The Sophie Fund

For the fourth year in a row, organizers held an “Out of the Darkness” suicide prevention awareness walk on the Cornell University campus April 26.

Some 120 students, faculty, staff, and community members, encouraged by Free Hugs Ithaca, Be Kind Ithaca, and the superhero known as the Cornell Batman, trekked the 2-mile route snaking from Barton Hall around campus and back again on a bright Spring afternoon.

The 2026 Walk begins!

The walkers raised more than $10,000, bringing to $60,000-plus the monies raised in the Cornell Walks for the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention. AFSP uses the funds for awareness programming as well as to develop evidence-based methods for treating suicidality and preventing suicide deaths.

Walk Chair Cheyanne Scholl, a staff member at Cornell’s College of Veterinary Medicine, noted that Cornellians have been affected by campus suicide deaths this year as well as by government cutbacks for mental health.

“You being here today is showing that there is something to fight for. Every dollar raised today is going back into suicide prevention in the form of research, advocacy, and prevention efforts,” said Scholl.

“Cornell is currently the only Ivy League institution with a multi-year Out of the Darkness Walk,” she added. “That is something to be very proud of!”

Cornell students preparing for the Walk

During the speakers’ program, Nambita Sahai, a Cornell junior studying biology, called on her fellow students to overcome the stigma around mental health.

“No matter how someone seems, they may be fighting battles you can’t see. Cornell is full of brilliant, driven, compassionate people, but it’s easy to feel like you’re the only one struggling,” said Sahai, the current president of Cornell’s student-run Empathy, Assistance & Referral Service (EARS).

“While improving campus mental health feels like a universal goal, many aspects of it are still stigmatized. It’s easier to talk about stress over a test than to admit you can’t get out of bed or take care of yourself. We ask each other how we’re doing, but we don’t always expect honest answers. And it’s still difficult to ask for mental health days or find consistent support from all professors,” she said.

Sahai said that Cornell students can find meaningful support through services like EARS but also just being there for each other.

“There is a lot of evidence that students turn to peers before formal therapy, which means we all have a role in supporting each other. It can be as simple as asking someone to expand on how they feel and actually listening. Sometimes people just want to be heard, to have a space to talk, and to form authentic relationships.”

Members of the Walk team: Crysal Howser, Cheyanne Scholl, Emily Georgia, and Stacy Ayres

Another speaker was Sandra Sorensen, executive director of the Finger Lakes chapter of the National Alliance on Mental Illness, who echoed Sahai’s plea to overcome stigma.

Sorensen related how her husband Michael, although the creative, sharp-minded, outwardly larger than life father of five and doctoral candidate at Cornell, died by suicide in 2021. Inside, she said, Michael dealt with bipolar and major depressive disorder.

“Stigma kept him from seeking help and forced him to continue to perform at his best,” she explained. “Michael didn’t talk about his mental health. We as a family didn’t talk about it either, as we were held to his silence and the stigma that he felt. We can look at the high achieving Michaels of Cornell and within our social circles and say, ‘Not them.’ But, ‘Yes, them.’ We need to talk about it. We need to check in on our friends and family.”

More than 500 AFSP Out of the Darkness Walks are held across the country each year. Besides raising funds, the Walks send a message that “suicide is preventable, and no one is alone,” and help build a community around mental health. They show solidarity and bring hope for suicide attempt survivors or loss survivors.

Among the participants in the 2026 Cornell Walk were 12 fundraising teams, with Alpha Gamma Rho bringing in the most funds, $920. Other top teams included Cornell CARE, Team Hope, Stronger Together, and the Cornell Out of the Darkness Planning Committee. Michell Moyal collected $1,227 in donations, becoming the top individual fundraiser.

For the Honor Beads ceremony

Participants were provided with “honor beads,” necklaces in vibrant colors signifying their connection to the suicide prevention cause—white for the loss of a child, red for the loss of a spouse or partner, gold for the loss of a parent, orange for the loss of a sibling, purple for the loss of a friend or relative, silver for the loss of a first responder or military member, green for personal attempt or struggle, teal for someone who struggles or has attempted suicide, blue for supporting the cause, and rainbow for the LGBTQ+ community.

Why Do You Walk?

Cornellians left messages on the “Why Do You Walk” wall:

Talk about it! PLEASE!

Ask for help

To show up for those who could not for themselves

YOU ARE LOVED!

In memory of Nick Budney

For my best friend Holly

Give healing 1 more try

For myself and my brother. You are not alone!

To remind myself that I am not alone!

For Jack. I miss you!

A light to guide through the darkness—Batman

My Uncle Tim

For the friends I almost lost. There is hope beyond the darkness.

To give someone hope

You deserve to be here

Compassion

This year’s sponsors were: Suicide Prevention and Crisis Services of Tompkins County; NY FarmNet; Halco Home Solutions; Be Kind Ithaca; Free Hugs Ithaca; and Rosie’s Café and Parlor.

Sandra Sorensen and Kathy Taylor

Darrell Harrington and Samantha Shoemaker

Big Red Bear, Cornell Batman & Friends

Empathy Assistance, and Referral Service

Photo credits: Zoe Phemister-Jimenez and Crystal Howser

To connect with AFSP’s campus efforts, email: cornellafsp@gmail.com.

If you or someone you know feels the need to speak with a mental health professional, you can call or text the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline at 9-8-8, or contact the Crisis Text Line by texting HOME to 741-741.

For AFSP support and/or other resources, please visit www.afsp.org/get-help and www.afsp.org/resources.