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Every time I took a moment to think, in lecture, during the midterms, my mind would swarm with fear and I felt crippling anxiety.
Such a devastating loss was a huge life event for me and was very difficult to overcome on my own.
The lesson I learned is that if something's not working or doesn't feel right, it could be because it's actually not right (which is okay!) a change is needed.
I didn’t know anyone at the University of Waterloo. This made me extremely nervous, worried and anxious. I wasn’t sure if I would fit in or make friends immediately.
As an undergraduate student, facing challenges is inevitable. In my first at University of Waterloo, I was faced with the challenge of failing a chemistry midterm.
I felt badly about myself and there were times when I wouldn't even look into mirrors. I constantly pointed out flaws about myself.
Immediately I felt disheartened, worried about whether I would be able to remain in my program, and scared of what people would think of me.
All these factors made me feel overwhelmed. More than ever, I needed to be close to my family but that was not possible (because they are in Uganda and the borders were closed).
I couldn’t figure out what I was doing wrong, so I started to think that I didn’t belong here, I could never do it, and started to feel really down.
I received a paper back from a professor with a low grade and the word lazy written in large, capital, red letters across every page.
![Rula Abdel-kader](/campus-wellness/sites/ca.campus-wellness/files/styles/body-500px-wide/public/uploads/images/rula_2_0.jpg?itok=G_ss4DUj)
Language barriers and being a single mother to two kids were two of my biggest challenges while trying to obtain my Canadian dentistry degree equivalency.
In all of this, I was reminded of my mortality and that each breath, each smile, each day is a gift.
![Ella Sofia](/campus-wellness/sites/ca.campus-wellness/files/styles/body-500px-wide/public/uploads/images/1_copy_0.png?itok=ZWunq8dE)
It wasn’t until the final term of my MA degree, after taking a necessary health leave from both my degree and my full-time job, that I finally began to figure out how to enhance my mental health while pursuing my goals.
![Jennifer Vasic and friends](/campus-wellness/sites/ca.campus-wellness/files/styles/body-500px-wide/public/uploads/images/1_0.png?itok=5JD0e_6E)
Of course, there is never one reason why we consider alternatives or make particular decisions, like leaving university.
Though I felt I was well prepared and qualified, being overlooked caused me to either pivot in my career path, and/or acquire new experiences and education.