This past Thursday was one of the best sessions I’ve ever had with a student. We accomplished very little homework, but that was not the point of this session. The student came in with watery eyes and a lot of stress. It was clear she had something on her mind and needed to talk. I became a mentor, but I was surprised at the depth of her struggles. All at once, she was worrying about not being able to financially contribute to her family, getting into a prestigious college, paying for that university, and finding work. It was a lot to unpack, but as we talked about life and future, she regained her composure. In the end, we may not have completed too many PowerPoint slides, but she walked out of our session, no longer overwhelmed, with avenues to explore many of the more important areas in life.

Contributed by Dustin Jones