Darden Second Year Hikes for a Cause

University of Virginia Darden School of Business Second Year student Devin Underhill raised $10,000 as he hiked the Appalachian Trail in 2016, money he used to found Next Steps, an organization that helps connect UVA students with mental health providers. A former UVA undergraduate student, Underhill was inspired to start the organization after attempting to live with his own trauma.

The program officially launched in September and has already referred seven students. Underhill, who will graduate from Darden in May and move to Chicago to work for Boston Consulting Group, is hard at work making sure Next Steps can continue to help students long after he leaves.

“Ten thousand dollars will disappear pretty quickly,” he said. “My goal for this year is pursue additional funding and make this a more sustainable, permanent program.”

He said he has been encouraged by increased willingness to discuss mental illness among his classmates and the wider UVA community.

“Often, especially at top schools, students want to figure things out for themselves and they don’t want to talk about these issues,” he said. “It’s easy to put off the problem and not really deal with it head-on.”

Taking the next step and talking to a therapist is hard, he acknowledges.

But then again, so was hiking the Appalachian Trail. And as Underhill can attest, it was very, very worth it.

Read the full story on UVA Today.