Curious Cardinals Blog

For me, it started with avocado toast and ended with a race around the world. I am not kidding!! It was beyond challenging trying to figure out what to write about for my college essay. How could I distinguish myself in 2500 words that would essentially destroy or solidify my dream? As I struggled with where to begin and then how to end, the Hamilton lyrics "I am not going to miss my shot" played on autopilot in my head. Whatever I was going to construct had to be engaging, unique, soulful, poetic, creative, cool, layered, and brilliant. It also had to seamlessly reveal all of my best qualities without me sounding obnoxiously boastful or ridiculously humble. No pressure. No problem.

May is mental health month and it coincides with end of the academic year, which can be an extremely challenging and stressful time for students. We often hear from our students how grateful they are to have a mentor who were in their shoes recently and get the struggle they’re going through.

We asked Katie Fong (BA, Stanford ‘22), a Curious Cardinal Mentor, about her thoughts on the matter. She reflects back at the four things she wished her parents had known about her mental health in high school to support her better. Read her reflections below.

This week, I spoke to two moms who both emphasized that when they try to give their children advice, their kids “don’t listen to them!”