Corinne Cloutier ’25 wore green, teal, and purple beads in the recent Out of Darkness Walk she helped organize on campus as a fundraiser for the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention. The jewels expressed her empathy for people who have struggled with thoughts of self-harm as well as her support for survivors and her grief over lives lost to suicide.
Cloutier has become a champion for mental wellness in the region. Drawing on connections she made through her beloved sisterhood, Kappa Delta Phi National Affiliated Sorority (NAS), she has immersed herself in campus life, serving as an ambassador for the Office of Community Impact (OCI). She helps plan events that promote well-being and healing. She is inspired by her work—and she is inspiring others. In the past year, she has even refined her career goals.
“My work as ambassador keeps me engaged,” she says. “Having something to feel responsibility for, other than classes, and to feel responsible to my peers, has given me a lot more confidence. I’ve never felt more myself in a lot of ways. I’m experiencing personal growth that automatically leads to educational growth.”
As a 10-year-old, Cloutier was already arguing with her parents about climate change and, as a third grader, she was excited to recycle. She began her college career majoring in environmental science and more recently switched to PSU’s new sustainability studies program, which focuses on implementation, communication, and change.
“It highlights possibilities rather than what has gone wrong,” Cloutier explains. She hopes one day to work for Fortune 500 companies, guiding them in sustainability practices.
Cloutier’s engagement on campus began so simply—by getting involved as philanthropy chair for her sorority. Cloutier then helped sorority sisters Kasey Arnold ’23 and Darby Dwyer ’23 plan the first Out of Darkness Walk on campus and got connected to the Student Life Office and Associate Director for Student Impact Casey Krafton, who recruited Cloutier as an OCI ambassador.
Cloutier has since helped plan a seminar geared toward social-emotional growth, called Choose Love, and she was part of a student group that spoke recently to the USNH Board of Trustees about the importance of student engagement on campuses. She also served as an orientation leader last summer and says that was particularly powerful. “It gave me the feeling of a reset,” she says, noting that she was mentoring students, helping them learn to make good choices and be kind to one another.
Cloutier’s successes are tangible. She is impacting others, including those she has spoken to who have considered self-harm; she tells them, “I’m so glad you failed.” She advances the causes she cares about by raising awareness and dollars; the two Out of Darkness events raised nearly $20,000.
“Corinne is truly a remarkable human being who cares deeply about empowering those around her,” says Jessica Dutille ’03, ’04MBA, ’20EdD, director of student life and community impact. “She has created such meaningful experiences for our community to come together in support of one another, and I am simply honored to work alongside her.”
