaghan O'Hare
First Place - 2015 Rich Mahan Best Student Portfolio
Elizabeth Eichen submerges her body in a warm bubble bath after a long, stressful day. She said she likes to take time at the end of the day to unwind, collect herself and try to find a semblance of inner peace. "ED is not so loud in here," she said.
Callaghan O'Hare
First Place - 2015 Rich Mahan Best Student Portfolio
Elizabeth tries to drown out the negative voices in her head. "They're constantly telling me I am not good enough, pretty enough, skinny enough - whatever," Elizabeth said. "After a while you can't help but believe them." She said that some days recovery is easier than others. She calls her worst days "ED days," which stands for eating disorder days, because she wants to remind herself that her eating disorder does not define her and that the voices in her head do not reflect how she truly feels about herself.
Callaghan O'Hare
First Place - 2015 Rich Mahan Best Student Portfolio
After meeting with her therapist, who is trying to help Elizabeth overcome her eating disorder, Elizabeth purges in a public restroom. "Its funny, my therapist always says making yourself throw up won't make you feel any better but it really really does," Elizabeth said.
Callaghan O'Hare
First Place - 2015 Rich Mahan Best Student Portfolio
Elizabeth tries to follow the meal plan her nutritionist provided for her and to stop herself from purging afterward. She said that she has to force every single cheerio down one by one.
Callaghan O'Hare
First Place - 2015 Rich Mahan Best Student Portfolio
Elizabeth participates in a blind weigh-in at her nutritionist's office. Elizabeth's nutritionist requires her to track her food intake and record how she feels after eating each meal. It is difficult for Elizabeth to follow a diet plan because of her fear of gaining weight. As a result, Elizabeth will go for long periods of time without eating and then binge, feel guilty and subsequently purge.
Callaghan O'Hare
First Place - 2015 Rich Mahan Best Student Portfolio
Elizabeth showers after writing positive adjectives about herself that don't relate to her appearance.
Callaghan O'Hare
First Place - 2015 Rich Mahan Best Student Portfolio
A classmate glares at Elizabeth during their social work course. Elizabeth hopes to become a social worker when she graduates. "If I make a difference in one person's life, I count my existence as a success," she said.
Callaghan O'Hare
First Place - 2015 Rich Mahan Best Student Portfolio
Elizabeth goes shopping at Target before going out with her friends. "When people picture someone with an eating disorder, they picture someone who is anorexic," Elizabeth said. "You might be able to see your ribs or things like that...You don't look fat, and you don't have to shop in the plus size section."
Callaghan O'Hare
First Place - 2015 Rich Mahan Best Student Portfolio
Elizabeth has a light-hearted moment while out on the town when a young man approaches her as she waits for her friends to grab a bite to eat from a food truck.
Callaghan O'Hare
First Place - 2015 Rich Mahan Best Student Portfolio
After her night out Elizabeth runs to the toilet and purges. "ED is always going to be there," Elizabeth said. "I don't think there is such a thing as full recovery. I just have to find a way to deal with my self hatred."
Callaghan O'Hare
First Place - 2015 Rich Mahan Best Student Portfolio
Elizebeth's boyfriend Thakur comforts her during "a terrible ED day." She said that his presence was the only thing keeping her from making herself throw up uncontrollably.
Callaghan O'Hare
First Place - 2015 Rich Mahan Best Student Portfolio
Elizabeth goes to swim at the gym. "I know it may not seem like much, but I'm taking baby steps," she said. "I think I'll eventually get there. ED is here, but so am I."
Callaghan O'Hare
First Place - 2015 Rich Mahan Best Student Portfolio
High on heroin and paranoid about being arrested, Mikayla peers outside as the cops write citations and force homeless people to leave the area. Housing prices in San Francisco have increased so dramatically that many of its residents cannot afford to live anywhere other than the street. As a result, they are constantly moving their tents, campers and vehicles around the city to avoid contact with and tickets from the police.
Callaghan O'Hare
First Place - 2015 Rich Mahan Best Student Portfolio
After slipping and falling to the pavement, a young boy screams for help during 4th of July celebrations in Breckenridge.
Callaghan O'Hare
First Place - 2015 Rich Mahan Best Student Portfolio
After spending the morning harvesting, farm workers load hundreds of bags of chili peppers onto a truck, which will take them to be washed and roasted at Milberger's Farm in Pueblo. Milberger's Farm, whose chili peppers can be found in grocery stores such as Whole Foods, has become a major player in the chili pepper market with the explosion in popularity of the Pueblo chili pepper.
Callaghan O'Hare
First Place - 2015 Rich Mahan Best Student Portfolio
New York native Brett Dirie is a freshman in high school from with a deep appreciation for U.S. history. As a way to honor the many New Yorkers who sacrificed their lives for freedom, Brett and his grandfather participate in Civil War reenactments regularly.
Callaghan O'Hare
First Place - 2015 Rich Mahan Best Student Portfolio
Walt Hester shaves at the mobile shower station in the parking lot of the Crested Butte Community School during the 30th annual Ride the Rockies.
Callaghan O'Hare
First Place - 2015 Rich Mahan Best Student Portfolio
Greg and Andi live in a camper that they park next to the sidewalk at the intersection of 13th and Folsom in San Francisco. As heroin addicts, the couple cannot afford to live in the city, but they also cannot afford to leave it. "Being a drug addict, San Francisco is the only option for us," Andi said. "The availability of clean needles and supplies, and the leniency the police give to addicts means there is no where else I would rather go. With its Salvation Army, it also provides the best opportunity for us to get sober when and if we want to."
Callaghan O'Hare
First Place - 2015 Rich Mahan Best Student Portfolio
After helping Greg, Andi shoots heroin into her arm. Although Andi had been a meth addict before she met Greg, she had only tried heroin once. Greg reintroduced Andi to the drug, which is now her favorite. "It's such a euphoric feeling," Andi said. "There's nothing like it."
Callaghan O'Hare
First Place - 2015 Rich Mahan Best Student Portfolio
Greg and Andi scratch their faces, which become itchy after the drug enters their bloodstream. Like any activity couples engage in, getting high together strengthens Andi and Greg's bond and brings them closer, she said.
Callaghan O'Hare
First Place - 2015 Rich Mahan Best Student Portfolio
Andi cleans out their camper, which is currently parked under a highway and surrounded by larger recreational vehicles and vans. "I'm so happy we found this because you honestly can't beat the rent here," Greg said. "I just can't believe it," Andi said. "Like oh my God we have a fucking house."
Callaghan O'Hare
First Place - 2015 Rich Mahan Best Student Portfolio
Although Greg is much older than she is, Andi said when she met him, their connection was palpable. "It was love at first sight," Andi said. "I consider myself the luckiest girl in the world."
Callaghan O'Hare
First Place - 2015 Rich Mahan Best Student Portfolio
Andi said that they need to remain inside when they're shooting heroin because enclosed spaces provide some protection from local police. "Although it's not a lot of space this camper is as good as any place for shooting up," Andi said. "I mean I can either pay $200 a week to live in a hotel the size of a shoebox and shoot up or pay nothing to live in this shoebox and shoot up. It's an easy choice."
Callaghan O'Hare
First Place - 2015 Rich Mahan Best Student Portfolio
After getting high together, Greg and Andi spend the morning relaxing in bed. "I believe he is my soul mate," Andi said. "With him, I'm literally living a fairy tale. It's like what you see in the movies."
Callaghan O'Hare