Digital Story

THE ART OF CHANGE




eet Sofia Casini a rising sophomore at the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill. In this story Sofia becomes vulnerable as she shares the challenges she faced during her first semester of college and how her passion for art saved her.

I’d say the main ways that I got through that period of time was a combination of getting help and also art.

College vs. Back Home: A New Environment

Sofia Casini is a native of a small city in Colorado, so when traveling to the East Coast for college she felt the differences immediately. Besides traveling to a new environment Sofia talked of how UNC was much bigger than what she was used to. Going from a small school where all the students and faculty knew each other by name to a campus so big that you were lucky if the professor even knew your name was a challenge.

” I grew up in a pretty small community. My graduating class was like one hundred and fifty people, so I got a lot of direct support in my high school not having that going into college, it was pretty difficult.”

Sofia spoke about how not having her close knit circle challenged her in ways she didn’t anticipate. With her biggest challenge being her mental health, Sofia was dealing with an anxiety disorder, a mood disorder, and depression. Even though she was diagnosed before coming to college, being thrown into a new environment and not having the right medication was not great for Sofia.

However, Sofia was not the only one in her struggles. Many college students, whether in-state or out-of-state, battle with mental health. Whether people admit it or not, college is a difficult environment filled with stressors which is even more hard to deal with when you are alone.

COLLEGE STUDENTS AT A GLANCE

Unfortunately, years of multiple studies have proven that college students are suffering. Nearly 42% of college students have stated that anxiety is among their top present concerns while depression followed behind at 37%.

Another study reported that in the past year alone around one in three freshmen communicated battling with mental health problems. These problems have also been linked to lower academic functioning and GPAs. Decline in academic performance has been connected with social anxiety which is on the rise in college students. Long story short: College is a tough battle.

THINGS THAT HELPED: CONNECTING BACK TO HER ROOTS

One practice that helped Sofia with her struggles was connecting back to her to what truly held her heart; art. Art had been a passion of Sofia ever since she was a child. At first she recalls a time in her life where she created art to make other people happy. Now she does art to make herself happy and it has made a world of difference. To Sofia her expression of art comes through many mediums. While she loves to paint Sofia is also an avid photographer. One of the factors that slightly eased the burden of social anxiety for Sofia was using her camera and photography skills as a conversation starter.

SOFIA’S WORK

WHY IS SOFIA’S STORY SO COMPELLING?

I chose this story because Sofia’s experience is not an isolated event. Many young adults face troubles with mental health and unfortunately let things go unchecked causing bigger issues down the road. Sofia was brave enough to not only seek help but to also share her story with others. Even better, she was able to connect back with what gave her true fulfillment; art. Hopefully, Sofia’s story will encourage others-no matter the age or situation- that they are not alone in the feeling of misplacement and that there is always help. 

“I don’t think my life is anything without art. Art is deeply ingrained in who I am.

I would be at all the same person that I am today without it.”

-Sofia casini

Sofia with some of her close friends

Learn More About Sofia’s Journey

Sources:

https://www.apa.org/monitor/2013/06/college-students

https://oakland.edu/Assets/Oakland/cetl/files-and-documents/Chairs/Articles/Nov2017_Bruffaerts2018.pdf

https://scholarworks.lib.csusb.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=2351&context=etd