The third leading cause of death for college students is suicide. Many people struggling with depression don’t seek help. The foundation, To Write Love On Her Arms created a way to support and possibly inspire for those struggling with depression. 

In Lang Auditorium Wednesday night, Jamie Tworkowski, founder of TWLOHA visited University of Northern Iowa’s campus to speak about the journey TWLOHA has taken. 

 “I think we are afraid of being misunderstood, we’re afraid of being judged, we’re afraid of being labeled,” Tworkowski said. 

Founded in 2006, TWLOHA is a non-profit organization focusing on mental illness, including depression, suicide, addiction and self-injury. Tworkowski got the idea to establish TWLOHA when his friend, Renee, struggled with addiction. Tworkowski saw an opportunity to help her.

The goal of this movement is to provide resources for those suffering with mental illness and give them inspiration. TWLOHA has reached across the world and  they have had an outpouring of support.

UNI’s chapter of To Write Love on Her Arms was founded in 2009.  

“A lot of people struggle with mental illness,” said Randi Smith, junior English major and TWLOHA secretary. “It [the issues] hit a little close to home.”   

Smith said mental illness needs to be brought to UNI’s attention due to the statistics of mental illness among college students. 

Guitarist and singer Steven McMorran opened the event with a few original pieces.  Tworkowski used McMorran’s music as inspirations for reaching out to people because music creates a way to feel and express emotions. 

The event focused on Tworkowski and Renee’s story through addiction and a constant fight to keep going. Laughter spread throughout the auditorium in response to Tworkowski’s stories and jokes, despite the seriousness of the topic. 

The organization’s name, To Write Love On Her Arms, arose from a particular incident involving Renee. In the midst of using drugs and spiraling into a deep depression, she took a razor blade to her arm and wrote the words “Fuck up.” 

Jamie hoped to change that perception of her identity into something more positive. 

 “We paint a picture that becomes our image of how we want people to see us . . . there’s a big divide,” Tworkowski said. 

Tworkowski touched on why people are not often aware of the problems happening among people with mental illness.  

“It’s possible to change . . . life can change,” Tworkowski said.  

Resources are made available on TWLOHA’s website for those dealing with these issues without knowing where to turn.

To close the event, Tworkowski asked the audience who had been affected by any of the issues that TWLOHA aims to help. Over half of the crowd raised their hands. He hoped this image would stick in peoples’ minds as an impact of mental illness on those directly involved and the people who care about them.

Tworkowski left the stage with a round of applause from the audience. 

Rachel Hall, senior English teaching major, has followed the story and group for a few years now.

When asked if the event lived up to her expectations, Hall said, “Definitely…it’s so very different to hear a story come to life.”