CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas — Saturday morning, the Instituto de Cultura Hispanica de Corpus Christi partnered with doctoral students to offer a free workshop to help incoming college freshmen combat stress.
C.O.A.S.T. which stands for creatively overcoming academic stress together, taught college freshman students tips about combating stress. Counselor Andrea Mendoza said college is an exciting time for many students, but transitioning from high school to undergrad can be stressful. And it's important new students learn how to cope with stress and anxiety early in their college career.
"So I think with any transition it is really challenging and there can be a lot of anxiety and stress that comes with it," Mendoza said. "So if they're able to identify some coping skills they can utilize then when they are feeling anxious and stressed, it will be preventative."
Executive Director of the Instituto de Cultura Hispanica de Corpus Christi Sharon Diaz said as a first-generation student she carried a lot of weight on her shoulders to make her family proud but learning to manage stress can make a difference.
"I want to make sure that my son has a better experience than what I had," Diaz said. "I had a very untraditional experience, I started college late, but I still went through the stress and a little bit of depression just because you have to give it all in college."
Counselor Allison Joyal attended Texas A&M and she said the transition was a big change for her that she had to deal with alone.
"So transitioning to a big university and having no family and no friends and having to navigate that by myself, there was a lot of stress, a lot of anxiety, a lot of barriers," Joyal said. "And so having to figure that out on my own was really hard. "
Through creative activities, the C.O.A.S.T workshop teaches new skills students can use in college. Joyal said she wishes she had learned about these useful skills at the beginning of her college experience.
Mendoza said they're hoping to provide workshops in the future that will reach different age groups and communities across Corpus Christi.