The end of the semester can be the most stressful no matter ones class, freshman, sophomore, junior, or senior. Final exams, financial strains, and travel arrangements can become extremely overwhelming. For freshman, these are their first college finals and for seniors it can be their last. Exams that either set the foundation for your undergraduate career, or the conclusion of your undergraduate career. During sophomore and junior year, this is the time to either recover or maintain from the year before. As a result, the winter break, for many, is an inviting escape from the stresses of college life; no more cafe food, no more tests, no more communal showers, no more roommates. However, these are all blessings that most take for granted.
According to a 2012 article by Kavitha Cardoza, nearly 33, 000 college students are homeless during winter break, and in correspondance with CNN Money between 2012-2013 nearly 60,000 students indicated they were homeless on federal financial aid forms. Everyone communicating their excitement about going home, while totally unaware about those who have no home to go home to. The stress is only exacerbated when realizing staying on campus is not an option. These students remain invisible because they do not fit the stereotype of homelessness in America. Here in Atlanta, the homeless are a daily encounter, that is so routine that is no longer shocking. So the question is "how would we react if we discovered our dorm sister is homeless, or our line sister, or just a friend?" Would we believe them, because how can you be in college and be homeless? The answer: financial aid; according to a huffington post article entitled Homeless College Students Seek Shelter During Holiday Breaksstates that for some financial aid provides up to 85% of tuition fees for homeless college students. So, it is totally possible to be a college student and homeless.
During this time of giving, we should think about those in need. Not just the homeless man on the corner, or the children in the hospitals, but our brothers and sisters that we attend class with everyday that we may not even know are struggling. For AUC students it is not uncommon for us to bond over our struggles and frustration with financial aid; with that in mind, let us too put ourselves in the shoes of those who have no home to go to for winter break. Let us lend a hand, or simply keep our eyes peeled. There are a few options for homeless students, such as shelters, cheap apartments or houses, school sponsored trips, or staying with friends. No longer shall homeless college students be invisible and suffer in silence. Let us hold our colleges accountable and inquire about assistance. Let this be a cause that arouses fury in us just as much as any other.
