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As Suicide Prevention Month unfolds, I find myself reflecting deeply on the tragic events that have touched my life and the lives of those around me. It's a time to raise awareness, yes, but also a time to confront some uncomfortable truths about our society and our schools—truths that I have grappled with both personally and professionally.
Suicide is the second leading cause of death among people aged 10-34 in the United States, and these numbers are only rising. It’s a statistic that should startle us, but more importantly, it should mobilize us to act. The pain of losing a young life is indescribable, yet it's a pain that too many families and communities are enduring.
I am one of those people.
This past May, we lost Omyra, a bright, promising student with a world of potential ahead of her. She was someone who, to many of us, seemed to have it all together. But behind her smile and her kind words, she was fighting a battle that we, her educators, failed to see. Her friends, in their grief, called us out—pointing fingers at our school, at our programs, at our inability to recognize her cries for help. And they were right.
We had prided ourselves on our commitment to Social Emotional Learning (SEL) and mental health advocacy. We talked the talk, but when it came down to it, we missed the signs. We weren’t trained to see them. We, like so many schools, asked our teachers to be everything: educators, mentors, counselors, even therapists. But the reality is, they’re not therapists. They’re not equipped to handle the depths of trauma that our students carry with them. In our well-meaning efforts, we uncovered Omyra’s pain but didn’t have the tools to address it fully, leaving her and many others vulnerable.
Omyra’s death was a devastating reminder that our prescriptive approaches to SEL are not enough. We need to question the systems we’ve put in place, systems that often ask untrained individuals to do the heavy lifting of emotional and mental health work without proper support. We open doors to trauma but fail to close them, leaving students to wander through their darkest thoughts alone.
I know this darkness all too well. My father took his own life after making a decision that he felt he couldn’t live with. The shock of it rippled through my life, and my brothers' lives, leaving us with an ever-present shadow. In my lowest moments, I have found myself considering the same “long-term solution to a short-term problem.” It’s a pervasive thought that, once seeded, never fully disappears. It lingers, waiting for those moments of vulnerability, to creep back in.
For those of us who carry these thoughts, the struggle is ongoing. It’s a fight to remind ourselves that there is always hope, that there are always other solutions. But it’s not a fight that can be won alone.
As educators, as parents, as friends, we need to be vigilant—not just for others, but for ourselves. We need to look for the signs, however small they may be. A change in behavior, a withdrawal, a sudden disinterest in things once loved—these could be cries for help. And when we see them, we must act, not by trying to solve the problem ourselves, but by connecting those in need with the professionals who can truly help.
Let me be clear: you are not expected to be a therapist. You are not expected to have all the answers. What you can do is be a lifeline. You can be the one who says, “I see you, and I care enough to help you find the support you need.”
If you or someone you know is struggling with thoughts of suicide, please don’t wait. Reach out. The National Suicide Prevention Lifeline is available 24/7 at 1-800-273-8255. There are also numerous free counseling services available online and in many communities.
We must do better—for Omyra, for my father, for every person who feels that they are out of options. We can’t afford to lose any more lives to silence and to a lack of proper care. Let’s take this month as a reminder to be vigilant, to be compassionate, and to be the bridge that connects those in pain with the help they so desperately need.
Let’s not just talk about suicide prevention—let’s make it a reality.
Resources:
National Suicide Prevention Lifeline: 1-800-273-8255
Crisis Text Line: Text HOME to 741741
Free online counseling services (link)
Together, we can save lives.
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