I was a student at Los Medanos College from September 2019 to December 2020. Now I’m back, pursuing the Associates degree I probably could have finished three years ago, if I had reached out for support.

I immediately enrolled at LMC after graduating from high school. I was disappointed with myself for giving up on my dream of going to a four-year university right away, but excited to immerse myself in LMC’s journalism program. I was a photographer and a writer who had been involved in yearbook from seventh grade to senior year of high school – acting as Editor-in-Chief for three of those six years. At LMC, I quickly found a family in the Experience newsroom. I felt a rush of excitement and comfort every time I walked in the classroom, or interviewed someone for a new story I was working on. I felt like I was finally in the right place, at the right time.

That was, until the COVID-19 pandemic officially “began,” in March of 2020. All of the sudden my mental health tanked. I didn’t understand why I was shutting down, but I fell into it so quickly that it became comfortable. Then classes moved online and I hit rock bottom.

So, in the middle of the school year, despite my undying love for LMC’s Journalism program and its advisors, I left. I transferred to a university, out-of-state, without warning and without a plan.

The following years have been decent. Although my mental health has improved, I dropped out of college again – a term before graduating. Unsure why I kept dropping out right before finishing, I recently began to reflect on my decision to leave LMC.

I could and should have reached out for support while I was at LMC. But at the time, that seemed impossible. I believe that’s the case for a lot of college students who struggle with mental health issues: it feels impossible to ask for help.

According to the National Education Association, “44 percent of students [in college] reported symptoms of depression; 37 percent said they experienced anxiety; and 15 percent said they were considering suicide.” 

It has been proven time and time again, that mental health issues are the leading impediment to academic success. I don’t think it helps that resources are often scarce and finding a therapist who takes your insurance can feel impossible.

During the pandemic, resources were even more strained and the ability to connect with others in-person to express how one was feeling became incredibly challenging. 

“The number of students seeking help at campus counseling centers increased almost 40% between 2009 and 2015 and continued to rise until the pandemic began,” according to data from Penn State University.

While I was at LMC, it felt impossible to ask for help. Not because of a lack of resources- I wouldn’t know if there was, because I never even tried to reach out. I was too scared. I believed that as resources increased, so should education. Education on the most common mental health issues seen in college students, how to ask for help, how to best support friends and family who are struggling and so on.

Bringing awareness to these topics, consistently, is essential in educating all students and faculty to the fullest extent. It also allows students who are struggling some degree of support, and an opportunity to reach out for assistance if they haven’t yet.

The American Psychiatric Institute has developed a list of things students and faculty on campus can do to promote wellness and resilience: “Increasing the conversation around mental health is a first step to reducing stigma. Make mental health promotion and suicide prevention a campus‑wide effort.”

Speaking as someone who could’ve gotten help, and received my degree three years earlier than I will be – don’t be me. There are resources available to you more than ever before. You are important. Your mental health is a priority. 44% of all college students in the United States understand where you’re coming from, you are not alone.