Managing college and work can be exhausting

“I graduated from high school in 2013, so the expectation is that I finish college exactly four years later. That can be a lot of pressure, especially when I’m working fulltime.

“I’ve worked since I was 16. It’s always been work and study, and I need to continue that to pay for my education. But finding the right balance between work and school is challenging.

Kimberly Flores is studying broadcast journalism at University of Houston.

“They just released the courses for summer and fall, and I’m looking at what I need to take so that I stay on track to finish in 2017. But then I tell myself, no, it’s OK to slow down a little. Maybe I need to step back and allow myself to really take in the college experience and figure out what I’m going to do after college instead of rushing through it all and feeling that I have this deadline that I have to meet.

“I tell myself that I should focus on work, my grades and getting an internship. Because in the end that’s all going to benefit me more than rushing through everything just to hit a certain date.

“The hard part is not knowing exactly what I’m going to be doing after I graduate. I know I’ll be somewhere and I’ll be fine. I have a good work ethic. That’s something I learned from my parents. So whatever is presented to me, I’ll get it done. But right now, I feel like I’m mentally drained. This whole thing can be pretty exhausting sometimes.”

— Kimberly Flores