“And much later, I’d learn from other first-in-the-family-to-go-to-college people…that I wasn’t alone.” Lizet reflects in this narration on her struggles, years after she was at Rawlings College. Leaving home to go to college shortly after her parents got a divorce took an emotional toll on Lizet. The circumstances in Make Your Home Among Strangers are exceptionally dramatic, but consideration of the well-being of those around us at college and of our own well-being are necessary to make the campus community healthy, safe, and inclusive.
Each incoming first-year will enter college with a social, economic, or cultural background that may be unknown to the thousands of other strangers in the Class of 2020. The emotional roller coaster of high school ending and ramping right back up a short summer later to go to college can be exhausting. Furthermore, people often deal with stress that comes from a source external to college. Lizet felt responsible for her family and often felt the burden of the issues they were dealing with over a thousand miles away. She was right, though; she was not alone. Many people have trouble adjusting to the college environment. Plenty of people who are the first in their family to attend college may feel stress and guilt about not being there for their family. However, there are support groups and healthy stress relief methods. Maintaining good mental health and supporting those who struggle helps foster happy and welcoming communities on campus. Being a college student requires a great deal of time and energy – it can be emotionally exhausting, but you certainly do not have to go it alone.
At UMass, the Center for Counseling and Psychological Health provides a variety of services for guidance, counseling, and emotional support. Their services are diversified to have programs for everyone, ranging from meditation to anxiety support groups to LGBTQIA+ support groups. Additionally, the Center for Multicultural Advancement and Student Success runs numerous cultural centers that host events and run programs that are informative, supportive, and may help you find a sense of belonging on campus. Leaving home for college is life-changing and sometimes jarring, but there are organizations and people that aim to relieve the great stress that these changes may induce. At UMass, student welfare comes first because happiness is the key to success.