Cecilia McGough never shied away from vividly describing her experiences with the schizophrenia disorder.

“Everyone sees, hears and feels things that aren’t there when they’re dreaming,” she said. “I’m just someone who can’t turn off my nightmares even when I’m awake.”

McGough co-founded the new club Students with Schizophrenia alongside Abdul Al-Kaf . The club, with goals of becoming a global non-profit, aims to help students across campus and around the world who have schizophrenia, a mental disease that affects 1 percent of the population worldwide.

By raising awareness of the disorder and giving more resources to those who have it, Students with Schizophrenia wants to combat the various problems affecting the community.

Aside from a high suicide rate — one in 10 people with schizophrenia take their lives — high unemployment and dropout rates also plague those with the disorder.

The club focuses on college-aged people with schizophrenia because the disorder’s symptoms become most pronounced during young adulthood.

“We’ve decided to focus on college students because it’s the peak age to have a schizophrenic break, and also because it’s a very pivotal time in that person’s life,” McGough said.

By dealing with the disorder at its peak, McGough and Abdul wish to help any student with schizophrenia reach their full potential.

“We need something to help those students stay in college, because they can do it. They just need the correct accommodations, support and services to make them successful in college,” McGough said.

Along with participating in the campus-wide Mental Health and Wellness week this November, the club is planning workshops and other live demonstrations to help educate the public.

“We needed to start the club at Penn State so we could have a model,” Abdul (industrial engineering- senior) said

Abdul first reached out to McGough after attending one of her speaking sessions.

“I was deeply touched, and felt that I should be part of that,” Abdul said. “I contacted her and let her knew that whenever she needs anything to start it, I’m in.”

McGough was inspired to start the club after her own college experiences with schizophrenia.

“I realized that people with schizophrenia needed correct representation,” McGough said. “When I was looking for my own support, there was nothing to help college students specifically who have schizophrenia.”

Now after taking a year off to kick start her activism, McGough and her brainchild are blasting forward at full force.

Other universities have asked permission to start their own branches, and a feature-length documentary is even in the works.

Though McGough and Abdul emphasized the disorder can manifest itself in various ways, common symptoms include delusions, hallucinations and disorganized speech or thought.

Still, McGough felt the limiting ability of the symptoms themselves do not have to stop someone.

“What’s keeping people with schizophrenia from achieving what they want to do is really the stigma from society [more] than the symptoms,” she said.

Pia Smal , instructor of Education, serves as faculty advisor for the newly minted club.

Smal met McGough after she gave a practice speech in one of her classes, later taking up the role of adviser at McGough’s request.

“My main goal is to support them, as they move forward in establishing the organization by providing the resources they need,” Smal said.