Angel Overton is somewhat hard to figure out. She has a big smile and a very girl-next-door look but when you stare a little longer, you notice the tattoos along her arm and the emo/pop-punk band merch that she’s wearing. An interesting yet intriguing mix.
Angel is a sophomore at Columbia, majoring in Marketing and minoring in Live & Performing Arts Management. When asked about her aspirations, you can tell she dreams big, “I think eventually I would like to open my own venue”. Along with this hefty goal, she also cites festival and event production as well as concert promoting as things she is also considering career-wise.
For only a sophomore in college, Angel is already doing amazing things, the most noteworthy, her marketing internship at a non-profit organization called Hope for the Day. Hope for the Day is a leading organization focused on proactive suicide prevention and mental health education.
Photo Courtesy of Hope for the Day
Angel first discovered the non-profit while attending Warped Tour in 2016. Warped Tour is a popular traveling rock music festival that has evolved into including other genres like punk, pop-punk, ska, and hip-hop. Angel says that the slogan they had displayed at Warped Tour, “It’s ok not to be ok” really resonated with her and has caused her to fall in love with the organization and their mission ever since.
They carry out this mission through self-expression platforms like music with Warped Tour, art, and exercise. One of the big events that they are a part of is Art Gives Me Hope, an art show in the West Loop where all the proceeds go to helping Hope for the Day continue their efforts. Another event the organization puts on is the Humboldt Run, located in Humboldt Park where through a one-mile race they help raise money for proactive suicide prevention.
Photo Courtesy of Hope for the Day
Hope for the Day has something else exciting up its sleeve. They are partnering with Chicago coffee shop, Dark Matter Coffee, to create a coffee hub of their own. Titled Sip of Hope, it will be located in Logan Square and through their partnership with Dark Matter, ALL the proceeds from the Sip of Hope coffee shop will be donated to Hope for the Day in order to help promote suicide prevention.
When asking Angel about her future plans related to Hope for the Day she says with a laugh, “I plan on staying there until they ask me to leave”. She goes on to say that what she loves most about interning and being involved at Hope for the Day is the feeling that she is making a difference in the Chicago community and that she loves spreading the organization’s mission with her friends and family.