Sympathize with how difficult their experiences must have been.

Acknowledge their achievements, some of my students admitted they weren’t the most academically successful/driven, despite that I felt their achievements were impressive given where they came from, and they seemed happy when I told them so.

Try and relate their experience to something you have gone through (if possible)

Find “silver linings,” positive outcomes that may have come from these hardships (ex: making them stronger, inspiring them to work harder).