Just two years after her own suicide attempt, Valeria Hernandez is speaking out to help other college students who grapple with their mental health.
Hernandez, a 21-year-old UF family, youth and community sciences senior, wants to break taboos about suicide awareness. With help from friends, Hernandez has planned a monthlong campaign to make it easier for UF students to talk about their mental illnesses. Hurricane Irma delayed the start of Hernandez’s campaign, but she plans to kick it off either Thursday or Friday, she said.
“Mental health awareness is something I am super passionate about, since coming here to college as an individual who is a suicide survivor herself,” Hernandez said. “I wish there was a little more emphasis, not just behind mental health, but suicide specifically.”
Suicide is the 10th-leading cause of death for all ages and the third-leading cause of death among people ages 15 to 34, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Last Sunday was World Suicide Prevention Day. Hernandez and her friend Austin Gordon, a 19-year-old psychology and biology sophomore, initially planned to pass out more than 200 yellow ribbons on Turlington Plaza last Friday, but classes were canceled because of the hurricane, Gordon said. This Friday and Monday, they intend to give out the ribbons like they had hoped.
The yellow ribbons come from the Yellow Ribbon Suicide Prevention Program, which was started in 1994 after a teenager, Mike Emme, took his life. It symbolizes the victim’s memory and the yellow 1968 Ford Mustang he rebuilt.
“I think it will be really cool to see students wear yellow ribbons and kind of prompt the question, ‘Oh, what is your yellow ribbon for?’” Hernandez said. “That will help open the conversation for suicidal awareness.”
Along with passing out ribbons, they plan to lead a social media campaign by creating matching profile photos and sharing facts about suicide.
Gordon said he is proud of his friend for taking the initiative on this project. The two planned the campaign on their own and are not affiliated with a student organization.
“She's honestly one of the most phenomenal people I've ever seen,” Gordon said. “I've never met someone who has such a passion in their heart for helping others.”
Hernandez and Gordon said there are many resources available for people contemplating suicide. Students and faculty can access the Counseling & Wellness Center, located at 3190 Radio Road, call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-8255 or text the Crisis Text Line at 741741.
