Seeking Success Despite Setbacks
By: Dwayne Carson
Susan Carson is currently a part of the graduating ogre class at Hampton University she majors in Elementary education and after graduation has hopes of being an educator. At Hampton University each class has its nickname accompanied by greek letters, Susan is an ogre or O phi O for short. The ambient sound is her and her colleagues chanting O phi O at 12–2, which is a party held every Friday in the student union for students to bring their week to an end and bring in the weekend. Coming into Hampton University Susan expressed her excitement of going to Hampton because it was far away from home and it’s an HBCU that will have many experiences like 12–2. Not only has Hampton gave her party experiences to remember but Susan has also been given opportunities to display her leadership skills on campus. She is the president of Queen in You, she is a campus tour guide and she teaches at a nearby elementary school in Hampton, VA. Susan took a chance on going to a school eight hours away from home and it paid off for her, she found her home by the sea with a variety of opportunities to better herself going into her adult years.
Hampton seemed perfect for Susan but one thing she didn’t account for is the complications of being far away from home. Susan always had anxiety but it was amplified now that she was almost 500 miles away from home. She says “On my worst days at school, what makes them worse is that I’m nowhere near home.” What most people get confused about with anxiety is it’s not a choice, it’s not a feeling that can be controlled and most times it can’t be explained. Susan’s anxiety often leaves her feeling paranoid, uneasy, and unproductive. Susan’s anxiety attacks are nothing to take lightly, but in her four years at Hampton, she found ways to cope with these intense feelings. Susan gives credit to her friends at school for helping her deal with the feelings most. “Surrounding yourself with a good support system is important in dealing with anxiety, a support system will hold you up through the times where you don’t think you’ll make it through the day”. Although Susan suffers from anxiety she still hopes to become a leader of the classroom.
How does Susan plan on turning her mental health setbacks into a strength to control her classroom? Susan says that dealing with her mental health is a strength in itself, being able to overcome the struggles of anxiety should set an example for her students on how to control small classroom struggles. Susan would be able to connect with her students who also suffer from mental health and would be able to be an immediate support system for students who may not feel like their best selves.
Susan’s anxiety has seen its fair share of days of stopping her from being productive but she has found ways to cope with it and still set up a bright future for herself. Despite being held back from a mental illness she hasn’t let her career slow down Susan has been actively pursuing her career as a teacher with multiple experiences in the field of education and being a classroom leader. This year she will be graduating from Hampton University and next year she hopes to be teaching with UrbanTeachers in Washington D.C.
Link to Audio Story: https://soundcloud.com/juice_28/seeking-success-despite-setbacks