At a recent meeting, CARA staff had the chance to gain new strategies for addressing youth mental health by hearing from a former College Bridge Coach, Melissa Rivera. Now a professional in the field, Melissa shared knowledge from her current role and her past one as a peer leader at Flushing International High School.

Melissa brought valuable insights on recognizing the signs of mental health struggles among students, such as substance use, self-harm, low motivation, and suicidal ideation. She emphasized the importance of normalizing and validating students’ emotions, highlighting the critical role that coaches, counselors, and other youth-facing adults play in supporting students.

Melissa’s session not only educated CARA staff on these critical issues but also demonstrated the impactful cycle of learning and mentorship within our organization. Former students like Melissa, who return to train us, embody the success of our programs and reinforce our commitment to addressing the student mental health crisis as a piece of our postsecondary success work. By drawing on the insights of young people who have come through our programs, we can better understand their needs, and build the tools to address them.

At CARA, we’re always looking for ways to increase our knowledge so that we can better equip peer leaders to cultivate spaces and relationships in which the students they serve experience personalized care and guidance to help support overall wellbeing. Thank you, Melissa!