On October 8, 2014, I attended the suicide prevention talk in Alton Auditorium starring Jordan Burnham of Active Minds. I was shocked by how moving this entire presentation was through the dance performance, the speech itself, and their touching meanings.

First, Teresa Andris’ dancers performed a dance piece that was about a girl who committed suicide and her peers’ reactions to her action. This dance piece was touching because it showed the affects that one individual’s action has on her loved ones’ lives.

Then, Jordan Burnham came onto the stage to share his story. Throughout Jordan’s life, he constantly suffered with depression because he felt like he did not fit in or like he greatly disappointed his loved ones. Although Jordan constantly put on the persona that he was happy, his feelings on the inside were different. One day after he felt that he had disappointed his parents so much because his father found alcohol in his car, he jumped out of his bedroom window, but somehow survived. Jordan and his family agreed to share their stories about this event to impact someone’s life and possibly prevent a suicide. Although Jordan’s story is upsetting, he is using his situation to try to help and save other individuals’ lives.

I know that an individual’s suicide has an affect on their loved ones, but I never thought of the haunting unanswered questions that they would be faced with for the rest of their lives. The performance also made me realize that sometimes the people that seem the happiest on the outside are actually the ones that are seeking and needing the most help.