Photo by Molly Adams: (CC BY 2.0)

It goes without saying that being a dreamer or undocumented can feel like a nightmare. You are tasked with moving forward without the same opportunities provided to others around you. If you have DACA, you’re only able to plan two years of your life a time (assuming there are no abrupt executive orders). If you are mixed-status, you may be greatly worried about your family and loved ones. If you are undocumented and do not consider yourself a dreamer or DACAmented, you may have well-intentioned people (such as myself) who do not always address your unique experiences.

Some of these identities may mean that you miss out on experiences like driving a car, studying abroad, or receiving financial aid. You most likely also have…

I remember my first year in the states. I found going to class stressful, as I was not able to express what’s going on in my mind. The conversations that I could hold with American classmates did not go beyond “How are you?” “What’s your name?” “Where are you from?” I knew my name, my past and why I was here, but everything seemed foggy. In retrospect, I realize that I was experiencing culture shock. Culture shock is a common experience that describes the feeling of confusion and the stress and disorientation that occur when entering an unfamiliar culture.

Culture shock differs for different people. Some common experiences international students may have are:

• A sense of loss
• Cultural identity confusion
• Social withdrawal/isolation
• Frustration
• Loss of confidence
• Extreme homesickness
• Difficulty navigating an unfamiliar educational system

Some of you may say that you have never…

As the year begins many of you will find your compass spinning wildly in different directions. There are classes to take, jobs or internships to manage, friends to see, clubs to attend . . . not to mention finding time to eat, sleep, do your laundry and take care of the one who is doing all these things.

The task of finding balance is a lifelong discipline. There is no one-size-fits-all road map, since each of us has different needs and different stress points.

Perhaps you think that the idea of living in balance is boring. You may equate balance with being cautious and safe. But nothing about this idea should prevent you from you from challenging yourself and doing amazing things if you want. In fact, seeking too much comfort can be another way of living out of balance, cutting oneself off from the stream of…

A cornerstone to “Being Well” is understanding what mental health means for each of us. To help students to better understand the wide range of mental health concerns that exist, the University Counseling Center’s (UCC) Student Advisory Board (SAB) is hosting the second annual May Mental Health Month at UO.

This year’s focus is on increasing communication about students’ mental health concerns in an effort to encourage students to support each other. The UCC SAB hopes to improve awareness about mental health challenges and destigmatize self-care and seeking help. The UCC SAB would like to equip every student on campus who feels like they or their friends may be experiencing mental health challenges with the tools they need to care for themselves and others.

In collaboration with many of our campus partners, we are putting on six unique events throughout the month, as well as tailoring our pre-existing…