David Howe, a Lang and Milano graduate, often found himself struggling financially and emotionally while attending college and found himself sleeping at school to avoid becoming homeless.
The Struggle is Real event was developed by Mr. Howe, area coordinator and director of Kerrey Hall and current Ph.D. student at NSSR, to provide students in unstable financial situations with an outlet to receive tips and help to overcome their struggle.
“I wanted to try and provide opportunities to assist students in similar situations who might feel as isolated as I often did,” Howe said.
He worked with administrators at Student Health and Support Services as well as The Food and Housing Security Work Group to put on two panels. On Monday April 18, “The Struggle is Real: Making It Through the New School on a Budget Part II,” was hosted by the housing department.
“The evolved goal is to raise awareness about this enormous struggle and the amount of students it is effecting and how much actually can be done and how many resources there actually are,” shared Sophia Gonzales, resident advisor and co-moderator of the event. “The only way for this program to succeed in getting the administration and the rest of the school to realize this struggle and to begin to be more visible.”
Many students often feel alone, ashamed, and embarrassed to talk about needing resources and options regarding financial struggles, added Sophia.
“We wanted to go with an all-student discussion panel because there is so much shame around this topic, and we wanted to give voice to these experiences and also share tips and tricks that older students have developed to navigate these tricky topics,” Howe said. “The struggle is indeed real, but not impossible, and these students hoped to show others how they have managed to overcome the odds.”
One tip brought up by almost all nine panelist is that persistence is key. There will be times when the Financial Aid office will turn people away when asking for a payment date extension and they may feel like giving up, but remember it’s important to be persistent. Everyone is worth staying at The New School and fighting for what they believe in.
Allison Esannason, a first generation college student at Parsons attended both panels and said she found comfort in knowing she is not alone in the struggle.
“Most of my closest friends are going through the same financial struggle and we help each other,” Esannason said.
The event was a follow-up to a gathering held last November which also provided a safe-space for anyone who wanted to share their struggles, offer advice, or needed any kind of assistance. The panel held last semester was well received by The New School community shared Howe. Therefore, the housing department decided to establish a follow-up event to allow others to hear and share their own stories.
The Part II event came in light of recent developments supporting students in financial need, including the opening of the New School Food Pantry on April 22.