“The Most Important Thing Is to Understand You’re Not Alone”

About This Video

This video is part of a Chronicle visual series that highlights the efforts colleges are making to support students. The series is part of the Different Voices of Student Success project, which is supported by the Ascendium Education Group.

The video was shot and edited by Carmen Mendoza, a senior web producer. Michael Theis, photo and media editor, assisted with production. Erica Lusk, senior photo and media editor, and Maura Mahoney, a senior editor, consulted on the project.

Sometimes, all it takes to keep a student from stopping out is just one person. One person who notices, cares, takes the time to connect, and knows how to marshal the college’s resources to help. Harry Zarin was that person for Nicole Javitt.

Javitt was just a freshman at Montgomery College, in Maryland, when she arrived at her family’s apartment one evening to discover her parents had been the victims of a horrific, devastating crime. When Zarin, a counselor at the college, learned what had happened, he immediately reached out to Javitt, whom he hadn’t known beforehand. “I figured Nicole was going to need someone to talk to,” he says. “She’s such a young person, and now she’s in a position where she’s gotta take care of everybody.”

But Zarin didn’t stop at consoling her — he got in touch with all of her professors to ask for flexibility and understanding. He also reached out to help find her more financial aid, and he checked in regularly to see how she was doing. Javitt’s mental health deteriorated, and at first her grades suffered, but she persevered — thanks to her own resilience, counseling, and the support of the college — and eventually transferred to the Universities at Shady Grove, part of the Univerity of Maryland system.

Zarin points out that Javitt is far from alone in her struggles with mental health. Montgomery College, like every other higher-ed institution, has seen a substantial increase in students suffering from anxiety, depression, trauma, and other challenges, and it strives to provide support. The college has a behavioral-intervention team on all three campuses, and the collegewide unit meets to go over students’ cases. “Sometimes the situations are so severe,” Zarin says, “that you really do need another set of eyes and ears and brains to work together.”

In addition, Montgomery College has a social-resources program through its wellness center, and three social workers who can help with social services in ways the counselors cannot. You’re seeing these kinds of student-support efforts nationwide, says Zarin. “It’s just what we have to do today.”

But while the resources are usually available, all too often it takes someone going above and beyond to set things in motion. Zarin still keeps in touch with Javitt. “You can’t just stop in a situation like that and leave someone hanging,” Zarin says. “I was part of her support system.”