MASK The Magazine – August 2019

e
d
u

c
at

e

C

o
lle

g
e^

Li

fe

S

ki

lls

80 maskmatters.org FALL - V9

W

hen Arizona State University student

Talyn Gibbs was growing up, she

remembers having two homes. There

was the one in the northwest Valley

city of Surprise, with her loving parents and two

brothers, a quintet she describes as “the closest five people ever.”

Then there was her second home at Paradise Education Center, a

local charter school, and later at Shadow Ridge High School.

“Growing up, I didn’t live in the wealthiest home, but my parents

worked hard to ensure I was provided everything I needed,” she says.

“Although I moved around a lot as a kid, school was a stable part of my

life and served as a second home that never changed. Having the same

friends, teachers and school always made me feel so content.”

For Talyn, that combination of

love and support from family, and her

interest in academics, has translated

into success at college. Currently

entering her junior year at the Walter

Cronkite School of Journalism

and Mass Communication, she’s

particularly proud of being on the

Dean’s List at Cronkite each semester.

While she credits her mother

for always encouraging her to strive

for good grades, Talyn’s emotional

intelligence has helped in juggling two student jobs with her coursework

and getting involved in activities outside the classroom.

It’s something she learned to do even before college.

“When I was younger, any hardships that we had, I learned to just put

academics first—to put your best foot forward and leave any emotions you

have at the door,” she says. “I think that definitely has carried over into

college, like ‘go to class, clear your mind and focus on the work.’ Good

grades will last forever, but that emotion can be temporary.”

Talyn says if you have a tiff with your roommate or other typical

college issue, you can always work that out after your class or your shift at

work.

“I never want to bring any sadness or negative energy that I might be

feeling into my classes or come into work all sad,” she adds. “Or at least I

try my best—I’m only human.”

At ASU, the broadcast journalism major has taken advantage of every

opportunity. When she started in the fall of 2017, she began a student job

with the Dean of Student’s Office at the Downtown Phoenix campus.

The next year, she worked as a Gold Guide, assisting incoming students

Q. What can colleges and universities do to

integrate positive emotional skill-building into

campus life?

The most important way we integrate emotional skill-

building is by taking a developmental approach to our

work. Students are in the process of maturation. It’s

on us to always have that as a foundation that helps

shape our work and drives our curiosity about each

student we meet. When we communicate that this

process of maturation is part of everything, we open the

opportunity to support emotional skill-building through

everything we do and create. It shapes how we program,

how we build communities, how we have conversations,

and how we support student leaders to lead.

Q. What can parents do to foster their child’s

emotional confidence? Coach lovingly from

the sidelines and encourage their child to seek

out resources and advocate for themselves? Or

swoop in and take the reins?

Parents tend to find the answer to this question when

they think ahead to who they want their child or

teenager to be on college graduation day. What talents,

skills and abilities do they hope for their future college

graduate? Once they get that locked in, think about

where their child or teenager is currently. How will they

need to grow? This short exercise tends to help parents

focus on the strengths and opportunities, and gives

purpose to their actions in these crucial moments.

Teens and young adults need to be reminded that

life involves struggle, that they are capable of things

beyond their imagination, and that your love as a parent

is unrelenting. If you are weaving this into how you

help, you are laying a strong foundation for all of your

decisions on how to support emotional confidence.

ASU Counseling Services

eoss.asu.edu/counseling

ASU Health Services

eoss.asu.edu/health

ASU Health Services

Patient Portal eoss.asu.

edu/health/portal

RESOURCES FOR

HELP & SUPPORT

COLLEGE HIGHLIGHT

TALYN GIBBS

By // James Brophy

“From my experience,

I would say it’s better

for parents to coach

from the sidelines

because it gives

students a chance to

explore and figure

out who they are.”^