A Helping Hand
- March 10th, 2023
- in Student Stories
When Chloe King moved from Muscle Shoals, Alabama to Atlanta, Georgia, a part of her always knew she’d come back to the Yellowhammer state one day. After graduating from high school, she knew there was only one place to go to kickstart her path of higher education: The University of Alabama.
“I came to Bama because, ever since I was a little girl, I always said this was my dream school,” she explained. “When I toured campus, I just felt like I would be at home here. I intuitively knew.”
It didn’t take Chloe long to become involved with the Division of Student Life. She joined the Young Woman Leaders Program (YWLP) in the Women and Gender Resource Center (WGRC) during her freshman year. The WGRC strives to address gender inequality and foster a community that values social justice, safety, leadership, education, multiculturalism and research. In the YWLP, UA student volunteers work as mentors to girls in 4th and 5th grade at Skyland Elementary School every spring. The mentors help the girls grow as leaders, practice team building exercises, navigate today’s world as girls and have fun outside of school. Chloe’s involvement in YWLP helped her learn more about the WGRC and its resources, such as its counseling sessions, teletherapy appointments and support groups. Now, Chloe doesn’t hesitate to tell others about the WGRC if she thinks they can use the help.
“That’s such a great place. If I meet a female student who needs a little guidance with whatever issues she has, I definitely push them to go to the WGRC,” Chloe said.
Eventually, Chloe needed resources and support from a different Student Life office. After her mother tragically passed during her sophomore year, she remembers how
hard it was to keep up with her academic responsibilities. She needed help, and it came through the Counseling Center. “I was so lost. I didn’t know what to do. My professors were telling me to go to the Counseling Center,” she explained. “I knew I couldn’t drop out of school, so I’m thankful the counselors were there.”
The Counseling Center was able to help Chloe work through her grief while she stayed in school, and she is incredibly thankful for the support and guidance she received. “I felt very comforted knowing that UA had a program for me to maneuver through my uncertain situation,” she said.
Today, Chloe is a senior set to graduate in the Fall of 2023, and she’s already secured an internship after graduating. She is thankful to the Division of Student Life, the WGRC and her counselor from the Counseling Center for all the support she’s received at UA during her time as a student. “There are so many resources that can help students if they need it. A lot of schools don’t have programs or initiatives to give students these opportunities, and we need that a lot right now,” Chloe said.
“Sometimes being a college student means you just need an extra hand, and I think Student Life helps a lot with that.”
