Finding Hope In The Midst Of Life’s Struggles

Veda Kolluru, a sophomore at UNC, faced an incredibly challenging semester. College life alone is often filled with stress and the struggle to balance everything is difficult, but when family emergencies and the pressures of daily life are added, it can become overwhelming for any student.

Veda’s year began with a 45-55 minute commute to campus, followed by the time-consuming task of finding an open parking spot. After parking, she still had a 30-minute walk to class, which left her little time to catch her breath. On top of that, she was constantly swamped with assignments, and by the time she got home, it was late, and she was exhausted.

While living at home and commuting may offer financial benefits and the comfort of living at home, the mental toll it took on Veda quickly became clear. The long hours spent commuting only piled more stress on top of the usual pressures of college life. When Veda tried to address this by moving back to campus, life threw another curveball.

Commuting had already caused Veda to fall behind in studying, leading to anxiety and more stress. To mitigate the mental toll, she decided to move back to campus, hoping for relief. But barely a week after settling in, a family emergency required her to fly to India. Struggling to keep up with assignments halfway across the world, Veda felt disheartened.

“It caused me to only submit assignments to submit them and not care about understanding anything, which again, snowballed me into not being prepared enough for exams,” she shared. It was a breaking point for Veda’s mental health, and she described it as "the lowest it had ever been."

Yet, even in the darkest of times, Veda found the strength to keep going—driven by a deep-rooted hope that things would get better, that the storm would eventually pass. Her motivation is a powerful reminder: no matter how dark it gets, there’s always a flicker of light worth following.

Her words are nothing short of inspiring: “I saw the people around me losing hope and I realized that in order to live a fulfilling life- or even just to survive, you have to have some type of hope that tomorrow will be better. The moment that flicker is gone, you’re gone too.”

Veda’s story is a testament to the power of perseverance and the hope that brighter days are always ahead when you’re struggling with your mental health.

Written By Manjusha Pandian