Join me in welcoming, Dr. Katherine Pasour as a guest blogger on the Coeurageous site. With her background as a retired university professor, she brings years of experience and wisdom to the topic of transitioning well from high school to college. Any time we experience a new thing, it can be frightening for us all. Katherine’s new book, Stay the Course: A Devotional Handbook to Survive and Thrive in Your First Year of College (and Beyond), offers invaluable insights to help our newly graduated students avoid the common pitfalls. Enjoy!
With heart thumping, I stood outside the office door. Were my knees knocking? My hands were sweaty, but I needed to shake hands with the superintendent who was interviewing me for a teaching job. I rubbed my uncooperative appendages against my dress in an attempt to dry them. A deep breath, followed by an exhale, and I sat in the hot seat for my interview.
I was seeking a “new thing”—a job after just graduating college. I must have done well, because I got the job. But I still remember the experience, and many like it, in the years following—each time I transitioned to a new position.
How do you feel when you take a leap of faith into a “new thing”? A new school, a new job, a career change, marriage, etc.? Are you nervous, scared—maybe terrified? This can happen at any stage of life (when we begin a new adventure), but the transition from high school to college can be one of the most challenging new experiences we face.
Below is an excerpt from Stay the Course: A Devotional Handbook to Survive and Thrive in Your First Year of College (and Beyond). The “new thing” of college is an exciting adventure, but sometimes it’s terrifying. Our beginning college students need our support, love, and prayers.
A New Thing!
See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the wilderness and streams in the wasteland. Isaiah 43:19
You are definitely embarking on a “New Thing!”
The college/university experience is an amazing and thrilling adventure, an awesome experience, and a rewarding endeavor.
It can also be the most terrifying time of your life.
You may feel like a fish out of water, a lamb among wolves, or a waif abandoned in the midst of strangers.
The good news is that God will make a way for you in this wilderness of new and confusing pathways.
You will thrive and grow during your educational experience. That’s not to say it will be easy. Sometimes you will feel that you are lost in the wasteland, a solitary wanderer in the desert. But you are not alone. Most importantly, your Lord is with you. He will make pathways for you and guide you through the trials, struggles, and scary times.
Sometimes you will be led to seek the help of others. The pathway that God shows you may be to talk to your professor about your poor performance in class, make an appointment to speak with a counselor about anxiety, visit the learning resource center to learn about study strategies, or go home for the weekend to speak with parents or a friend about your experiences.
Prayer: Father, although sometimes I feel that I am alone in a wasteland, I know you are with me. I pray that you will help me to work hard and do my best; that you will guide me through the tough times; and that you will show me the pathway to seek help when I need it.
Prayer request from Katherine—I hope you will join me in prayer for our high school graduates—it’s a tough world out there!
Dr. Katherine Pasour is a retired college professor, an author, and a speaker. During more than four decades of teaching, greater than half at the college level, Katherine has taught and mentored thousands of students.
Katherine has degrees in health and physical education and religion, and a PhD in education. She has taught health and physical education to children, wellness to young adults, general education courses, and research classes for honors students, and prepared students to be teachers.
An outdoor girl at heart, Katherine enjoys her farm animals, gardening, and hiking. Although pulling weeds or spreading mulch in her flowers aren’t her favorite hobbies, she finds these outdoor tasks are great stress relievers, especially in the spring when the fruits of her labor display their glorious blossoms.
You can connect with Katherine at https://katherinepasour.com or through social media on Facebook and Instagram (KatherinePasourAuthor, or X (Twitter @katherinepasour). Katherine’s books, Honoring God with My Body: Journey to Wellness and a Healthy Lifestyle and Stay the Course are available at all major booksellers.
*Featured image courtesy of Canva
