A community college in Jacksonville is seeing a number of its students struggle with the effects of traumatic brain injuries. School administrators at Coastal Carolina Community College held a presentation this week to get the word out to students about the help available to them. The proximity to Camp Lejeune and the large veteran population means a number of students have suffered injuries in the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Christopher Sabin, the college’s Director for Veterans Programs, says many students hide their problems:
"Being retired military myself, you know, there is that mentality out there, that you don’t want to show any type of a weakness. And so that’s why we’re trying to get the word out to take that stigma off of it and to let them know there is help out there available and it is ok for you to come and get that help. It’s not a weakness."
Still, Student Activities advisor Emily Ellis says a new student comes to her department every day to identify themselves as having a brain injury:
" I find that they’re perfectionists and they want to do the best job that they can. And they’re struggling between being successful because in the Corps, they’re taught…you know, they do everything to perfection. They’re the best of the best. And when they come into the school and we have a grade that maybe isn’t as high as the best that they feel that they can do, it’s very discouraging for them."
College administrators are making an effort to educate themselves on some of the problems associated with brain injuries. They say sometimes a student needs more time to take a test or other types of assistance.
