City College students sat around a table in the RASA/ASHE center and talked about their stresses. College students are responsible for maintaining a good academic standing, often working hard in school is not all students have on their plates. Balancing work and school is a prominent trigger for stress and burnout in students.
Sandra Guzman hosted a mental health workshop on Oct. 14 “Smile now, cry later,” as part of the RASA/ASHE Center’s “Undocumented Student Week of Action” with a workshop on how to manage emotions. Guzman said that the event was planned with the help of both students and faculty throughout campus.
Guzman is an academic counselor and leader of the Rasa center at City College who previously worked as a family therapist and uses her insights on mental health to help her students. She felt she could help students through a workshop on managing mental health.
Once attendees settled into the Student Center with coffee and pastries provided by the RASA/ASHE Center, Guzman led the conversation.
“How do you manage stress? With school, especially now with midterms, this is the time that everything seems to pile up on us,” said Guzman. “This is about the time we go into emergency mode. We decide to sleep and eat whenever, as long as we get through the day.”
Throughout the workshop Guzman encouraged students to speak with others about what causes stress and burnout in students’ lives and what can be done to reduce it. Full-time City College student Khaled Alameldin expressed his struggle with working and going to school at the same time.
“This workshop truly opened my eyes as a full-time student and worker who is currently experiencing burnout,” said Alameldin. “I began this semester with high hopes I could manage both. I am working on reducing my workload and prioritizing school. This conversation with other students helped me out a lot.”
“Undocumented Student Week of Action” continues with panels through Friday, Oct. 18, ending with a screening of “The Unafraid” in the Student Center at 7:00 p.m.
