Watch these #WeBelongInCollege stories to learn how college student-athletes balanced both their sport and their academics.
Nicole’s #WeBelongInCollege Story
Nicole began to lose her motivation and confidence once she started to compare herself to the people around her, especially her swim teammates. Luckily, her sister introduced her to a new athletic training program that helped her find a greater passion helping other athletes heal and recover.
Myles’s #WeBelongInCollege Story
Myles was a student-athlete but sustained an injury that had him sidelined. In his story, he explains how he coped.
Enoch’s #WeBelongInCollege Story
Enoch dreamed of playing college football. When an injury kept him from playing in his first year, he became extremely depressed and stopped going to class. After reaching out to his roommate for help, he realized he wasn’t the only one struggling.
While it can take time for students to adjust to their new college environment, it can be especially hard if you feel like an outsider. Watch these #WeBelongInCollege stories to learn how these students began to feel like they belonged in college.
Nicole’s #WeBelongInCollege Story
It’s no surprise that Nicole questioned if she belonged in college since she was 14 years old when she started! It was daunting being surrounded by adults. She was crushed when her first friend said she no longer wanted to study together after learning Nicole’s age. Nevertheless, Nicole persisted.
Karoline’s #WeBelongInCollege Story
Karoline hoped to escape the bullying she experienced in high school when she went to college. The harassment continued and she began questioning whether she was welcome in her new college community.
Vania’s #WeBelongInCollege Story
Vania worked full-time all throughout college. It felt as if everyone else was able to focus on being a student while she had to struggle to find time and energy for her studies. This challenge made her question if she belonged.
Transitioning from high school to college isn’t always easy! Watch these #WeBelongInCollege stories to learn how these students overcame challenges during their transition to college.
Karoline’s #WeBelongInCollege Story
In her story, Karoline reminds us that although the system may seem like it’s out to get us, you should remember that we are all in this together, and if we help each other, we can figure it out.
Taylor’s #WeBelongInCollege Story
Taylor was miserable during her first two years of college. It wasn’t until she made friends and began building a community that she began to gain a sense of belonging.
John’s #WeBelongInCollege Story
John was failing classes during his first year of college. Thanks to great advice and support from his aunt, he fought the urge to drop out.
Don’s #WeBelongInCollege Story
Don didn’t want to disappoint his parents, but he struggled getting through the classes they wanted him to pursue. His friends gave him great advice, and his parents surprised him with their reaction when he finally shared what he was truly passionate about.
Nicki’s #WeBelongInCollege Story
On her very first day of college, Nicki was horrified when she walked into the wrong class. But her slip-up became a step-up when she opened up to her peers and her professor about how humiliated she was.
Watch these #WeBelongInCollege stories from students who persisted through the college transfer process.
Nicki’s #WeBelongInCollege Story
Nicki found her passion, but it required her to transfer to a college that offered the major she wanted to pursue. With her parents not in support of her decision, she figured out how to transfer on her own.
Shannon’s #WeBelongInCollege Story
I attended a university my freshman year that wasn’t a good fit for me. I struggled to feel like I belonged and felt lonely. I couldn’t find people I connected with and was quickly drifting apart from my childhood best friend who was my roommate. There were moments when I wanted to give up and felt like the traditional college experience just wasn’t for me. I decided to transfer schools after that year and ended up loving the rest of my college journey at my new university. College is a huge life transition and it is normal to feel a little lost in friendships or in your own identity. Sometimes, like me, your original college decision may not work out as planned. But I would encourage everyone to not give up. Every university will offer a unique experience and sometimes transferring is necessary to find the best fit for you! #WeBelongInCollege
In these #WeBelongInCollege stories, students share how they managed to cope when they realized they had not been properly prepared to succeed academically in college.
Jordan’s #WeBelongInCollege Story
When Jordan was in high school, he had an underlying condition that caused him pain even when doing ordinary activities such as laughing. He had been misdiagnosed, and after multiple X-rays and visits to the doctor, he was finally cured of his pain. After this, Jordan knew that he wanted to go into the health field to help others who may be in similar situations. Once Jordan got to college, he found himself quickly failing intro-level biology classes and his advisors told him he had no chance. Eventually, Jordan found an advisor who truly believed in him, and with their help, Jordan was able to change his mindset and improve in all of his classes.
I’Zayah’s #WeBelongInCollege Story
I’Zayah did his best to keep up with his classwork through a prolonged illness. Despite missing classes and being weak and in bed, he managed to turn in all of his work. When he was accused of plagiarism and had little energy left to defend himself, he thought it might be the end of his college career. But he persisted, and now he has some important lessons to share.
Christine’s #WeBelongInCollege Story
Christine felt like she was the only one in her class who was struggling and began to question whether she belonged in college. She reminded herself why she wanted to be in college in the first place, and decided she would do whatever it took to catch up.
Stephon’s #WeBelongInCollege Story
When Stephon struggled in a class during his first year, he started to question whether he was smart enough for college. He soon realized that the only difference between him and his peers was their level of preparedness. Remaining confident in himself helped him persist.
Leidy’s #WeBelongInCollege Story
Leidy aspired to become a doctor, but she questioned whether she belonged when she didn’t do so well in her classes. Leidy found someone who believed in her throughout college and supported her all the way through.
Karoline’s #WeBelongInCollege Story
Karoline wanted to quit college when a professor publically humiliated her in a remedial math class. Luckily, a college counselor convinced her to explain to the professor why she was struggling. And then, everything changed, and she realized that “Part of belonging …is being open so others can understand you.”
Brianna’s #WeBelongInCollege Story
Brianna felt inadequate and unprepared, as if she didn’t belong, since her very first day of college. She eventually overcame these hardships and worked toward her master’s degree!
Melissa’s #WeBelongInCollege Story
When Melissa was failing her statistics class, she started to question whether she belonged in college. After making it through that class, she knew she did!
Lisa Marie’s #WeBelongInCollege Story
Lisa Marie dropped out soon after starting college. In her story, she explains how she went from being one of the smartest kids to feeling like just another number. Eventually, she figured out how to deal with it and push forward.
Brent’s #WeBelongInCollege Story
Brent was failing marine biology. He never had to work so hard to pass a class, but that struggle transformed him. He explains that “It pretty much changed my entire outlook on college. It taught me that I’m capable of doing anything. [Including] teaching myself stuff that I’m not necessarily good at and it’s possible to get through that wall no matter how hard the challenges are.”
College presents all kinds of challenges. Watch these #WeBelongInCollege stories to learn how students found the support needed to overcome the challenges they faced.
College students throughout the country dealt with extraordinary challenges due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Watch these #WeBelongInCollege stories from students about how they continued to work toward their educational goals.
Zakiyat’s #WeBelongInCollege Story
Like many students, Zakiyat started college during the COVID pandemic. When classes resumed in-person, Zakiyat found it hard to stay focused and create connections with her professors and TAs, but thanks to the support of her family and friends, she found resources on campus that could help her adjust.
Serena’s #WeBelongInCollege Story
There is nothing more inspiring than someone who is in the midst of their own struggles and chooses to dedicate themselves to help others. Serena shares her story to help others who are in the same situation.
Eva’s #WeBelongInCollege Story
Eva was frustrated with this situation but has stayed positive and gave advice she wanted us to hear: “We’ve just got to keep pushing through this. We all need to focus on our mental health and keep doing what we can to stay safe and healthy.”
Amber’s #WeBelongInCollege Story
Returning home from college and figuring out how to focus on her studies and stay healthy was a challenge for Amber. Now she has some advice to share: “Get on a schedule! Everyone’s saying it because it works!”
Enoch’s #WeBelongInCollege Story
Like many students throughout the country, Enoch struggled to adapt to online learning and physical distancing. In his story, he shares one coping strategy that helped him get through this crisis.
Karoline’s #WeBelongInCollege Story
Karoline was grateful that her college let her stay in her dorm, but found social distancing to be tough. Karoline constantly worried about her family members who were sick, but through it all, she found self-care strategies that helped her persist through the pandemic.
Rita’s #WeBelongInCollege Story
Rita struggled to stay positive after having to abruptly leave college during her second semester. Like most students, her life was upended by COVID-19. Both she and her mother lost their jobs and could no longer afford their home. While she didn’t know what the future held, there was one thing she was certain about: that she belonged in college.
Kylee’s #WeBelongInCollege Story
Kylee was doing well in her classes when the COVID-19 pandemic hit. She lost her job when she had to go back home. Without her salary, she wasn’t sure if she would be able to pay for her tuition. And yet, she still persisted!
Victoria’s #WeBelongInCollege Story
“When I graduated high school, I was absolutely excited. I was accepted as a civil engineering major, accepted into the marching band, and I was ready to explore all the opportunities a prestigious school like UCLA could offer me. I knew it was going to be a difficult transition and that it would take more work than high school did, but I couldn’t understand how unprepared I was until I got there. Going in, I was proud to be a first-generation college student and sought to use my time as a college student to gather information and tips that would be useful for my younger siblings to know once they got to that point in their lives. Now that I was there, I felt more out-of-place than anything. While the classes were enjoyable, I was behind most of my peers academically. Even with all the time I felt that I was putting in, I struggled to understand what seemed to be easy concepts for so many others. The more I thought about it, the more this weighed down on me. I hit my lowest point towards the end of winter quarter. I was emotionally and mentally drained, tired, and struggled to feel motivated as I worried more and more if my academic career would continue to go as badly as it had thus far. My mental well-being was further knocked down by the whispers of the pandemic and rumors of what administration would decide to do if it got any worse. I’d be lying if I said I didn’t cry once I found out UCLA would be transitioning to remote learning for spring. I desperately wanted to be, to put it bluntly, good at school; I wondered how I would even have the chance to improve in the upcoming quarter if I would be at home. Still, I knew if I didn’t at least try, I would continue to feel as if I wasn’t good enough. While remote learning proved difficult as I continued my fight for motivation while fulfilling my academic responsibilities and my responsibilities as the oldest sibling. I learned that sticking to a schedule and keeping my mind engaged with academics and passion projects worked wonders to keep myself motivated. Little by little, I become more engaged with my learning. Little by little, I learned that I am capable of academic growth and gaining new skills. Despite the school year being over, I have kept myself busy between a remote research lab position, painting, learning new cooking recipes, and teaching myself how to code. At the end of winter quarter, I found myself almost immobilized by academic apathy. In the quiet of night, I’d toss and turn, worrying about how I would get my degree if I could hardly handle the lower division courses I was taking then. Now, with the year behind me, I feel reinvigorated and excited to take the next steps in my educational journey. I’ve rediscovered that I belong in college.”
College presents all kinds of challenges. Watch these #WeBelongInCollege stories to learn how students found the support needed to overcome the challenges they faced.
Many students enter college unsure of what they want to pursue academically. These #WeBelongInCollege stories are from students who discovered their passions and found the motivation necessary to persist through college.
Corlisa’s #WeBelongInCollege Story
Corlisa made it through undergrad before facing the next challenge: what comes next? Corlisa is up for the challenge and gives advice on how to stay positive during times of stress.
Shareef’s #WeBelongInCollege Story
Shareef dropped out of college before discovering his “why.” He shares that he now knows what to look for in a college, and has the motivation he needs to succeed.
Ratha’s #WeBelongInCollege Story
Ratha’s mom was insistent that she get a college degree, something that was not possible for so many other Yemeni women. After discovering her passion for sociology, Ratha re-enrolled and pursued her degree.
Amberli’s #WeBelongInCollege Story
Amberli thought she wanted to pursue an athletic training major, but had trouble staying motivated and as a result, felt she lost her sense of purpose altogether. Thanks to support from her mom and her counselor, she stuck it out and eventually found her true passion.
College presents all kinds of challenges. Watch these #WeBelongInCollege stories to learn how students found the support needed to overcome the challenges they faced.
College comes with many challenges. These challenges, no matter how difficult, can become easier with the right support. Watch these #WeBelongInCollege stories to learn how students found the support they needed to persist in college.
Isaiah’s #WeBelongInCollege Story
For Isaiah, getting a college degree was the end-all, be-all, but college didn’t start off how he had hoped. Isaiah registered for classes late, and once classes started, he fell behind and missed assignments. Isaiah started to question himself, but his advisor gave him some resources that he took advantage of to continue pushing for his degree and make the most of his experiences.
Nakaiya’s #WeBelongInCollege Story
Nakaiya was a great student all throughout high school, but college was a different beast. She experienced a new level of stress, anxiety, and depression when struggling with a new class in college. Her advice: take advantage of all your resources on campus!
Marcel’s #WeBelongInCollege Story
Marcel gives advice on how to persist in school even when the people who are closest to you are not entirely supportive of your decision to attend college. We all belong in college!
Bryan’s #WeBelongInCollege Story
In Bryan’s story, we learn how critical advising is, during both high school and college.
Watch these #WeBelongInCollege stories to learn how college students found the support needed when personal issues arose in their lives.
Brandon’s #WeBelongInCollege Story
Brandon moved away from home for college and started running into many different problems such as being homesick and struggling to make friends. When it started to affect his life, he began to look into mental health resources, became more educated, and gradually started to improve.
Teonna’s #WeBelongInCollege Story
Three years into college, a fire left Teonna and her family homeless. She became depressed and had to withdraw from school. Eventually, she figured out how to stay focused on her educational goals, even while dealing with personal struggles.
Paul’s #WeBelongInCollege Story
Paul had to deal with the unimaginable while in college. It was only when he needed it most that he realized how much community support was there for him. In his story, Paul shares insights on how he pushed to overcome these difficulties.
Brendan’s #WeBelongInCollege Story
An alarmingly high number of students experience hunger and homelessness while in college. With no home to sleep in at night, Brendan found himself falling asleep in every class. He knew something had to change if he was going to be able to make it through college.
Andrew’s #WeBelongInCollege Story
Andrew shares about when his student account ran out of meal credits and was he was unable to eat at the dining hall. After experiencing this extreme hardship, Andrew came to realize that he has the strength to overcome any difficult situation that comes his way.
As a first-generation student, I had no idea what I needed to apply to college, how to select the colleges I was interested in, and if I could even afford it. Fortunately, with the support of my family and friends, and the help from my high school teachers, I was able to attend a community college near me. I completed my associates degree and decided to transfer to the state college that was closest to me because I did not want to put the burden on my parents of paying for my tuition. During my time there, I was living at home and my parents had to move due to financial instability. I had to make a decision: 1) stop my studies and help my family or 2) find somewhere to live with short notice and find a full-time job that would allow me to pay for an apartment. Fortunately, my grandparents gave me the option to move in with them. Fast forward to today, I have graduated with a Bachelors of Arts in Psychology and I am halfway through my master’s program! A couple of months back, I once again was hit with a dilemma. My grandparents were deciding to move and I couldn’t go with them since I was still in school. This was really hard for me. I had just begun my new program and was unsure of the next steps to take. I didn’t know if these signs were telling me that I needed to stop going to school and work on my personal life.. I managed to save enough money from my job and was able to move just in the nick of time. I now am balancing a full-time job and I’m a full-time student. I knew I needed to keep pushing and learning from these challenges that I felt wanted to keep pushing me down. I knew that I owed it to myself since I had already achieved so much.And I also knew I owed it to my family that had moved to the U.S. so I could do better. I hope that this short story allows others to understand that at times events will occur that will make you feel defeated and it is okay to reach out to others when you are in need. Sometimes there are people that have gone through similar experiences like us and they can be a helping hand. I hope that everyone that is thinking of pursuing college asks questions and seeks assistance from others, that they believe in themselves because we all belong in college!
College presents all kinds of challenges. Watch these #WeBelongInCollege stories to learn how students found the support needed to overcome the challenges they faced.
Watch these students’ #WeBelongInCollege stories to learn about how they persisted through experiences with racism.
Andrew’s #WeBelongInCollege Story
Andrew had grown accustomed to being a minority on his college campus, and soon began to feel comfortable on campus. He shares that it was incredibly upsetting when someone he thought was his friend made a racist comment.
Daylee’s #WeBelongInCollege Story
Being one of the few black students in a predominantly white institution was challenging in many ways. Hear from Daylee, who found support by connecting with other students of color.
Gerolly’s #WeBelongInCollege Story
As a person of color in a predominantly white institution combined with her interest in studying race and class, Gerolly felt the need to enhance the dialogue in her classes and on her campus. Hear from Gerolly about how this helped her gain a greater sense of belonging.
Joan’s #WeBelongInCollege Story
Joan knows many students of color who don’t feel that they belong in college because “they can’t stand the environment on campus.” In her story, she asks a question: how are we going to transform higher education so that ALL students feel like they belong?
Enoch’s #WeBelongInCollege Story
In his story, Enoch shares how experiences with oppression made him question whether he belongs in college and how for the first time ever, it feels like some major changes are possible, including at his school.
Karoline’s #WeBelongInCollege Story
Karoline talks about her experience attending a predominantly white institution and her concerns over her white peers’ silence during conversations about race.
College presents all kinds of challenges. Watch these #WeBelongInCollege stories to learn how students found the support needed to overcome the challenges they faced.
