Mental health awareness event has personal meaning to NC State student who lost her sister
RALEIGH, N.C. — Naomi Bouedo is part of Omega Phi Alpha, a North Carolina State University sorority that has organized the Outrace the Stigma mental health awareness event for the past six years. This year’s event is personal to Naomi.
“I still have this image of my sister always having the most beautiful smile on her face and always being ready to do whatever, jumping into an adventure head first,” said Bouedo.
Naomi lost her sister Jade to mental illness in April of 2022. She hopes that this event can ignite conversations and bring awareness to the mental health of college students.
“It was really a shock to my family, when it happened, and mental health wasn’t something that was ever really talked about within my family,” Bouedo said.
Throughout the NC State campus, students say a heavy courseload and overall responsibilities can contribute to overwhelming stress.
“You cry sometimes, and you get angry sometimes, but I found that confiding in my peers, and really just talking about it, really makes me feel better,” Bouedo said.
This school year, there have been 10 deaths on campus; at least five of those students took their own lives.
“NC State has done a phenomenal job in my opinion of helping its students in the past few years,” said XXX Martin.
Outrace the Stigma will take place on April 2, all profits will be donated to the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI).
Get help with mental health
If you’re having suicidal thoughts or a mental health crisis, call or text 988. Veterans can press “1” after dialing 988 to connect directly to the Veterans Crisis Lifeline, which serves our nation’s veterans, service members, National Guard and Reserve members and those who support them. For texts, veterans should continue to text the Veterans Crisis Lifeline short code: 838255.