Senior Caleb Eldridge is back with another episode of the Fresno Christian EagleCast and continues to bring the community meaningful conversations with students and staff members in this recurring podcast series. In this episode, join us as we discuss mental health issues with host Caleb Eldridge and guests Drew Russo and Isabel Ramos.

Among many of the concerns of today’s generation, mental health is one of the largest.

Many different factors impact teenagers mental health with one of the greatest being school. Russo has had straight A’s for all of high school, so he had much to say about the impact that grades have on mental health. For Russo in particular, his striving for perfect grades greatly impacted his social life as well as his mental health.

“That pressure that I put on myself might not have been worth it,” Russo said. “It can be destructive when you try to be perfect, because perfection cannot be obtained.”

Social media has a huge impact on teen mental health today. Pew Research Center conducted a study in 2025 stating that 48% of teens say social media harms people their age, which is a huge spike since 2022, when the number was only 32%. Ramos has engaged on social media since she was 11 years old. She shared about the power that social media has on our minds, especially in the area of comparison.

“Comparing yourself to someone is so draining,” Ramos said. “For girls, you see all these beautiful models, and you want to be like them.”

According to The REACH Institute, 46% of teens feel worse about their body image when using social media.

One of the biggest takeaways from this episode is to seek help from those closest to you, even if you feel as though you can not express yourself. However hard it may be, find a close friend or family member that can help you through times of struggle. Expressing what you feel can make a massive difference for yourself and the lives of others.

As the EagleCast podcast continues this year, we would like to know more about topics that interest you. Drop a suggestion for upcoming episodes in the comments below.

Mobile viewers listen to podcast here.

For more from The Feather, read EDITORIAL: Comparison extinguishes youthful contentment and Alumni reflects on his journey at Valley Leadership Academy