To my (ex)students out there. To any student out there.

Dear students,

That’s it, the final push of the semester and hopefully the last school effort of 2021 you’ll be doing wholly off Campus (surely you remember how beautiful it is). It’s the last phase of this unfriendly, tiresome and lonesome remote education we embarked upon more than a year ago.

You went through a lot and kept up with it. You gained knew knowledge and new skills without interrupting your academic growth and development. We, your professors, have been there with you, next to you throughout this distressing period. We tried to ease it up as much as we could, holding the fort of educational quality and giving our best to accomplish our shared goals, while making sure (or at least trying) you feel heard and understood; creating an atmosphere of mutual understanding and compassion, and a virtual space where we all were invited to share beyond our courses’ syllabus and topics.

How much did you miss out? That we cannot even fathom. Many among you are already finishing your first semesters without even stepping once into the Campus! You met your professors and peers only via screens. Many of your hopes crumbled, and plans distorted. Locked in your rooms when you should be out there, exploring. How many good moments missed, big and small, unforgettable? Those ones that are carved straight to the core of your personality and identity, that piece by piece form the central features of who you are, of who you’re becoming. How many lost opportunities to build new friendships? The ones you’ll cherish no matter where your life and careers might take you. Those moments and friendships that boost your energy, inspire, motivate, encourage you, that transform into accomplices when you’re high, but comfort you and offer you solace when you’re low. Nothing can make up for it.

Our hope is that this “new normality” has pushed all of us to a new, more profound and critical understanding of the essence of social life, of those fundaments. That we have revisited and strengthen the meaning we give to others, our surrounding, our social and communal life. That once we come back together, we’ll enrich our social gatherings and everything we do with a new common understanding of the essential value it has for us.

There are way too many important important things I miss from teaching in-person that the virtual schooling wasn’t able to make up for, no matter how hard I tried. Among them, two seem to be crucial. The first is sensing the vibe, the atmosphere among my students. It's of extreme importance as it shapes the class dynamic and defines how do we go about class lectures and activities. The second one is probably even more important: sensing if someone is falling behind. The reason behind it might be trivial, but also a very serious one. Each semester I come across students struggling with some psychological issues, be it languishing, anxiety, hopelessness, depression, bipolar disorder, occasional nervous breakdowns - you name it! Back at the campus, sometimes students would come forward on their own, and sometimes I would act first. If I would notice anything rare, I would ask the student to stay after the class, invite her/him for a coffee, or "accidentally" run into on a hallway with a small talk to break the ice and invite the student to feel more comfortable with sharing her/his feelings and concerns.

None of that is possible in the virtual classroom. From the day one of my courses I have tried to create a zone of comfort for everyone, where my students would feel welcomed to share their positive and negative everyday stories, their concerns, troubles and fears. I used time to build trust and confidence before moving to the course material. But I have my doubts in how effective this was.

This semester only 3 of my students expressed some levels of distress, anxiety and depression they are dealing with. That's at least half less than when I teach in-person.

Luckily, our university Tecnológico de Monterrey, has taken this issue seriously and offered easy access to counseling and support. My hope is that students didn’t hesitate to use it well.

Classes behind the screens, followed by hours of studying behind the screens, socializing behind the very same screens, keeping relationships behind the screens and resting behind the screens (Nefflix, Prime, YouTube, etc.) due to the social isolation and COVID-19 implications must be taking a heavy toll without us realizing and understanding it all the way. Pair that with the challenges we were already aware of, such as social, peer and family pressure, ever rising expectations, social media effects, uncertainties fueled by various crises, and we arrive to a latent mix that could have devastating consequences if not dealt with and addressed on time. In his TED podcast WorkLife and The New York Times article There’s a Name for the Blah You’re Feeling: It’s Called Languishing, bestselling author and psychologist at Wharton School, Adam Grant concludes, “We still live in a world that normalizes physical health challenges but stigmatizes mental health challenges. As we head into a new post-pandemic reality, it’s time to rethink our understanding of mental health and well-being.”

In September 2020 I participated in a “Virtual Resilience Lab” meeting of the Resilience Frontiers initiative, convened by the UNFCCC and its Climate Adaptation Director Youssef Nassef. People of all walks of life engaged with global thought leaders to discuss how to build and sustain long-term regenerative resilience. I was in a working group that focused on “Optimizing future health and wellbeing using a holistic and ecosystem approach”, where we had a chance in particular to address the issue of students’ and youth wellbeing. It was remarkable to share ideas and experiences, but also alarming how much our stories matched that you could discern a pattern.

Deteriorating mental health and overall wellbeing of the youth is of great concern in reimagining global resilience and sustainability beyond 2030, as young adults are among those disproportionately affected by mental health conditions.

Yet, this made me think of the urgency of the matter too, and the policy process cycle. According to a study on mental health during COVID-19 by UNICEF, 42% of youth in Latin America reported suffering from anxiety or depression in September 2020, with higher percentages reported by young women; 1 in 2 participants in the poll felt less motivated to do activities they normally enjoy, while 73% have felt the need to ask for help concerning their physical and mental well-being, out of which in the end 40% of them didn’t ask for help.

With a deteriorated COVID-19 situation across Latin America countries, we shouldn’t be surprised if the numbers today are much higher than 8 months ago. While it was undoubtedly inspiring to see global leaders devotedly tackle the issue of health and wellbeing, it takes time to see these new visions broken top-down to specific policy proposals, and even longer to have countries adapt and implement them. That’s why it is so important to have universities, schools and their professors at the forefront of bottom-up efforts to push for more systematic solutions, while building up systems that will have their students’ mental health and wellbeing at the core of its organizational setup. 

Dear student,

As you battle through the final stage of the semester, I know what I wrote so far doesn’t really help you in mastering that final project, paper, or exam. I know you’re overwhelmed, I heard you the last class. Take a short break and listen to yourself. If you are struggling more than usual, the first step, though tough, is to recognize it and admit it to yourself. The second is even harder, or so I’ve been told by your peers: to share it with people around you, people that care about you, to reach out for help. Talk with them, with us, it will help.

You are not alone in this. Please, if you need help – do reach out.

I am ready to listen.

Un abrazo.