Collegian T he Cameron University
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CU's Academic Festival VII
Monday, September 18, 2023
Volume 109 Issue 3
Photos by Brittney Payette
Student's strengths: Dr. Michele Borba speaks to CU students at the student session in the University Theatre.
Michele Borba Brittney Payette Managing Editor
At 7:30 p.m., Sept. 14 in the Cameron Theatre, the first speaker for Cameron’s Academic Festival XII, Michele Borba, Ed. D., talked about child and adolescent mental health and resilience. The theme of this festival is “Care and Health: A Generational Approach.” Borba is an educational psychologist and a renowned author who has served as a consultant for the U.S. Department of Education’s Character Education and Civic Engagement initiative. She was a former special education teacher and has won the National Educator Award, Santa Clara University’s Outstanding Alumni Award, National Child Safety Award, and the Outstanding Contribution to the Educational Profession Award. Borba said she was honored to be invited to speak at Cameron’s Academic Festival and was particularly excited about the student session that was specifically for Cameron students. “I was just enthralled with it,” she said. “Too often, I talk to only the adults and not the students and this was just- the format was wonderful.” The student session took place at
3:30 p.m., on Sept. 14, in the Johnson can help boost a person’s resilience. auditorium in Ross Hall. Borba said that “It’s never too late,” she said. “It doesn’t teachers and students have really inspired make a difference if you’re 85 or you’re her to continue advocating for mental four. You can make a difference, as long as health. we figure out what works for us.” Borba said that in today’s fast-paced She said that COVID-19 caused a society, people need to learn new, loneliness effective coping skills. epidemic. “Resilience is something you are Borba said that “It’s never too not born with,” Borba said. “You we need to set late. It doesn’t make can acquire it; and why I’m saying aside time to it is … there’s evidence.” connect with a difference if you’re She said that resilience is an real people. 85 or you’re four. ongoing process, not a program and “Empathy You can make a that people need teachable skills seems to be the to help people respond and react to difference, as long social glue that life stressors. as we figure out what holds the world “It’s not like we’re going to together,” She works for us.” teach it this summer,” Borba said. “When said. “Or, I’m going to throw - Dr. Michele Borba stress rises, my kid in a resilience course … Doctor of Education which it is We’ve got to realize that this is doing right extraordinarily important in today’s now,” she said. world. The world is changed. It’s “One thing we more uncertain, it’s fear-based and it’s do is we dial our empathy down, we start accelerated.” dialing it down because we’ve got to take in She said people need to have a caring survival mode ourself.” champion in their lives who supports them. Borba said that when our empathy Someone who can provide a safe place to keeps going down and our stress levels breathe and get away from the stress that keep going up it causes what she calls the can build up in a person’s life. She said this empathy gap. can be anyone - your mom, your roommate, “As a result, what happens is our mental your therapist, anyone. health as a nation is plummeting,” she “You do not have to have said. “We get lonelier and lonelier. The dozens of friends,” Borba solution is (find) who’s a couple of people, said. “There’s a myth in or one person, that you can connect a little popularity. But, you do have bit more (with) and have some real life to have a couple of people conversations with.” who are, (what) I’d consider One attendee at the event was Master of glue people. They’re people Science in Behavioral Science major Nanje you can go to who are going Prinsloo, who said she came because she to support you.” got extra credit for it and because it was Borba said there are seven related to her field of study. character strengths that are “I really like that there was a visual associated with thriving. presentation,” she said. “I really liked the “It’s a rare person that has speaker. She was very lively … It was very all seven,” she said. “But, educational. She didn’t just speak from a if you just have a couple piece of paper- she was very interactive. I of them, they become like think my favorite part was the stories that a protective buffer to help she told.” you.” Prinsloo said she felt like she learned a The seven character lot from the speaker and that the event was strengths are: selfwell organized. confidence, empathy, self“Especially when it comes to children’s control, integrity, curiosity, self-confidence and being positive,” she perseverance and optimism. said. “I think that mental health is very “You’ve got to do important, especially in young children whatever you think works and adolescence.” for you,” she said. “It’s one, Prinsloo said she would like to attend two or three minutes a day more events like this one. and you do the same thing For more information about CU’s repeatedly.” triennial Academic Festival and this year’s Borba said that one small speakers visit the Cameron website at habit that is practiced daily, https://www.cameron.edu/public-affairs/ even just for a few minutes, academic-festivals/festival-xii-speakers.
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