So much is in store for you.
This journey will be filled with celebrations and heartaches over the next 4 years. Allow me to share with you what I know now: things that only time could tell.
First of all, you’re graduating next month with a Bachelor of Science in Psychology. Yes, this is truly happening. You can drop your shoulders and take a breath. We made it. We are making it.
The person writing this letter to you now is not the same one who hopped off the shuttle bus on the first day of orientation, and that’s not a bad thing. You’re going to strut across the stage in heels with your shoulders rolled back and your head held high, hold out your hand in agreement that your hard work paid off.
The sound of your heels will be a reminder that you are a fighter. You’re going to look out into the crowd and lock eyes with the people who fought alongside you. Please be proud of yourself because you are living your ancestors’ dreams. I know what you’re going to ask, and I’m sorry to say that your grandmother won’t be at your graduation, but her precious smile will be encapsulated in a gold pin that rests over your heart. This degree is for the both of you.
I remember when you were 18 and you thought you had your life all figured out. You created a blueprint and vowed to stick to it– a budding forensic psychologist equipped with a slew of degrees. You officially enrolled at UMass Boston and anxiously waited for the first day of classes. You had your doubts about how you’d fit in and worried about whether you’d connect with anybody.
In all honesty, the first year and a half were lonely. You had to learn how to balance working your retail job, a 5-course work load, and a social life. Unfortunately, your job left you with little time to study and make new friends, so you made the wise decision to leave. You started working in the College of Education and Human Development and gained a real family of people who will always have your back. You were finally able to join several clubs, and for the first time, you felt like you belonged.
Throughout the next 2 years, you set out to learn more about yourself and tried to take advantage of what it meant to be a college student. You took classes that interested you and found the courage to redesign your blueprint and the impact you wanted to have on the world: a biostatistician who works to improve public health outcomes.
Excited about this new journey, you decided to learn more about what makes you happy and hungry for life. You experimented with new hobbies, explored the city, spent time with friends, and pushed yourself to do things because they scared you. A brief period of darkness taught you how important it is to make your mind a peaceful place to be. Despite popular belief, you realized how strong this made you. You embraced this period of your life rather than trying to erase it. In the end, you became a little more sure of yourself.
College changed you. You know your environment like the back of your hand, but now your environment has to relearn you. You have different aspirations now, more people to meet, more mistakes to learn from, and more growing to do. Life is only just beginning.
With all my love,
The New You