Fighting a Silent Enemy
Published on January 16, 2019“I’m so thankful to the Carolina Community.”
“I’m so thankful to the Carolina Community.”
One of the hardest lessons Nick Black learned through his service in the U.S. Army is that, too often, soldiers are lost to an adversary that doesn’t get nearly enough attention: suicide.
Black, an alumnus of the UNC Kenan-Flagler Business School, was born into a family of service, grew up around the world and had many life experiences that shaped his views on service.
“I saw a lot of bad things at a young age, but saw the good in people as well,” he said.
Those experiences led Black and two fellow servicemen to co-found Stop Soldier Suicide in 2010. They all knew soldiers who had faced daunting challenges and were determined to create a solution.
“I’m so thankful to the Carolina community. I’ve been asked ‘Why is this school better?’,” Black said. “Carolina is better because it’s better people. Being an entrepreneur at UNC – if you don’t know what you are doing, they will listen to you. What we’re doing at Stop Soldier Suicide takes a galaxy of people to come together, and Carolina has a natural community to do it.”
