COOKEVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — Just 80 miles east of Nashville is Cookeville, Tennessee.
It has a population about 37,000 and continues to grow.
Dubbed the "Hub of the Upper Cumberland," it's a region known for its natural beauty, friendly people, and plenty of college town fun.
Tennessee Tech provides a youthful vibe to the area.
It's a campus that's growing in academic accolades and enrollment that's now pushing almost 11,000 students.
We talked with students and locals alike at Soul Craft Coffee, a favorite spot near campus.
"It's big enough to where you have what you need, but small enough to where you still kind of have that small hometown feel," Cheyenne Bare said.
Bare is a student government leader at Tech.
"But I think the Cookeville community is really good about welcoming college students in," Bare said. "But I'd like to see a lot more resources for struggling students."
Resources like jobs that offer more flexible hours.
"I definitely think it's something that could be improved, especially from a college student perspective," Bare said.
And that student perspective includes plenty of stress, especially in an age where young people are so influenced by tech and social media.
"You never have a break from anything because if you take a break, you feel disconnected," Bare said. "So there's so much anxiety around, you know, I have to check my phone right now to see what's going on in the world."
Taking a break and taking the step to get some help for mental or emotional health isn't always easy.
"Yes, like Tech has their own resources, but it's very intimidating to go to a clinic in Cookeville that's already, every time you go to one, they say, 'Oh, we're full,' or, 'we're not accepting new patients'...so, I think that's just really has just taken a toll." Bade said.
It's an issue others say they're trying to address in students as young as middle school.
Melinda Mott Leftwich and Lisa Uhrik told us about a local push to replace cell phones and other devices in kids' hands with books.
Uhrik gave credit to new adjustments, including efforts by Kathryn Wisinger, the director of the Putnam County Library.
"By August we had bought pouches for the schools so that schools, and now teachers are telling us that for the first time in eight years 100% of their students are getting their work done," Uhrik said.
Add to that - the new state law limiting smart phone use during classroom instruction, and they're seeing results.
But a perceived problem remains to provide substantial mental health resources community-wide.
"I don't think you can have enough," Mott Leftwich said.
"I mean, it's like we're seeing such a rise in the need for mental health," Uhrik said.
"It's so hard to get an appointment," Mott Leftwich continued. "But yes, we could use more providers here for sure."
The two agreed that more could be done to meet a growing need among the growing student population in and around Cookeville.
"You know, they're on their phone a lot and it's easy to be isolated," Mott Leftwich said. "And once you, if you attend college and when you leave college, it's so hard to get connected."
Do you want to share to Your Voice? Email us at yourvoice@newschannel5.com
One of the best things about Tennessee is its beauty. Reporter, Chris Davis, certainly makes the most of it as an avid hunter and fisherman. When he turned the spotlight on the potential funding shortfall the TWRA is facing - it hit a nerve with many of our viewers. To find out more, make sure to watch this story.
- Carrie Sharp
