Students at faculty at Southern University and A&M College are mourning the loss of a freshman cheerleader after she was found dead Wednesday. The student had posted a lengthy suicide letter to her Instagram account before taking her life.
Arlana Miller, 19, of Texas, revealed that she had been struggling with suicidal thoughts for quite some time and that she had previously written many suicide notes. She detailed the struggles she experienced over the last year — COVID-19, an injury, and failing classes — and that the pain had become “unbearable.”
“I pray you know I’m at rest now!” Miller wrote. “You would’ve given everything to see me happy …. I’m happy in the water where everything is still and peaceful.”
She continued, “finally, I’ve reached my end.”
According to the university’s athletic department, Miller died shortly after making the now-deleted post.
“On May 4, 2022, at approximately 9PM, Southern University Athletic Department was notified of a social media post which ultimately led to this unfortunate announcement,” a statement from the department read. The announcement noted that May is Mental Health Awareness Month.
“Our entire campus community is deeply saddened by the untimely death of Arlana Miller, a freshman who was majoring in agriculture on the Baton Rouge campus,” read a statement made by President-Chancellor Ray L. Belton on Thursday.
Grief counselors were available following Miller’s death; a spokeswoman told The New York Post. On the night of Miller’s death, cheerleaders and other student-athletes received counseling.
