My boyfriend died by suicide during my junior year at Brown University. 6 months later, I'm still grieving the loss.

In the weeks immediately after that, my friends and family rallied around me for support..

As I finish my spring semester, I'm still grieving and struggling to find that support...

My professors were exceedingly accommodating.. The first month or so was a blur; I remember very little, but I was touched by the plethora of ways people showed up for me from cooking me dinner and walking me to class to driving me out of Providence for a night and initiating difficult emotional conversations...

During my winter break from Brown, I started attending the weekly meetings of a virtual support group designed for people in their 20s who have lost someone to suicide..

I celebrated my 22nd birthday the first weekend back at school, and while I felt enveloped in love, I can count the people on one hand who acknowledged the elephant in the otherwise gleeful room: that the first birthday after losing someone absolutely sucks..