In November of 2007, a group of students at Baylor University in Waco , Texas were on their way to dinner when one member of the group revealed a startling confession.

The night before, he had attempted suicide.

The news came as a shock to Justin Brown, Kyle Ferguson, Andi Nakasone, Nathan Lloyd and Alyson Erikson, but it didn't go unheard.

"He felt trapped," Erikson said. "He felt a lot of pressure to do certain things with his life. He had a 10-year plan and he was dealing with a lot of expectations that others had placed on him."

They call it the American Dream: Education, employment, marriage, children, and the proverbial white picket fence, but for many young people in this country and around the globe, the dream can turn quickly into a nightmare.

Whether it comes from parents, friends, or society as a whole, young people today face an unprecedented amount of pressure to achieve a streamlined ideal of success, and as quickly as possible.

As a result, suicide has become the second leading cause of death among college students and is No. 3 behind car accidents and drug-related deaths among those 15 to 24.

In America , one suicide occurs every 16 minutes, and nearly half of all college students say they have felt so depressed that they found it difficult to function during the last school year.

The numbers are undeniable, unfortunately, however too often they go overlooked.

Following their friend's admission at dinner, the Baylor students decided not only would they help their friend find his passion for life again, but they would make it their mission to raise awareness about prevention of the mostly unspoken epidemic.

Manteca 28th stop on 4,500-mile journey

Thursday at Northgate Community Church , the Baylor five made their 28th stop along a 4,500-mile bicycle journey from Waco to Anchorage , Alaska .

They call it the "Alive Campaign," a ride for - and celebration of - life.

"Justin mentioned we should ride bikes to Alaska ," Erikson said. "You know, because we're in Texas , we couldn't go to either coast, so he said we should head north. It started as a joke really, but then we all got really excited about the idea."

Turns out they weren't alone.

After a long discussion with their friend about what makes life worth living, the group decided to start a Facebook group called "Four Guys, One Destination, One Mission: Suicide Prevention" and made a pact: If they could reach 250,000 friends on the Facebook group, they would turn Brown's crazy idea into an important, and hopefully life-changing, reality.

It took just 13 days for the Facebook group to reach its goal.

"We found out quickly this was not something that only affected us," Erikson said. "We found out young people all over the world are dealing with the same issues. They kept telling us to go for it, to do it. The people (who joined) the group were more than just friends, they began helping each other out."

Which is the key to suicide prevention.

Depressed people often feel alone in their pain and are unaware that their depression often affects friends and family, but given a positive shoulder to lean on, they can begin to combat their mental condition and rediscover their life's purpose.

It's been a long and grueling trek already, but the Baylor students are making good on their promise one day - and one mile - at a time.

A local Ford dealership in Itasca, Texas, with the support of FordDirect.com, donated a support van to the group and whether it's 10 or just two wheels at a time, the Alive Campaign has made its way through the deserts of New Mexico, Utah and Nevada already and will head to San Francisco today before the trip winds its way north along the Pacific Coast Highway.

Major networks pick up group's story

Erikson and Nakasone are film majors at Baylor and with the help of the university are creating a documentary of the trip and hope to make another documentary about suicide awareness after the trip comes its end.

All the major television networks picked up the story as the group passed through Lubbock , Texas , and the Baylor five is hoping to capture the spotlight as they travel through San Francisco and up the West Coast.

The point, of course, is to spread the message to as many people as possible.

Meanwhile, back at home, the friend that inspired the Alive Campaign has taken the first steps along his own road to recovery.

"He has bipolar disorder (a category of mood disorders in which the victim feels periods of abnormally elevated moods as well as depressive episodes, either separately or at the same time)," Erikson said. "He's doing a lot better now, but it's a slow process. He completely supports us."

As do a number of trip hosts including Manteca 's Steven Cole, who provided a home for the group Thursday night.

"Ultimately, life is so much more than a person's profession," Erikson said. "We want to show that life is worth living. We don't want to tell people how not to die, we want to show people how to live."

For more information on suicide prevention and to track the group's progress on their daily blog, visit AliveCampaign.org.

The "One Mission" Facebook group can be found at www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=5781429349.