Homesickness. It’s a feeling that can overcome anyone when they are away from the place they call home for a prolonged period of time. As students pass the one-month-of-school marker, many may begin to long for home.
To help get students who are feeling homesick within the UNC community, the staff and students at the Ceasar Chavez Cultural Center hosted a homesickness event Wednesday night.
According to an online stats report through College Factual regarding diversity at UNC, about 54.7 percent of the undergrad population is composed of Caucasian students. With the Caucasian population being so high, it can often be hard to find one’s place of belonging when they stand out from the rest.
Though the center is geared more toward Latino students, they welcome any student who needs to find a place of belonging or simply wants to meet new people and make friends.
Although many cultures enjoy close family relations, the Latino community is widely known for their pride and love of family. As strong as an attribute as this can be, it can be hard for families and their children to separate, especially when the kids are first generation students.
At the event, speakers Fernando Balderas, a senior accounting major, and Nayeli Banuelos, a freshman human services major, gave a presentation and spoke about their own experiences feeling homesickness.
“You never know who someone is going to be to you, so it’s always good to keep making new relationships and staying in communication with old relationships,” Balderas said.
Balderas and Banuelos talked about learning to manage time to avoid stress, dealing with homesickness, and many other college related topics to help students adjust. One option for dealing with homesickness is keeping in contact with your parents. But it’s important to not go home every time the distance starts to feel difficult.
Sydney Pedregon, a graduate student studying higher educations and leadership, hosted a game of Jeopardy. The students were split into two teams, ready for some friendly competition, and answered questions in various categories such as celebrities or books.
“It’s ok if things don’t go according to plan,” Pedregon said. “It’s ok to just take things step by step because sometimes that is all you can do.”
With so many welcoming faces, the staff and members of the CCCC made everyone feel at home; laughter filled the center when students cracked a joke, giving off a warm and home-like feel.
College Factual: https://www.collegefactual.com/
