Congratulations to Our 2026 Stop the Stigma Champion!

Originally published by The STARR Coalition. Shared with pride by NAMI Rappahannock.

2026 Stop the Stigma Champion: Ange (Anderson) Kamga Fotso, North Stafford High School (Stafford, VA)

Anderson Kamga Fotso didn't wait for someone to hand him a solution. He built one.

A senior at North Stafford High School in Stafford, Virginia, Anderson created Safe Space, a student club rooted not in coursework or college applications, but in genuine urgency. He watched his community struggle. He listened. And then he got to work.

While our Executive Director, Kristy Stonehill, had spent over a year navigating the school system trying to establish a mental health initiative with little progress, Anderson was already moving. He designed Safe Space from the ground up, complete with a board, a budget, and a full calendar of events. Then he did something that set him apart: he reached out to NAMI Rappahannock to secure official NAMI on Campus status before graduation, ensuring the club would continue long after he left.

His reason was deeply personal. In a candid conversation with Kristy, he said simply: "In the last five months, five kids throughout the county have committed suicide, including one who is only 12 years old, and that's not ok."

Safe Space doesn't ask students to open up on cue. It brings them together through shared activities, builds friendships, and creates the kind of belonging where real support can take root, whether or not mental health ever gets named out loud. That quiet, intentional design is exactly what makes it work.

As Anderson heads to university this fall, the community he built carries on. The leaders he mentored are keeping Safe Space going, and NAMI Rappahannock remains a steady backbone for the work ahead.

We are proud to have nominated Anderson for the 2026 High School Stop the Stigma Champion Award, and proud to watch what he built continue to grow.

He didn't wait for permission. He built the thing. And then he made sure it would last.

Read the full press release and past winners at The STARR Coalition : HERE >>

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