{"id":5094677,"date":"2025-06-25T09:22:14","date_gmt":"2025-06-25T13:22:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ctlatinonews.com\/?p=5094677"},"modified":"2025-06-25T09:22:14","modified_gmt":"2025-06-25T13:22:14","slug":"learning-after-lockdown-college-students-still-feel-covids-sting","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/latinonewsnetwork.com\/ctln\/2025\/06\/25\/learning-after-lockdown-college-students-still-feel-covids-sting\/","title":{"rendered":"Learning after lockdown: college students still feel COVID\u2019s sting"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
Some college students still feel the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, even five years after the world returned to normalcy. For students like Ivree Diaz, who began her college journey in 2020, the lingering impact of the pandemic has been profound, ranging from academic struggles to sharp swings in mental health.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI was beat,\u201d Diaz said, recalling the emotional toll of her first semester at the University of Connecticut.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
By winter break, she had lost nearly 30 pounds, and her motivation had plummeted.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cDuring that time, I was on the fence about coming back,\u201d she said. \u201cBut I told myself, let me just stick it out for the rest of the year.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Despite her efforts, Diaz eventually left UConn, citing long-lasting mental health struggles and an awkward transition to college life that was compounded by the chaos of the pandemic.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI used to be an honors student before COVID, but after everything shut down, all my motivation just disappeared,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Diaz never returned to UConn. Instead, she completed a massage therapy program, a career path she says helped her reconnect with people and find a sense of peace after such a disorienting chapter in her life.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Diaz\u2019s experience is far from unique. A 2024 report from the Student Experience in the Research University (SERU) Consortium revealed that the pandemic\u2019s toll on student engagement continues to reverberate across campuses nationwide. Only 44% of students reported a strong sense of belonging on campus, down from 55% the previous year. Mental health challenges and weakened social ties, which began during remote learning, remain among the key contributors to this decline.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Dr. Melissa Bray, a professor and director of the School Psychology program at UConn\u2019s Neag School of Education, said many students are struggling with mental health challenges in 2025. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI feel that the aftermath has still led to anxiety and depression. COVID has changed how we communicate and interact,\u2019\u2019 Bray said. \u201cUConn has met the challenge with expanded access to mental health supports through Student Health and Wellness and other related services.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
That struggle to reconnect with passion and purpose is familiar for students like Trenyce Taylor, a senior at UConn who entered college during the pandemic. She reflected on the challenges of rebuilding her academic focus after years of disrupted learning.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI had to teach myself how to study again,\u201d Taylor said. \u201cMy attention span is getting better now, but it\u2019s been a process.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\nTrenyce Taylor PHOTO: Earvin Adjei<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
The effects stretch beyond academics. Diaz, now several years removed from her college experience, said the emotional impact of the pandemic still lingers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cIt killed the school morale,\u201d she said. \u201cMade me not want to do anything. I just didn\u2019t care anymore.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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