FRESNO, Calif. (KFSN) -- Moving away for college is always an exciting new chapter. It can also be filled with anxiety and sometimes it can be lonely.
"My roommate didn't move in until the day before classes started," said Madelynn Moreno, a third-year and Psychology Major at Fresno State. "I was there a couple of days by myself and I was really lonely then." Feelings that Moreno dealt with when she moved into the dorms at Fresno State when she was a freshman.
To fight the feeling of loneliness, she went somewhere that felt comforting. "I needed something that felt some form of familiarity," said Moreno. "I went to Target.
I walked around Target for a little while and called my dad." Now as a third-year psychology major, Moreno has found her community on campus. Through the Peer Ambassador of Wellness program, or PAW, which helps promote student health and well-being on campus.
"It's a good opportunity to help connect students with resources that they need for different health reasons," said Moreno. "We push events that we have going on." Staff at Fresno State says this year's group of transfer and freshmen students is one of their biggest.
Etisha Wilbon, the Director of Counseling and Psychological Services at Fresno State, tells Action News they're seeing an increase in students experiencing loneliness. "We also have to account for these are also the individuals that experienced the hybrid and the school from home during COVID," said Wilbon. "So a lot of them are having iss.
