Speaker discusses stress faced by students
The Bible has many solutions to today's problems, said Sheryl Stokes, founder and director of the Holy Ghost Party, a club for Detroit youth.
Stokes spoke Wednesday about the stress college students face and how to do away with that stress. New students often feel overwhelmed and intimidated by classes and college life.
"You're in this Mecca of 'Can I really do this, am I really good enough?'" she said.
Roommates are also a stressful part of college.
"Your roommate pressures are caused by how you handle things," she said. "They're going to happen."
She said some students feel overwhelmed by friends that require others to take care of them.
"They started with parent control, they were supposed to go to self-control, but they went to no control," she said. "Some people get to college and they just snap. They don't know how to handle the freedom."
Students ask themselves, "Am I going to get lost in the crowd, or am I going to stand out?" she said.
Another generator of stress is relationships, Stokes said.
"Can you really break up, can you really make a clean break?" she said.
Stokes said two important things for students to remember is that they are not alone and that they can control their lives.
"You can control your environment, your environment does not have to control you," she said. "You can change everything that's going on in your life."
Stokes said all of the solutions to college students' problems can be found in the Bible.
The story of the 12 disciples can be applied to roommate problems, Stokes said.
The disciples were all different, and yet they lived and traveled together, she said. They were able to do this because they all had one common goal. Students do have a common goal with their roommate: to graduate and get good grades.
Students can control their situations by paying attention to what they say, she said.
Stokes warned students about saying they will get sick or won't pass a test.
"The power of the tongue is what created the universe," she said. "Don't you think the power of your mouth can create situations?"
If students are in need of something, it is important that they ask God, Stokes said.
"Don't be afraid to ask him for what you want," she said.
Changing a situation that makes someone unhappy is important.
"You have the right to be happy and you have to demand that right," she said.
Students also need remember that God loves them.
"He wants a relationship with people that really love him," she said. "You have to understand that he loves you."
In reality, most problems are not that important, Stokes said.
"In the grand-scale of everything, making it through a homework assignment is not that deep," she said.
Stokes said, in order to get to know God, students must read the Bible.
"He loves you, he created you with a purpose," she said.
Georgeline Nnebedum, Kalamazoo sophomore, said she would like to see more speakers like Stokes.
"I thought it was great," she said. "We need more speakers like her that are willing to talk about God. She was really informative, too."
Shaneka Guyton, Grand Rapids sophomore, said she could relate to the speech.
"I thought she did an excellent job," she said. "I thought she was telling the truth about relationships and how all our problems are in the Bible."
Stokes' speech was sponsored by Fishers of Men, a student organization.
