Written by Sascha Agenor
As we enter our fourth week of uncertainty and isolation, schools throughout Florida, the United States, and the world are still trying to adapt to a new way of life and a new means of education. Given these circumstances, many students are having trouble adjusting to a new schedule, a heavier workload, and little to none sociability.
The confusing and daunting reality of the pandemic we are facing has hit us hard, and the motivation we once had is slowly diminishing. Fortunately, for students at MAST@FIU, efforts are still being made to not only stay engaged in learning, but to deal with the overwhelming nature of the situation. Thanks to social media and the virtual platforms available to us, we have been able to accomplish these goals.
On Friday, April 3rd, a Time and Stress Management Workshop was held by FIU’s Healthy Living Brianne Miller through Zoom, a video conferencing program. Junior Class President, Sascha Agenor, coordinated the event alongside MAST@FIU's Activities Director, Christine Rowan. Agenor and Rowan originally planned the event for March 20th, but, due to the closure of schools and social distance ordering, could not occur.
The event would have included not only Time and Stress Management, but the Dangers of Drug and Alcohol Abuse, Credit Cards, and Health and Wellness in Real Estate, in an effort to equip upperclassman with the skills and knowledge to succeed after high school. Despite the having to reschedule, condense, and virtualize the event, the outcome exceeded any expectations and was just what was needed to lift our spirits.
The workshop consisted of several segments: Identifying Stress, Tools for Stress Management, Time Management Tips, Goal Setting, and Prioritizing Your To-Do List. Students from all grade levels and even faculty and staff tuned in to become educated on the subject and improve the ways in which they manage their time and stress. Even with the workshop being virtual, Brianne was able to make the event highly interactive using the tools on Zoom. There were polls participants could answer about how they dealt with stress, and “Break-out Rooms” where people were divided into groups. The groups had five minutes to discuss ways to manage time during the school day, and when they were done, they were brought back into the general Zoom call where everyone offered the tips and advice they came up with in their groups. Brianne also offered planning resources, shared her personal experiences, and answered any questions students had. For the
event to only last an hour, the participants can attest that the information they received was not only helpful, but life-changing.
“It taught me different ways people cope with stress which I could use in the future along with a strong systematic way in which I can manage my time better to prevent myself from being overwhelmed."
-SCHADRACK CINEAS, 11TH GRADE
Even though we are not in school, MAST@FIU still cares about its students and their well being. Now more than ever is the ability to manage our time and stress valuable. If we are to deal with the reality of the pandemic effectively, we must be equipped with the right tools to stay healthy for ourselves and the people around us, and MAST@FIU is prepared to help its students do just that.