Watch the haunting PSA that earned P-CEP students state-wide award

The production of a powerful 30-second anti-fentanyl public service announcement earned five Plymouth-Canton Educational Park students first place last month at a conference held for future health professionals in Michigan.

The ad created by Ali Alrubaiei, Maahik Trivedi, Aditya Achyut, Musa Ali and Riya Kalapurkkal — all members of P-CEP’s Health Occupation Club — was judged the best of 40 entries submitted at the HOSA State Leadership Conference in Traverse City.

“It was extremely rewarding to win this award because we worked so hard on the PSA,” said Kalapurkkal, a junior at Plymouth High School. “To see the effort we put into this project recognized like this is very meaningful to us.”

The PSA, titled “Don’t Miss Movie Night”, features a haunting voicemail from a high school student who, shortly after leaving the message, passes away after consuming fentanyl-laced Adderall. To watch the riveting PSA, click here.

“The PSA is currently viewable on YouTube, but we’re hoping television stations throughout the state eventually pick it up and run it,” said Kalapurkkal.

“Our initiative is entirely non-profit and non-sponsored. We do not make any profit nor will we ever. This PSA is solely to help make a positive difference in our community.”

Fentanyl epidemic spreading

Deaths from fentanyl has evolved into an epidemic. In 2021, Michigan experienced a record year for drug overdose deaths as fentanyl was responsible for the majority of these deaths across the state.

Additionally, during March of 2023, Michigan law enforcement seized four kilograms of fentanyl during a traffic stop, marking the state’s largest fentanyl seizure to date.

“These numbers are not just statistics to us; they represent real lives affected by this crisis, including friends, family members, and neighbors,” Kalapurkkal emphasized.

While Kalapurkkal and the team of students who worked on the PSA do not personally know a fentanyl-overdose victim, she said the vast research they completed for the project opened their eyes to the alarming growth of the problem.

Invite to international conference

The P-CEP students earned an invitation to the international HOSA conference scheduled for this summer.

Founded in 1976, HOSA was was created with the idea of providing students opportunities to develop as future leaders in the health-care industry. The organization has grown to over 260,000 members nationwide.

“HOSA is 100% healthcare and connects all hubs of the healthcare field,” its website states. “One experience ignites another, creating a chain reaction between those who teach, learn, and do.”

The teams that created the top eight (out of 40 entries) PSAs were called on stage at the conference. The top three were then revealed before the team of P-CEP students were announced as the first-place winners.

Ed Wright can be reached at 734-664-4657 or edwright@socialhousenews.com.