TUCSON, Ariz. (13 News) – University of Arizona graduate student Harvey Ortiz said he has struggled with his mental health his whole life, but it got worse in his first year of graduate school.
“I was just kind of missing a community and overall people to relate to outside of the people that I studied with,” Ortiz said.
Ortiz said financial stress and food insecurity added to the difficulty.
“God forbid you have an emergency, or you take medication that’s not covered by your insurance, so you have to pay $500 out of pocket for anti-anxiety medication or whatever,” Ortiz said.
Grant funds new program
Celeste Atkins applied for a five-year, $1 million grant from the National Science Foundation. She used it to launch Grad Café in 2024.
This year, membership more than doubled.
“We know that food insecurity is increasing among undergraduate and graduate students, and that students who are food insecure or have financial issues are less likely to be successful,” said Atkins, the Grad Café director.
The University of Arizona reports that one in three college students experiences food insecurity on average. Grad Café includes a food spread meant to give students time to eat between studying and to share meals together.
“Food insecurity is a huge issue for graduate students, and for those graduate students who actually have the funds to eat, sometimes they don’t have the time,” Atkins said.
Students gather regularly
About 80 graduate students now gather regularly at Grad Café.
“Grad café really helped with providing food and being able to take food home, and that really helped overall,” Ortiz said.
A Grad Café alumnus wants to use the same model at Oregon State University. Atkins is working to develop it, so grad students everywhere can find community.
“Even though you want to quit, you don’t quit because you have each other,” Ortiz said.
Isabela Lisco is a Report for America corpsmember covering education solutions for 13 News. Her position is made possible through funding from Report for America and the Arizona Local News Foundation’s Arizona Community Collaborative Fund.
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