Sadie F.

Photography by Sarah Tyner

If you’re reading this,  I’ve been in the room where it feels like you are not enough.

I’ve been in that room. I’ve been in the room where it felt like I was not enough— where it felt like 93 pairs of eyes were staring at me, laughing and pointing. You’re a dumb blonde, right? And that’s all you ever will be. Sure, you have athletics, but you don’t have any book smarts. There’s no way you will get into UGA or GT. They won’t even look at your application. Your SAT and ACT are in the bottom 10% of admission scores, so why even bother allowing hope to slip in, only to be disappointed? In that room, I felt like nothing, and frankly, I felt like those around me saw me as nothing. 

I’ve been in that room, the one where I felt alone, questioning my worth. I couldn’t do too much or I was an overachiever. I couldn’t be involved with one extracurricular or I was falling behind. I had to be a social butterfly or no one would want to hang around me. I needed to have a best friend or I would be lonely. I couldn’t, I had to, I needed to. 

I was in that room, and I walked out. And you can too. If no one has told you lately, then let me be the first: You ARE enough. There are no ifs, ands, or buts about it. 

From the wise words of Hannah Montana, “Life’s what you make it.” Life is to be celebrated. It is a gift. And if you’re religious, it’s a gift from your Heavenly Father above. Life is painful but also full of joy. Life is scary but filled with adventure. Life is what you make it, even when it feels defined by others. In this life, in YOUR life, you are enough.

I walked out of that room and said screw it. Screw those who gave up on me before I even had a chance to prove them wrong. Screw society for making me feel like I had to be the most involved person on campus and have the longest resume. Screw it. 

And you know what? Despite any doubt or criticism, I did get into Georgia Tech and even received numerous scholarships. I’m perfectly content in my college career.  Life is what you make it. It’s full of excitement that keeps me on my toes daily. It’s full of love that could last a lifetime. And it’s full of meaning that is found in moments of pure bliss. You aren’t given a second chance at life, but you do have the power to walk out of that room and tell yourself that you are enough. Don’t let it go to waste.

Hanna S., Georgia Tech

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