I may only be nineteen years old, but I am no stranger to the impact that someone committing suicide has on daily life.

This past fall, someone from my hometown lost his battle with depression and anxiety. His demise left a lot of people at a loss for words, including myself.

As an Iowa State student, my daily life was altered because of the suicide in my hometown.

I felt a little less alive knowing that my friend’s hearts were aching and that someone could get to the help they needed because they did not know how to ask for it.

Suicide is a scary, and a difficult topic to weave into conversation. It changes the ambiance of an entire room. Yet, it is something that so desperately needs to be talked about at the same time.

Students like Nathan Pfister have recognized the need for conversation and have taken action.

In April of this year, Nathan Pfister, a student at Iowa State University founded the SAO, Suicide Awareness organization.

“I actually had one of my good friends commit suicide right after I graduated high school”, said Pfister.

The SAO is not a counseling service, but instead brings awareness and gives information on where someone could seek help. It provides the contact information for local counseling services and various help organizations.

“We are not a counseling service, we help students get to the help”, said Pfister.

SAO works closely with the Student Counseling Services on campus and is still in the process of becoming more recognized.

“I am trying to bring more awareness to suicide and basically give kids alternatives to suicide,” Pfister said.

The SAO is not allowed on social media, and that was something that Pfister agreed on while founding the campus organization. Because the then Student Government denied funding, they currently cannot reach out to students at this point.

But, they do hope to begin organizing events and spread awareness throughout campus during September, Suicide Prevention month. In late January or early February, Nathanial Wade will be a guest speaker for the SAO as well.

SAO wants to reach out to those who have peers that may be depressed. Pfister explained that having people around someone who is depressed needs to show compassion and do what they can to help.

Thus far, Pfister has been surprised at the amount of students that have come forward and have been willing to talk about their story. The Suicide Awareness Organization gives students an opportunity to talk about it.

“But, it is completely up to them,” said Pfister.

Justin Bond, senior in nutritional science, hopes to become more actively involved in this organization. He said he had two people close to him commit suicide in his life.

“They were years apart but they were both veterans,” Bond said.

At the age of seven, Bond’s grandfather committed suicide. Eight years ago, his best friend’s father, and former baseball coach, killed himself as well.

“I remember the day, well both days,” Bond and, and a moment of silence took over the conversation. “They were both tough and devastating.”

Bond explained that his former baseball coach was something that was unexpected. His coach was an avid runner and always active and happy around others.

“It was just a lot of emotions and just really hard to deal with,” Bond said.

Pfister, who’s friend committed suicide after their high school graduation, explained the impact it had on him.

“For a while, it was really hard. It was my first look at life and death,” Pfister said.

Pfister also explained that his friend was a lively person. Someone who did not seem like they were in a place mentally that warranted the suicide.

“It shows no one is completely immune to it,” Pfister said.

Bond explained how he was “just blind sighted by it”.

Both bond and Pfster explained to me the different places students can go for help. Students have on campus counseling services that allows students to get help as well as the national suicide hotline.

They both also explained the need for students to be aware of their peers and look for the different patterns of someone who is depressed.