A Heartfelt Graduation Letter to Myself

This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at UCF chapter.

Hey boo, you did it! You graduated college!

Since the age of 11 you’ve been in love with being a Black Girl in Media. You started off as a reporter, anchor and editor for both WNN at Westwood Middle School and TVTV at Lake Region High School, to now creating your own content, being a staff writer for Her Campus UCF, and having a newfound love for photography all while pursuing a degree in Communication & Conflict with a Journalism Minor. This was never an easy ride for you considering how much you panic, but you still got the job done, you just had to cry about it first. Mommy, Ro and Shantis called you out about that at the same time.

You had your first ever panic attack a little while ago, it was scary because the feeling you had was different than any other time you get overwhelmed with what life throws your way. It was the night before mommy went on her trip and you were helping her pack. She knew something was wrong right off the bat and checked in on you, you said nothing was wrong and brushed it off per usual. Who would’ve known that trying to go to sleep with a heavy heart and mind would catch up to you. You had the stress of classes, graduation pictures, the party, graduation day and life after undergrad. Honestly, just life.

It’s necessary for me to clock your tea and tell you that everything is not going to go exactly the way you want it to go. You’ve known this but as life went on, it just made more sense. I wouldn’t say that you’re a “my way or the highway” kind of person, you just feel like some stuff needs to go right the first time. That’s why you panic so much, you put your plans as a “end-all, be-all” plan and when they don’t fall through correctly, you give up. That should never be the case. Even when you do complete something you always say “that wasn’t even that bad,” we sometimes cause our own stress and I own that completely.

Remember to always find different outlets to get to your resolution and at some point you’re going to have to make some sacrifices. Some of your graduation plans did not turn out the way you wanted it to even though you did plan them two years in advance, but you found a way around the issue to still get the outcome you need. God can do anything but fail, he’s gonna make a way.

As I write this letter and reflect, I’ve realized that a little chaos excites us especially as a first generation student. It ignites a fire in us, I’d think of it as a little push. We’re an academic weapon. Look at how much we’ve accomplished even with a lot on our plate… Dean’s list for 3 consecutive semesters, inducted into two organizations based on our outstanding scholastic achievement, a UCF Black & Gold Scholarship Recipient and you have 5 certifications under your belt and you’re currently obtaining a few more. You’ve done far more better than you did in community college. That’s how I know God is real, I had little faith in myself and I felt lower than low and God kept us going despite the odds. So to witness how much we’ve grown definitely triggers the crybaby in me. This is our testimony.

What you currently fear the most is your future. Yes it’s scary because now you’re getting good into adulthood, but you decide how you want to let that affect you. Job hunting is our hardest task thus far, but understand that the job market is very competitive so this comes with the territory. You have always had dreams of working with Forbes, Hoorae Media & Essence. On July 9, 2024 you said on Twitter “Ima be at the Essence Festival one day, Mark my words.” So you know exactly what it is that you want to do and the one thing you never want to do is limit yourself. You’re gonna lock in something much sooner than you think. Don’t let rejection letters and no responses discourage you, you know who you are and what you bring to the table. You have the ability to even work for yourself. You got your camera, microphone and tripod, use those skills!

I say this all to say that I am extremely proud of us Ayana. God has always had his hand on you and he will continue to navigate you through this thing called life. The nights where there was endless crying paid off. You’re always going to cry, that’s no surprise; but don’t just sit and wallow in it, get up and do what you need to do. Always remember that you are the writer of your story, nobody else can tell you how to do life but you. Do everything you have ever said you wanted to do, life is too short to be worrying about the ‘what ifs’. Keep doing your biggest one and never let up!

– Ayana A. Griffin

I’d like to thank all of my family, friends and peers for taking the time out to read my letter. I would also like to thank you all for your endless support, it means the world to me. To my HCUCF babies, I love you guys! It was so great to connect with so many beautiful souls and this is something I will always cherish. To UCF, I thank you for blessing me with so many opportunities.