Writing Homework Help

Review the below case study and discuss how an understanding informed by specific course readings can inform a positive outcome.

Yolanda is a 14-year old, Mexican-American adolescent. She has been experiencing depression as well as issues socializing in high school. She is currently a high school sophomore and recently outed herself to her family as bisexual. Her mother, Maria (age 36), moved to the US when she was little. Yolanda’s father, Carlos (age 34), comes from a very close-knit, Catholic family. Both Yolanda and her brother, Billy (age 11), have been raised with strict Catholic values. This nuclear family is also very involved in the lives of their extended family, most of whom live within 10 miles of one another. Both parents work outside the home; neither completed college, and both have conveyed high expectations for Yolanda and Billy to graduate from college. Neither parent has openly supported Yolanda’s bisexuality, though neither have condemned it either. They have pushed for the family to return to weekly Sunday service, though, which they had put off as both parents have taken on more work to support the family.

Yolanda’s schoolwork is being hindered by several factors. Socially, her peers are bullying her for their sense of her budding sexuality—her predominantly working-class peer group is openly hostile to expressions of queer sexuality. Furthermore, without her family’s outward support of her sexuality, she feels like she is letting them down. Normally an ‘A’ student, Yolanda’s GPA has slipped into the B range. She is also feeling like her sexuality—which she does not openly display, because of her bullying–clashes directly with her family’s religious views (which she does not share). She also hasn’t come out to her extended family, because she believes they will not support her. If she does not address these emotional issues and improve her grades, her ability to get into her college of choice and maybe earn a scholarship will be compromised.

Your reading choices:

Wilkinson-Lee, et al, “Adolescent Emotional Distress: The Role of Family Obligations and School Connectedness” (2011)

Read: Priest and Denton, “Anxiety Disorders and Latinos: The Role of Family Cohesion and Family Discord” (2012)

Read Bregman, et al., “Identity Profiles in Lesbian, Gay, and Bisexual Youth: The Role of Family Influences” (2013)

Read Kiang, et al., “Socioeconomic Stress and Academic Adjustment among Asian American Adolescents: The Protective Role of Family Obligation”

Based on your own analysis and information from the four assigned readings in the assignment, how would you address this situation? What would you say to Yolanda and her family to ease the tension and improve not only Yolanda’s mental and emotional health and academic performance but family cohesion? Your response–2 pages typed, using standard MLA format: 12-point, Times New Roman” margins–should also directly quote the sources you refer to. You should also provide context for the ideas you include–what is each source discussing when they mention a particular point/idea? You should refer to at least three of the sources.