My Health Story: Zeaira Chestang

Zeaira Chestang
Corner Health Center

When I was in High School I was always miss-behaving and not really caring about anything. I barely went to class and when I did go to class I wasn’t very attentive. One day I went to band and my teacher introduced me to a man by the name of Jay Holden and that was the day my band director opened the door to change for me. Jay was a social worker from my school’s health center. School-based/linked health centers are important to me because if they weren’t in my high school my band director wouldn’t have been able to reach out for help on my behalf.

Over the course of the year my behavior and my views on life slowly evolved because I was facing the things that made me act a certain way. I was able to find myself and become comfortable with being me. I saw myself beginning to be more active in my school and I was working with my peers to help my school become better.

After graduating I had the opportunity to work with the Corner Health Center’s Youth Leadership Council which is a program full of young people who all want to help make the community better. RAHS and the Corner Health Center both helped me step out of my comfort zone which has helped me become more comfortable with people.

I think I can say I figured out what it was that I truly wanted to do in life in thanks for these organizations. School-linked//based health centers should be in every high school and middle school across the state because they are extremely beneficial to students who are struggling with everyday things such as mental health problems and other basic health needs. They provide a great resource to young people everywhere.

About the My Health Story Contest

School-Based Health Care Awareness Month is the time each year that we pause to celebrate the value of school-based, school-linked and school wellness programs. This year, we asked youth across Michigan to tell us how a School-Based or School-linked Health Center has improved their health and helped them to succeed in school. Contestants wereasked to submit an essay about their experiences with a Health Center. Stories will be posted daily on our website beginning in February during Awareness Month to the end of April when we host advocacy day. You can see all the contest entries here.