Skye M.
Photography by Alejo Mejia-Tejada
If you’re reading this, I wish you knew how special you are. If you’re reading this, you’ve probably had moments in your life full of insecurities, especially at a big university where it feels like everyone has everything in their lives put together. From their grades to the things they wear, to their on-campus involvement, and everything else they have to offer - they are perfect. They are enough. But what about you? Why do you feel you aren’t adequate enough to be as worthy and special as they are? Because you don’t do the same things they do or don’t have the same stats as them? What if I told you that that is exactly what makes you unique. Your uniqueness radiates off you like a beam of light radiating off the sun's energy. I want you to believe in yourself just as much as you believe in the next person because putting yourself down will only mask the real version of yourself. Maybe my words won’t resonate with you, but maybe my story will.
A few years ago, I dealt with betrayal and heartbreak in a way that many people can unfortunately relate to. I shut myself out from myself and the world, and every time I felt like I had achieved something special, I would tell myself that it wasn’t real and that I was bound to fail at some point. I would remind myself of the awful things that I had gone through, and I would say, “Why would you deserve anything special? What happened to you is exactly what you deserve because you let that happen to you”. I went to therapy every week until I transferred here to Clemson, but I learned an important lesson that I could only find within myself when I allowed myself to find it. There is power in words and how you see yourself. When you can look in the mirror and find a place in your mind and in your heart where you can tell yourself, “You are amazing, you deserve everything good that comes your way, you are a passionate person, a kind soul, and a loving human being,” even if you don’t believe it at first, you’ll start to see yourself that way. Once you do, how other people see you no longer matters because YOU know deep down in your heart that you, too, are special. If you’re reading this, I love you sincerely, and if you ever need anyone to talk to, you can always talk to me, a trusted individual, or a counselor, and there is never any shame in that decision.
Skye M., Clemson University
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