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#WeBelongInCollege Stories
about Students Coping with
Health and Mental Health Issues
Madeline's Story
After she was physically abused, Madeline struggled with her mental health. She doubted herself and her ability to succeed in college. But she decided to keep fighting to reach her educational goals so she could become “the person she needed when she was thirteen.”
It was after she had pneumonia and mono that Leah became depressed and fell behind on her classes. Just when she was getting better, the pandemic hit. In her story she reminds us that, “things will not always feel like this” and we’ll “come out stronger and healthier as long as” we “ask for help.”
Katia rushed to the hospital in extreme pain and soon learned that she had a tumor in her breast. As she endured multiple surgeries, her hopes of getting a college degree began to collapse. As a first generation and undocumented student, college already felt out of reach. To pay off her medical bills, she took a year off from school to work in retail. It was this experience that led to her to believe that she does belong in college.
Leah's Story
Katia's Story
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