Innovators Talk: Resilience in 2020, Courage in 2021 — A Discussion with Students
Kaiya Mitchell, University of San Diego, Class of 2024
Seo Young Lee, Georgetown University, Class of 2022
Cole Sabaot, Ryerson University, Class of 2021
Andres Puente, University of Texas at San Antonio, Class of 2020
Key Takeaways:
New Challenges & New Opportunities: Students were forced to navigate difficult circumstances in the transition to the new normal. From holding onto a campus job to maintaining continuity in a leadership role, each of the student panelists shared how they handled incredibly difficult circumstances. However, they also shared the new opportunities they discovered along the way — like the opportunity to build a more personal relationship with a professor or simply having the time to exercise. These students made the best of a challenging situation.
Imposter Syndrome?: All of the student panelists have been influenced by their mentors and connections, and they now find themselves in the position of being that same resource for others. While initially intimidating, each of them have found that they have much more to contribute to fellow students than they thought. “You don’t need to be an upper-year student or an industry professional to be a mentor to someone,” Cole Sabaot shared. “As long as you have experiences that can provide insight to someone who is about to experience something similar and you can offer them the lessons you’ve learned from the mistakes you’ve made and help them avoid making that same mistake, then you can be a mentor.”
Many Different Forms of Courage: No two students have the same experience, and each of the panelists reflected that fact in how they’ve found courage. From bravely joining a community 3000 miles away to allowing oneself to step away from “the plan” and find new learning opportunities, it’s important to recognize just how students have demonstrated courage this past year. “I almost feel like a better question would be ‘how have people not been courageous in 2020!’” Kaiya Mitchell exclaimed.
Advice for Higher Education: Each panelist offered a unique piece of advice for institutions while encouraging higher education to be more proactive in helping students be more aware of available resources. From mental health assistance to career support, the panel pushed the audience to ensure every student knows of the resources available to them, even as soon as they join the community. “Encourage freshmen to think more about the end as the beginning…” Seo Young Lee shared as she described a career preparation course she took as a sophomore. “Why not make something like that required or available to freshmen?!”
““Don’t advertise your services and supports just for the desperate students, these services should be for everyone! So if you have career mentoring services, don’t just offer it for students who are struggling to get a job, offer it to students who just want to utilize it.””
Every student needs to have a clear understanding of their path ahead. Too often, we have relied on the students themselves being proactive in seeking advice they need. While that reliance may work for some, it does not work for everyone. This is particularly true of students from vulnerable populations who have been told that the college degree in itself will lead to the economic mobility they seek. The structures we build in the post-Covid world can not rely on proactive students. Rather the challenge before us is to create systems where we are the proactive ones and get in front of ALL students to provide better understanding of the role their education will play in their futures.
Learn more about how PeopleGrove works with institutions to actively provide and scale that guidance.
