An issue creeping up on college students throughout this pandemic has been mental health. Now more than ever, students have been facing a whole new mix of emotions. The pandemic has truly taken an emotional toll on so many college students across the country. Students all over the country are dropping out, doing badly in classes, which is pushing them even farther away from the finish line of graduation. Mental health is no laughing matter, and is flipping college life upside down. Students are facing emotions they might have not ever felt in a lifetime: hopelessness, anxiety and depression are only a few of the many emotions sadly taking these hardworking students away from their studies. Because of this, there is a dire need for more mental health support within colleges.
ToniAnn Ruggiero is a student at CUNY-John Jay College, and a Spring 2021 Young Advocate with YI-New York.