Late Fish out of Water

My family has had multiple generations of college graduates. So, when I attended the First Generation Students Stress Management Workshop, I felt like a fish out of water.

Being the odd man out in the room made me feel a bit uncomfortable at first. But I quickly got used to it.

The lecturer began the workshop by asking the 35-person audience about the stresses they have faced as a first-generation college student. Their answers were similar to the stresses I've faced as well. they said they struggled with procrastination, adding classes and time management.

The lecturer then addresses those issues with a PowerPoint presentation. She encouraged students to make to-do lists, eat three meals a day, exercise more and consume less nicotine and caffeine.

I felt she had the attention of the room and that she knew what she was doing. But the class was shy to ask questions and to contribute to the conversation. Her teaching methods might have lacked a bit of charisma, but ultimately I believe it was the student's decision to be shy in class conversations.

Her last point of the workshop with six quick tips to release stress: deep breathing, muscle relaxation, visualization, warm bath or shower, massage and stretching.

She then ended the workshop with an 8-minute video that showed a muscle relaxation exercise. I felt the 8-minute video was the most effective part of her workshop. I felt very relaxed.

Ultimately, the workshop didn't focus specifically on how being a first generation student is more difficult than it is for multiple generation students. It focused on ways to help all students. And maybe I came to this conclusion because regardless of our backgrounds, most college students are stressed by similar things.