North Central College’s “Before I Die” Wall

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A suicide awareness event at North Central College had students focusing on goals they hope to achieve within their lifetime.

Skydive, travel to Antarctica, and learn to speak French fluently, these were just a few of the hundreds of things North Central College students would like to accomplish before they die.

The “Before I Die” Wall is a suicide prevention and awareness piece that tries to get people to think about their lives, and what they want to do with them. Students were encouraged to fill in their own ambitions as they passed by.

“When you write something down, having it front of you gets you thinking, ‘I’m on a college campus, I’m young, what do I want to do with my life? Why am I here?’” said Lauren Luchetti, peer health educator at North Central College. “Our goal was to get people thinking about that.”

One in 12 college students make a suicide plan at some point in their academic careers, but this wall of hopes and dreams brought smiles to those who walked by.

The “Before I Die” Wall is a global public participatory art project with installments in over 70 different countries.

Naperville News 17’s Blane Erwin reports.