Ice-cold water and school spirit are taking over Instagram. The USC Ice Bucket Challenge is a playful yet powerful reboot of the original 2014 ALS Ice Bucket Challenge. It has recently gone viral on campus, and now around the country, with students dumping ice water on themselves to raise awareness for mental health.
This challenge began when a group of student government members and campus wellness advocates at the University of Southern California teamed up to create a campaign that would grab attention while delivering a message. Their goal is to promote mental health resources available at USC and break down the shame surrounding mental health struggles among college students. Malone Sullivan ’27 partook in this challenge, understanding its true meaning.
“Mental health is super important for all ages, and this challenge is a super fun way to help spread awareness, and you get to nominate your friends to do the challenge as well,” Sullivan said.
Raising awareness is super important, and a smart tactic of being able to nominate your friends after doing the challenge is a good way to keep the fun going.
Participants post videos dumping ice water over their heads and tag three friends to keep the challenge going. The caption often includes campus resource links and hashtags like #USCMentalHealth and #MindOverMatter.
Within just a few days, the trend exploded, with dozens of students, athletes, and even faculty members joining in. Some added their own creative twists, like using giant buckets, costumes or slow-motion effects, to keep the challenge fun and engaging. Wells Webber ’28 took her chance and had fun while doing this challenge after being nominated.
“I had a ton of water and ice dumped on me after my practice,” Webber said. “It may be a fun challenge, but everyone should remember the true meaning behind it.”
The challenge has not only raised awareness around the country but also strengthened the campus community, showing that students are willing to support one another in meaningful ways, even if it means getting a little cold in the process.
As the videos continue to pour in, one thing is clear: at USC, school pride and social impact go hand in hand, and sometimes all it takes is a bucket of ice water. Mueller shares how she feels about the true meaning of the challenge.
“Knowing this challenge started from a college campus, to then spreading throughout the country is crazy,” Mueller said. “I’m glad that everyone who does this challenge understands that mental health is important.”
