3 minutes - Article
It’s common to have problems in our life as we transition to adulthood.
If daily struggles are affecting your school, reach out to an Advancing Futures Program Coordinator and let them know what’s going on.
Karisa Mackey is a Program Coordinator. She says you might be surprised about how much they can help.
“Sometimes there's a lot of partying that happens in school and sometimes that gets a little bit overboard”, says Karisa, “So it’s good to call us and say, ‘hey, you know what, I think this has been too much. Where do I go? What do I do?’. Just let us know.”
Don't hide problems
If you are struggling with attending school, or getting poor marks, it’s common to want to hide that from any adult supports in our life, including program coordinators. Karisa says that these are actually the most important times to reach out. Program coordinators won’t judge you and can help you figure out options.
“It's also the job of your program coordinator to follow up with you while you're in school and problem solve anything that is presenting as a barrier to getting to school. And that can be so many things. Maybe you don't like the program you're in or you're having conflict with an instructor or something like that. But it can also be the home life stuff, like grieving the loss of a loved one or leaving a relationship that's really toxic or unhealthy.”
Anxiety can affect school
Sometime our problems creep up on us and anxiety sneaks in. You may have just moved to a new place or are attending a new school and meeting new people. All of this change can create anxiety and affect our school.
“Maybe you're meeting new friends and there's just a lot happening. Maybe there's anxieties about moving to a new city or anxieties of being in large classrooms.”
Help with substance abuse
If you are struggling with substance abuse and it’s affecting your school, you have more support and options that you might think. Just stay in contact with your program coordinator and keep them in the loop.
“If you call and let people know what's happening, there is stuff that we can do within our program that can support you. Like if you need to take a semester off and go to a residential rehab scenario. Absolutely. Go and take the time to do that. Let us know. Just keep in touch. Taking time off to be well is more important to me than anything academic.”
