Unveiling the Struggles of High School Students
Editor’s note: This piece mentions difficult, sensitive topics. As such, because of the serious nature of this piece, I’d like to provide you with a link to the NYC 988 hotline, which can support you if you are struggling with a similar circumstance: https://nyc988.cityofnewyork.us/en/
“Progress may be slow at times, but each day you choose to prioritize your well-being, you're building resilience and strength. You are worthy of support, compassion, and healing.”
From attending school to having to worry about our entire future, from our own responsibilities to conflict possibly ongoing in our lives…how are we as a student body, and how are we coping?
The honest truth is that we all experience emotional struggles whether we acknowledge it or not, but the majority, especially in our generation, decide to hide or ignore feelings, stress, struggles, and mental and emotional health overall, acting as if everything is fine. But is this the right way to handle your individual situation? Licensed specialists agree that this act can be harmful towards your own health and might even cause overwhelming conflict. Even though it's clear to see the ongoing conflict going through our minds, we might still maintain the same act.
It’s obvious that every single human being is unique and we differ from one to another in ways such as personality, physical appearance, conflict, and life overall. Apart from all those differences there is always a place for similarity and resonance. Throughout this piece we will be sharing the different experiences of students in our CSH community to give our readers a sense of what students at the school experience in their lives.
During all the inspiring feedback and experiences students shared when interviewing, three students decided to open up and share their experiences with the hope that others can resonate and sense that they are not alone.
During one of our discussions with one of our interviewees, we asked “What are the difficulties you experience with your mental health?”
When answering this question she vocalized the ongoing struggle she passes through, acting as if everything is okay knowing that in her mind it’s the complete opposite. The basic metaphorical definition of masking her feelings has brought on, at times, an overwhelming sensation, losing the ability to breathe, also called a panic attack. She said “The more I act like I feel okay, the worse I get.”
While growing up in a Hispanic household, like any child she used to cry, and her parents’ reaction was “There’s no reason for you to cry, if you want I’ll give you a reason to cry.” She had seen her father’s action of not showing much emotion, which led her to believe that was the way to deal with her feelings. This made her think that her feelings weren't validated or significant enough. This led to our last but most significant question: “How do you think the people you love affect your mental state?”
Her response: “It hurts being around the people I love, as I’m going off to college. Just spending time with them emphasizes the fact that I will have to leave them.” One day she had a heavy feeling in the back of her mind. Throughout the school day distracting herself until she left school, all her thoughts, fears, anxiety came back overwhelming her to the extreme. The thought, “Why is time going so fast, I have to leave them all behind”. This overwhelming fear goes on over and over in the back of her mind. The anxiety of that ticking clock is only getting closer and closer. There’s no doubt that the majority of every graduating class has the fear of growing up.
One student we interviewed, who would like to remain anonymous, told us a powerful, difficult story. At the age of 12, she can specifically remember a life-altering and mentally draining event that occurred. During her 6th grade year, she was sexually assaulted by an older staff member at her school. Although she blocked most of the event from her memory, significant fragments of that day remained vivid in her mind—what he told her, his imposing height and weight. In those moments, the situation felt insufferable, making it difficult for her to scream, breathe, or even think. Overwhelmed, she started to cry, her face flushed with fear and contorted with anxiety. Even now, the memory feels unreal and uncomfortable.
Being much younger at the time, she knew instinctively that what happened was wrong but felt paralyzed at the thought of discussing it. As she walked home from school, her mind was consumed with confusion and doubt. Should she tell her mom? Eventually, she did gather the courage to tell her mother, but it was an awkward encounter. Although she never opened up to her parents or any adults about being sexually assaulted, she came to believe that some experiences are best left in the past, even if they still cause pain. For her, moving on from the trauma and destructive habits meant choosing to not dwell on her past, allowing her to focus on her journey toward healing.
Have you ever felt in a position in which you feel like your world lays on your shoulders, and it all depends on you? In an interview with one of our 12th graders, he replied to one of our questions with an experience that affected him harshly, the weight of carrying a burden. He shared a memory of a few years ago, when an ongoing conflict occurred in his home. This student described how during this certain period his parents were going through problems such as fighting verbally, going back and forth arguing, and more. Until it came eventually to one day that he found out a possible reason for this conflict. His father was cheating on his mother. A sudden rush of feeling entered his body: fear, anxiety, confusion, and much more. During this time he felt very in his head, feeling incompetent – indecisive of what to do, he had to decide. He decided to remain silent. Although this might seem hurtful, this was something he had to sacrifice for him and his family. After overcoming this hardship he came to a realization of his own, the perspective he would want to have of himself. He acknowledged the fact that we as humans are not close to perfection, and that he carries traits from his parents, looks up to them. But he will avoid habits from them and push to be the best version of himself, one who has the capability of understanding others on a deeper level.
A 12th grade student, Marcos Escamilla, shared his feelings regarding the lack of support he believes students receive. Not just in CSH but as a whole. He conveyed a sense of disconnect between students and their needs, suggesting that the school's effort falls short.
When it comes to offering guidance and assistance that the students truly require, Marcos gave the idea that, in the absence of support, many students turn to their hobbies as a way to cope with the pressures they face. He uses himself as an example. His main interest and hobby, which is skating, is a way for him to feel “Free,” and he stated that “Skating makes me feel like I'm around my friends. Well, it's like being around friends.” He sees skating as a way to overall connect with his peers. But as mentioned, these activities only provide temporary relief, and often serve as distractions from deeper issues. His statement highlights a critical gap between students' emotional well being and the resources that should be in place to help them navigate the challenges of both academics and life.
Another 12th grade student we talked with was Kristine. She opened up to us and stated that she felt that pressure ultimately affects a student’s mentality. Stating that the constant judgemental statements students receive leave a critical impact on their pursuit for motivation. She expressed how when she gets home, it's difficult to feel fulfilled because of the stress that lingers in her mind. She said that it's also very difficult to stay on top of it as well. Because to her, school is a place where it's stressful enough. Having to deal with social anxiety being another issue on top of it, especially when it's a time to detox from the place where someone has spent8 hours, weighs pretty heavily on a student's motivation and willingness to feel fulfilled. Social anxiety is something that can't really be described unless it's experienced. She said: “Social Anxiety is something I've recently been diagnosed with. At its peak, I feel anxious. Like everyone’s watching me and I get really hot, shaky and scared to act on anything. Although I do know it’s just all in my head, it's difficult.”
One of the teachers in our community known as Ms. Helmer highlights an important truth about the behaviors we develop in our youth. Whether positive or negative—these behaviors tend to follow us into adulthood. Habits are not just avoiding actions they form often in ways we don’t immediately notice. While bad habits might not show their full consequences right away, they can resurface later on.
But positive habits also have a long-term impact, shaping us into more disciplined and successful, and resilient individuals over time. The key is that change is possible, but it requires conscious effort and a willingness to confront and reshape the habits. Though it may not always be obvious in our day-to-day lives, the patterns we have now will continue to shape our futures, which is why it’s essential to be mindful of the habits we form and actively work to nurture the ones that will serve us well in the long run.
During our interview with our senior Fatoumata, we discussed possible ways school can affect students at CSH, and she described an ongoing issue that might be occurring, which is stress regarding workload and accomplishment, which can produce anxiety.
Further into our conversation, we talked about her possible struggles with mental health. She described during the world wide Covid pandemic, in quarantine, due to the isolation of staying in her home, depression hit her. Fatoumata stated, “After quarantine, once we started school it was difficult to navigate around people and I felt out of place until I finally settled”
Throughout this article we have viewed student experiences, conflicts, opinions; there's no doubt an ongoing inner conflict in each of our lives visible to others or not. All your overwhelming emotions, stress consuming, or even the act of overthinking- all these might seem insignificant, but the truth is they can lead to an unknowing amount of severe outcomes. Although the struggle is obvious, what can you do? No doubt your conflict won't be identical to your neighbors, which references the act of first addressing and facing the situation you're in mentally(no one else can do it, only yourself). This leads to the next point of figuring out what works for you: it can be talking about your problems to someone, or practicing self-care, or seeing a therapist. Finding the way you can cope is one of the main steps to handle these problems.
Your inner conflict is significant, no matter the situation, the conflict, the trauma. Taking care of yourself can be a difficult but rewarding journey. Although you might not have all the answers to your problems, it's always okay to reach out. Progress may be slow at times, but each day you choose to prioritize your well-being, you're building resilience and strength. You are worthy of support, compassion, and healing.