(photo courtesy: Nick Gallagher)
Name: Kyra Patel
Year: Junior
Major: Statistics
Hometown: Apex, NC
Hobbies: Martial Arts (When I’m at home) and crafting (when I’m feeling really patient)
Celeb Status: Founder of the Suicide Remembrance Night
Q: What are you passionate about?A: I am really passionate about suicide prevention and awareness. Before losing my roommate my freshman year, I had never been exposed to this kind of loss. The loneliness I felt fueled my passion to making sure no one ever felt the way I did.
Q: What do you hope to accomplish for your dream?A: I hope to lessen the stigma attached to mental illness and suicide, to make way for more conversations about the topics and lead to more people reaching out for help.
Q: Have you seen any change?A: I have seen some success. There are definitely more discussions happening on this campus. Also, there are more people going through the Suicide Prevention Gatekeeper Trainings.
Q: Have you been met with any obstacles?A: Yeah, I have. I have met a lot of people who shy away from the topic of suicide. But once I explain to them about how much suicide can affect peoples’ lives, they are more receptive to conversations.
Q: I know one of your goals was to host a suicide remembrance night at Appalachian State. How did you go about planning and organizing this event?A: Last year, I started Appalachian’s first ever Suicide Remembrance Night, with the purpose of helping people know that you are never alone and there are people on this campus who love and care about them. The September before the first event, I met with J.J. Brown (Dean of Students) to propose the Remembrance Night, and he loved it. We started planning from there! With the help of the Dean Of Students, Denise Lovin, and Elizabeth Cavallaro, we had the first ever Remembrance Night. This year, the event was part of a Suicide Awareness week. With the help of my amazing committee, we had the second annual event.
Q: How do you feel after the event?A: I was in a very weird mood afterwards. I felt like I had accomplished what I set out to do, but at the same time, I was reminded of exactly why I was doing this. It’s sad that there are people out there who are being exposed to suicide every day, and it’s sad that events like this have to happen. But, at the same time, I was happy that so many people were now aware that they aren’t as alone as they may have felt.
Q: Do you hope to host another suicide awareness event next year?A: Yes! And hopefully even more people will come out and support this cause.
Q: Where do you think your dream will take you next?A: Hopefully to grad school. Right now, I was to graduate school for Public Health and do biostatistics, and work for a pharmaceutical company. But now, I’m leaning more towards doing biostatistics for a suicide prevention association.
(photo courtesty: Addison Wemyss)