'Send Silence Packing' exhibit brings KSU students backpacks with personal stories of suicide loss

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A student reads a personal story attached to a backpack at the Send Silence Packing event March 17, 2026, at Kennesaw State University.

Credit: Ellen Eldridge/GPB News

The spacious room filled with backpacks on clothes hangers could have been a back-to-school giveaway, but the display in the student recreation center March 17, 2026, at Kennesaw State University was about suicide prevention.

College-aged people are at high risk of suicide, which is the second-leading cause of death for people between ages 14 and 24, according to the Georgia chapter of National Alliance on Mental Illness.

That's why KSU held an event to share mental health resources available on and off campus for students. 

The immersive experience is part of a traveling exhibit from nonprofit Active Minds that visits campuses across the country with about 100 backpacks. Where a price tag would be, a card with a personal story was attached for visitors to read.

The personal stories keep the memory of those lost alive while showing other students they are not alone in feeling alone, Eric Rockwood with Active Minds said at the exhibit. 

"As you read them, a common theme is a lot of them feel like they were alone in their struggles; they couldn't reach out for help," Rockwood said. "And that's why we come out. We partner with the local community and schools to bring out resources. So we have national resources here at this table: 988, Crisis Text Line, stuff like that."

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Staff with Active Minds, T.J. (left) and Eric Rockwood at Kennesaw State University on March 17, 2025.

Credit: Ellen Eldridge/GPB News

Alison Malmon founded what became Active Minds at the University of Pennsylvania following the suicide in 2000 of her older brother and only sibling, Brian Malmon.

The smart, popular, and fun high school student began struggling with depression and psychosis during his freshman year at Columbia University, Alison Malmon said, and for three years her brother hid symptoms of what was later diagnosed as schizoaffective disorder.

“The depression had created a space where he felt like he was the only one struggling, that all of it was his fault,” Alison Malmon said.

In the hall outside the backpack suicide prevention exhibit, KSU sophomore psychology major Gianna Sanchez told fellow students about the SAFE Center.

The free campus resource engages victims of crime "in an all-inclusive and forensic response to intimate partner violence such as sexual assault, domestic/dating violence, stalking, and strangulation victimization," according to its website.

"People don't know we're here," Sanchez said. "We just want to spread awareness. We're 24-7. We're confidential. You don't have to report [the crime] to receive services from us."

Buttons, swag and smiles go a long way toward reminding people that if they are struggling with their mental health they are not alone.

If you or someone you know may be considering suicide or is in crisis, call or text 988 to reach the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline.