Instagram stories were flooded with squeals and water trickling down backs as the ice bucket challenge quickly gained popularity. The same 16 words swarmed social media, and soon reached Derby on April 17: ‘Hi my name is … and I was nominated for the USC Speak Your Mind Challenge.’

In this challenge, participants would dump buckets of water on their heads, then nominate two to five people to also participate. 

“I chose to participate in this challenge because it seemed like a lot of fun and everyone was doing it,” sophomore Evie Stanfield said.

Previously, in 2014, this challenge was created to spread awareness of a neurodegenerative disease, Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS). Now, it is a fundraiser meant to spread awareness for mental health. 

The challenge was brought up again after a junior at the University of Southern California (USC) lost a friend to suicide. Not only was it atypical of common Instagram stories, but it also exemplified how sudden and shocking mental health issues can feel.

“I love how it is bringing all different types of people together for one cause,” freshman Maya Painchaud said. “I think it is important to advocate for mental health because it’s a very serious issue. As someone who has had many mental health struggles, I find talking about it and normalizing it will increase the chance that someone will seek help before it’s too late.” 

For those who didn’t previously get to participate, it seemed like a chance to make up for a missed opportunity.

“I didn’t get to do the ice bucket challenge in 2014, and I didn’t want to miss this opportunity,” Stanfield said. “I know people who struggle with mental health in lots of different ways, and I wanted to show my support.”