Sacramento State is set to host its fifth annual “Out of the Darkness Walk.” The event will take place on Tuesday, April 5 outside the WELL and it aims to educate and create awareness of the prominence of suicide on college campuses.

The event is in affiliation with the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention, across country campus tour, which intends to highlight the prevalence of suicide on college campuses and create a conversation within the community.

The Out of the Darkness Walk will feature an opening keynote address from President Robert Nelsen, a few Sac State students who will share their experience and a closing speech from Associated Students, Inc. President Melissa Bardo.

The event will also provide opportunities for students to share their experiences with suicide with canvases that participants can sign as way of honoring the people they’ve lost to suicide and will feature canvases from other years to continue to honor those people as well.

A mental health fair featuring vendors and organizations dedicated to the wellness of the community will take place before the walk. Although the walk is on campus, people from the Sacramento community are encouraged to participate and share their stories as well as gather information of the resources that are available for those in need of mental health services.

Katie Hodgson, licensed clinical social worker and a member of the counseling staff at the WELL spoke on her experience as a medical professional and why she believes events like Out of the Darkness are important for the students at Sac State and the overall community.

“As a clinician who works with people on an individual level, I know that people often feel very alone with their experiences,” Hodgson said. “So having this event and knowing that there’s a community who supports them and can relate to them, brings me a lot of hope.”

Check-in and registration for the walk begins at 4 p.m. on April 5 outside the WELL, with the walk beginning at 5:30 p.m.