By Craig McIntosh
Staff writer
With students around the world now learning to cope with self-isolation and online courses because of Covid-19, peer support programs have become an important resource to help alleviate stress and anxiety.
Incoming Duke Kunshan student Alyssa Walker knows firsthand the positive effects such programs can have on a young person’s mental health. She also knows how hard it can be to convince students to use them.
Walker co-founded a peer counseling club at her high school ‘ Chadwick International in Incheon, South Korea ‘ several years ago after noticing that a large number of students were stressed about their coursework.
‘It was a huge challenge because of the negative social stigma surrounding mental health,’ she said, adding that stress among her classmates was a major problem. ‘It was bound to happen in the high-pressure school environment in South Korea. Everyone wants to excel, and so many students had no other way than to pour everything they had into their work.’
Walker said she and fellow club members would reach out to peers in need to provide tools on dealing with stress and anxiety, or simply to provide them someone to talk to about their issues and emotions.
The club is still active, and the stigma associated with mental health within the community is gradually disappearing, she said. ‘The program was so great for me, too, because I learned how to best handle my own stress. ‘ Being surrounded by my Korean peers, who had tremendous expectations put on them by their families, elevated my expectations for myself. That pressure helped me reach new potentials but also was a factor in some of my failures.’
In the fall, Walker, who hails from Sacramento, California, will join Duke Kunshan’s third undergraduate class. She is one of over 20 early decision admits.
Having moved to South Korea when she was 14 years old, Walker is familiar with the sensation of being outside of her comfort zone. She also knows what it’s like to be a student pioneer, being part of only the fourth graduating class at Chadwick International.
‘I believe that allowing yourself to be uncomfortable is a major part of learning,’ she said. ‘My history being filled with inconsistency is what shaped me. Now I choose to push myself out of my comfort zone because I’ve learned it’s the path to growth.’
Walker said she enjoyed being able to shape her high school and is looking forward to contributing to Duke Kunshan’s diverse campus community and helping establish new, long-lasting traditions.
‘The best attitude to being in a new school and in a new country is to just roll with the punches. Things aren’t always going to run as smoothly as you’d wish. At the end of the day, having a negative attitude never gets you anywhere and could distract you from appreciating the opportunities you do have,’ she said. ‘As students, we can actually do something to make things run smoother.’
