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As students grow closer to applying to colleges, they begin to feel anxious, scared, or stressed because of the unknown future. This can be overwhelming. Champions For Learning wants to remind every student that we are always here for them.

To help our students, Champions For Learning hosted a stress management lab teaching students how to manage and cope with their emotions.

“This year is my junior year and I will be taking a lot of different classes. I know these classes will give a lot of homework which can cause me a lot of stress. In the past, I haven’t managed my stress as well as I could have, that’s why I attended today because I felt that this event could teach me”, shared Andrea.

The purpose of this event was to teach our students how to manage stress and learn how to adjust to new challenges that may seem overwhelming. By educating students on mindfulness and coping, Champions For Learning offered a unique opportunity for students, especially to those who do not know what resources to turn to.

“I chose to come to lab today because stress can affect how we feel every day. Sometimes when my stress overfills, I will do something without thinking and get overwhelmed, so it’s important for me to learn how to manage it.” Shared Evansley

Students find their senior year of high school to be the most stressful. By hosting this event Champions For Learning gets feedback from students on how they are doing, allowing us to understand their feelings, granting us insight in how to better serve them. Champions For Learning staff find it important to host these events to provide for the wellbeing of our students.

“Every year is a year closer to college. It will be a lot more stressful during college, so I wanted to come today to learn how to manage stress”, shared Briana.

“One day I want to be a doctor and its important I learn how to manage my stress now. I’m happy that Champions offers this lab because we don’t receive help like this at school”, shared Evansley.

Whether students are in sports, have a large workload, or have responsibilities at home, Champions For Learning knows that life can be challenging. Champions for Learning hosts these events to remind students that we are always here to support them.

“I decided to attend today because I feel that it is important to learn how to adjust to a college-based schedule and in the end, I feel that this is going to help me learn to manage myself and my workload”, Zaden shared.

In high school, many students suffer from mental health conditions most commonly stress and anxiety. The best way to help others dealing with mental health issues is to allow them to recognize the signs and problems, then to offer information, support, and guidance to help them overcome.

We take opportunities like this to share with students how to manage their feelings and encourage them to share their thoughts. This allows us to better understand our students and collectively we learn how we can grow together.

Champions For Learning staff that hosted this lab have a history in counseling students, making them more than qualified to introduce these concepts.

Dani Henderson, (Programs Relationship Manager) had previously served as a Program Coordinator for middle and high school students, providing case management studies discussing life and social skills, as well as leading peer mentoring.

Kristin Carolan, (Director of Student Success) previously had been the program director at NTRC serving for over a decade as a therapist with adults, children, and families in need of mental health services. She graduated with her M.A. in Marriage and Family Therapy and has provided therapeutic services to CCPS & Youth Haven.

Jim Gambino, (Counselor for Student success) assists students with a variety of student personnel services. He has a master’s degree in counseling and a masters in school leadership. He has held positions in teaching, personal counseling, and administration. He directly supports seniors in planning their future through financial planning, personal statements, and career exploration.

To help engage in Champions For Learning opportunities or to assist in student experiences, view ways to give on our website. 

Lindsay Lydon is a graduate of Champions For Learning’s Take Stock in Children mentoring and scholarship program. She is currently a senior at Florida Gulf Coast University studying marketing and advertising and is working part-time with Champions For Learning.

Entering college can be a scary process for high school students. To ease the transition process, Champions For Learning organized college campus trips for Collier County students to visit five very popular college campuses nearby.

Champions students were invited to go on campus field trip tours at the University of Florida, University of Central Florida, University of South Florida, Florida Polytechnic University, Florida International University and Florida Atlantic University. These university trips are significant to Collier students because these are colleges our students tend be accepted into, so having an opportunity to visit in person is a great deal.

Once on campus, students were able to view study halls, campus dining, dorm rooms, classrooms, and most of the surrounding area.

“During Covid, many Champions students did not have the opportunity to experience walking onto Florida campuses. I am so happy these students were able to see the campuses for themselves,” shared Kristin Carolan, Director of Student Success, who attended all these visits.

On these visits students took notes, pictures, and soaked up their new environment. Campus tours are important for high school students so they can have a feel for what college will be as they grow into independent young adults. Many families each year do not find time or have a lack of resources to show their children college campuses. Champions For Learning prioritizes offering students opportunities to help them graduate high school and implements ways to prepare them for their post-secondary journey.

During the visit to the University of Florida students shared how this experience impacted their perception of college life.

“I came on this tour to learn about one of the best colleges in Florida. I learned that even if I don’t make it in as a first year I can apply as a transfer since I am going in with my Associates Degree. Since I plan to go to Law school after my bachelors, I learned that I don’t have to major in Law for my Bachelor degree, which is really cool. This makes me very excited to apply. The best part of the trip was when they talked about the offered club’s diversity. I’m very excited to meet new people,” shared Victoria S., senior at Lorenzo Walker Technical College.

Another senior attending Lorenzo Walker Technical College, Skye S. shared, “On the tour, I got to see more of campus life. I really wanted to see the University of Florida and I’m so happy that I came on this trip, so my parents didn’t need to call off work. I really enjoyed it because I got to see more of the campus, student life, and I got to meet two students that go here. It’s nice to see what they offer and also what I can do for my major. My favorite part was going to the dining hall and seeing the campus as a whole.”

“I am interested in applying to the University of Florida and I am glad I got to see the campus.” Shared Eder R. a junior attending Golden Gate High School.

Champions For Learning is thankful to our donors for allowing us to facilitate and fund these opportunities that will impact our students’ futures. You can view ways to give on our website.

Lindsay Lydon is a graduate of Champions For Learning’s Take Stock in Children mentoring and scholarship program. She is currently a senior at Florida Gulf Coast University studying marketing and advertising and is working part-time with Champions For Learning.

Governor Ron DeSantis has awarded Champions For Learning a $350,000 gift to assist Collier County educators affected by Hurricane Ian. A total of $2 million was awarded through the Florida Disaster Fund to the local education foundations in the six hardest hit counties and is intended to help teachers get back on their feet.

As the Education Foundation of Collier County, Champions For Learning is uniquely positioned to articulate the needs of our educators. In the wake of Hurricane Ian, Collier County educators are facing serious challenges with housing and transportation.

“Teachers have shown up time and time again to educate our community’s next generation of leaders,” said Barbara Evans, President & CEO, Champions For Learning. “We are proud to be able to receive this incredible generosity from Governor and First Lady DeSantis to support that effort.”

This press conference brought together educators, district leaders, and representatives from each county impacted from the destruction. DeSantis shared, “There are a whole host of things that need to be done, so this will provide some help in that regard. We look forward to being able to do more things for our educators in the days and weeks to come.”

The damage caused by Hurricane Ian has brought a heightened awareness to the lack of housing for educators in Southwest Florida. Some teachers are unsure where they’ll live, their homes either leveled by Ian’s 150 mph winds or uninhabitable due to the storm surge that flooded large portions of Southwest Florida. Yet despite having lost their homes, their cars, their belongings, teachers have not lost hope. Educators and school staff in Collier County went back to school within days after the storm, welcoming students with compassion and care.

“These funds will directly assist our educators who are admirably teaching and supporting students while trying to rebuild their own lives,” said Dr. Kamela Patton, Superintendent of Collier County Public Schools. “We are grateful to partner with our Education Foundation of Collier County, Champions For Learning, to directly support staff who need this assistance the most.”

Looking ahead, Champions For Learning will continue to assess the needs of our community’s educators and will provide updates on how these funds will be allocated. Be sure to follow our social media accounts for up-to-date news and information.

Click here to download this PDF: Post Ian Resources