Luke Shirley, Quest in Recovery
Born and raised in Charleston, Luke Shirley grew up with a love for the water and the outdoors. After graduating from the College of Charleston in 2018, he spent a year in Barcelona teaching English and traveling before returning home to co-found a small business during the pandemic. It was then he noticed a growing need for affordable, community-driven mental health care for young adults. Having faced his own struggles with depression, Luke felt called to act. In 2022, after hosting a recovery awareness tennis tournament—and losing a friend to an overdose—he launched Quest, a community-building organization aimed at helping college students feel safe, seen, and supported. Today, Quest has its first student-led chapter at his alma mater as well as at The Citadel, and Luke hopes to be a lighthouse for others navigating their own recovery journeys as they continue to grow.
