As someone who has had experience dealing with depression during high school, 7-year counselor Ms. Alicia Schkoll wanted to share her experiences to let students know that it’s okay to seek support when they are dealing with stress and other challenges that high schoolers today may face.
As a well-performing student at ICA Cristo Rey Academy High School, Ms. Schkoll earned a 3.95 GPA, challenging herself with AP and Honor classes, and participated in many extracurriculars like yearbook and cheerleading, However, behind the successful exterior Ms. Schkoll was also struggling because of a number of challenges she was facing.
One of the biggest challenges Ms. Schkoll faced was carrying the burden of looking after her mother, who was disabled and also advancing in age. This made it difficult to balance academics and family, and because of this, Ms. Schkoll was often hard on herself, internalizing her emotions and convincing herself that she had to always perform well. It all came to a halt in her junior year when Ms. Schkoll received her first “C” grade.
Feeling devastated by the low grade, Ms. Schkoll went into a deep depression. For 2 months, she spiraled out of control, skipping class and not turning in work. Finally, some adults at the school noticed her behavior and reached out to help provide support.
Getting help from others was an awkward experience at first for Ms. Schkoll, but she eventually accepted their help and they formed a plan to get her back on track. Despite this setback, she would go on to graduate as one of the top scholars in her senior class.
Receiving such great support from the school staff while she was struggling, Ms. Schkoll was inspired to give this same kind of support to other struggling students as a counselor. Ms. Schkoll says, “After experiencing the complicated high school life, I realized the adults on campus cared about me, and I wanted to be that support to other students. I wanted to be the adult they could count on in school.”
After graduating from ICA High School, Ms. Schkoll went to the University of San Francisco. During her senior year of college, she took an internship at SF County Jail counseling inmates. After her internship at the jail, Ms. Schkoll realized that during her counselor sessions with inmates, many of them did not have a support system at home or school, which motivated her to work in a school setting.
Ms. Schkoll ended with this advice to students, in particular, those who are having a difficult time, saying, “I encourage students who are struggling, whether it be personal or academic challenges, to reach out to their counselor, teachers, and wellness for support, because we do care.”
