Pruis Hall was lit with electric candles in bags decorated to remember those who were lost to suicide as well as reminders of reasons to live Wednesday night.
“I do it all for the honor of my dad,” Carmen Diaz, Alive president, said. “I lost my dad to suicide when I was 10 years old, I spent a lot of time giving myself a harder time than I deserved because I didn’t have a way to deal with it.”
Diaz said she could never have imagined the event to be so large, lining the Pruis Hall stage with luminaries as well as live music. Light up the Night was created to give student suicide survivors a way to show their love for those they’ve lost.
“The luminaries are to just honor the loved ones,” Diaz said. “Recognize that we are together and can support each other, a good way to share your heart and not be afraid, because we are all together.”
Delphia Grandoit, a pre-doctoral intern with the Counseling Center, said depression is one of the biggest concerns students go to the Counseling Center in her opinion.
College students are more at risk for depression and, by extension, suicidal thoughts and self-harming actions because it is the time where students really find out who they are, and some students struggle with that she said.
Diaz explained those feelings she and other college students may feel when dealing with being away from home for the first time.
“Coming to college and being away from home can be scary,” she said. “I think a lot of students feel alone and they probably don’t even realize there are people out there who know what they are going through and want to talk.”
Grandoit said students who believe they need help are welcome to come to the Counseling Center where they can receive free personal and group counseling. But groups like Alive Campaign are important too, because they give students another resource, something Diaz said is more open and friendly.
“Alive allows people to create a friendship versus set up a professional barrier,” Diaz said. “Students are more comfortable with a friend.”
Rachelle Tatichs, a junior social work major and Alive member, said in the past the group had focused on suicide awareness, but the group has since changed its focus to reminding students of the everyday joys of life.
“Reminding people of the reasons to live will make them appreciate life,” she said. “So when they get down and in a dark place they can remember they do have a lot of things in their life.”
Natalie Fischer, a sophomore social work major who attended the event in memory of a family member, said it really does help to focus on the good.
“Everyone needs a boost; everyone needs to be reminded that something good is happening every day,” she said.
March 1 is Self-injury Awareness Day, which will mark the end of a week of suicide and self-injury awareness events at Ball State. Diaz said the whole campaign, and Alive itself, is really just about showing that everyone who has dealt with suicide or self-injury is in it together.
“Seeing all of the luminaries lined up and that so many people are being respected and honored makes me feel really good that I can help do that,” Diaz said. “And let them know we are all together.”
