To the Boy Who Wants Everything,
By this time now, you probably thought you’d be halfway on your way to the bright sunny
California skies. Sophomore year, this was the year you promised yourself you were gonna make
your mark on college. This was the year you were finally going to get it all together and figure
everything out. And, of course, that didn’t happen. The fall semester was probably your worst
academically and mentally. You struggled like you’ve never struggled before.
Yes, this was the year you had to truly come to grips with failure and not achieving your
picture-perfect plan. And it hurt; it stung. The countless rejections, the numerous late and
missing assignments, the destruction and demolition of previous friendships. For a while, it made
you question whether this was all really worth it. You asked yourself, “Am I really happy here?”
Then, suddenly, you seemingly had bigger problems. In one short swoop, jam-packed streets
transformed into ghost towns. The once bustling arenas crying “Rah Rah Carolina” were locked
up for the foreseeable future. The world began to mirror much of your life: directionless. But
with this change of circumstances, you had all the time in the world to yourself. Suddenly, you
could explore who you were without quotidian college life breathing down your back. And you
found your creative side, the side that allows you to embrace who you are, the side that doesn’t
have to change for other people, the side where you found the inner peace you’ve been looking
for your entire life.
And almost like a dust of magic, things changed. Even though much of the world was now
closed, you began to open yourself up to new experiences and new people. You began to view
your surroundings through a unique lens and comprehended the beauty of what was around you.
You came to understand that your creativity is what separates you, it’s what allows you to grow
as you envision the man you want to become. That’s what much of your journey at Carolina has
been all about. But that journey is just beginning. To progress in this marathon, you have to face
the challenges of life, you have to accept that sometimes the greatest mistakes you make can
open up some of life’s greatest doors. Because isn’t that what being a creative means? The
ability to discover innovation and art from even the most undesirable of situations and transform
it into something special.
So, I can’t really tell you exactly what you’ll be up to right now. Because as 2020 showed us,
nothing ever really goes according to plan. But I know this: You’ll never go wrong as long as
you embrace your creative side and bounce back from any obstacle, no matter how large.
Because as Babe Ruth said, “You just can’t beat the guy that never gives up.”
From,
2020 You