Navigating grief while attending college can have a profound impact on someone’s life.
According to a 2021 study, 30-36% of students experience the loss of a loved one within their first 12 months of college, and 37-44% experience a loss within 24 months. Jeff Zealley, associate professor of mortuary science at Salt Lake Community College, has experienced these statistics firsthand.
“During my time at SLCC, nearly every semester, it seemed that at least one of my students experienced the death of someone close to them,” said Zealley. “Grief can affect students by impacting their ability to concentrate, study and focus on schoolwork.”
Although grieving is unique to every individual, the study lists common emotions that students face during loss, such as anger, guilt and numbness. These emotions can then affect academics. Some negative outcomes include lower grade point averages and a greater chance of students dropping out.
Zealley is no stranger to grief. In high school, he lost three friends in the span of six weeks. Later during his freshman year of college, Zealley picked up a job in a funeral home. These two events combined encouraged him to help those facing loss.
“The most devastating event I’ve had with grief was the murder of one of my close friends in high school,” said Zealley. “This experience taught me that grief, while it may diminish over time, sometimes stays with us forever.”
Melissa Ros, an equipment operator at BD Medical, understands the heaviness that comes with losing a loved one. When her father passed away two years ago, Ros said grief took a toll on her mental health and social life.
“I pushed multiple people away to process everything that has happened,” she said. “I never meant to push anyone away, I only wanted to process my feelings as I felt like I was becoming aggressive and sensitive towards people. I wanted to better myself before I hurt everyone else because of how I was at the time.”
Ros provided insight on how she’s been dealing with her father’s passing, as well as tips for anyone going through a similar situation.
“I reached out to my family to talk about it. Talking about your feelings will help you more than you know,” she said. “Find ways to cope. I started trying new things and got out of my comfort zone, and although I thought about my dad, it reminded me of all the great times I’ve spent with him.”
For students and adults in the community who have lost someone, Zealley last September started a support group that operates from the Taylorville Redwood Student Center, meeting the second and fourth Wednesday of each month between September and April.
SLCC’s Center for Health and Counseling (CHC) also offers therapy sessions and crisis support for students experiencing grief and assists in connecting them to Utah-based support services, which consist of The Sharing Place, Resilient Solutions and Caring Connections through the University of Utah.
More information about the CHC or grief support can be found at slcc.edu/chc.
