4th Year Letter - Class of 2024

Photography by Cat White

As the class of 2024 approaches graduation, we wanted to give our graduating members the opportunity to share one last time.

Gretchen - President

If you’re reading this, college does not have to be the best four years of your life. There’s so much life to experience and embrace after college, yet so much pressure gets put on these few years. College is a huge transition. You’re leaving home (maybe for the first time), meeting an overwhelming amount of new people, discovering classes and extracurriculars, carving out what you may want your future to look like, and balancing all sorts of new responsibilities. 

I hope that IfYou’reReadingThis can be a consistent reminder that struggling in college is completely normal. I also hope that it serves a reminder that our classmates, professors, and staff at UVA all carry heavy loads. Kindness goes a long way.

When people ask me about my favorite involvement at UVA, it is always IfYou’reReadingThis. I’m eternally grateful for this organization and the stories we have the opportunity to share. Before sharing my own letter, I didn’t appreciate how nerve-wracking it can be. If you’ve been toying around with the idea, I encourage you to take the leap! Remember that letters reflect a moment in time. Don’t feel pressured to encapsulate your entire journey. You don’t know who needs to hear what you have to say.

Marly - Social Media Chair 

If you’re reading this, things are going to change. So, cling to what will last. 

I joined IfYou’reReadingThis Exec as a First Year and it has been a rich experience in which I have learned so much. Being able to read and post your letters every week for four years has been such a privilege and I thank all of you who have let me share your stories with our community. One thing, though, that I have seen clearly in every letter is that things change. Sometimes for the better and sometimes for the worse. While change can be scary, it is most definitely certain. 

Throughout college, I have often tried to cling to every little thing in an attempt to freeze time and preserve the current moment, but this simply is not how we were designed to live. Relationships will change, circumstances will change, even our personalities and interests will change with time. As I look towards graduation, I can’t help but look back and see how much has changed over the past four years. And now, I’m preparing for a whole other round of changes. It can be intimidating, but we must cling to what will last. For me, what will last is my faith and I am confident that despite the ever-changing world, I can find stability in God who doesn’t change. Whatever it is for you, I hope that you can find peace in our turbulent world.

Kim - Editor

If you’re reading this, do it scared.

Looking back on my time in college, an emotion that I consistently remember experiencing is fear. My journey began in what was the most fear inducing experience of my, and likely many others, lives, the COVID-19 pandemic. On top of that, I was facing the normal fears of college - I was scared to move away from home, scared to make friends, and scared of so much more. But I decided to do it scared and continued doing it scared during the past four years. I met my best friends in my dorm, and I joined organizations that made me feel really connected to the UVA community, where I met many more incredible people and did work that I am proud of. And more recently, I published my letter to the IYRT community, so scared. But it was really rewarding to see it received and hear from readers that it was relatable in some way. 

So whether you’re scared to talk to that cool kid in your class, or try out for a new club,, or write a letter for IfYou’reReadingThis, do it anyway; whatever the outcome, you’ll learn and grow from it. 

Jordyn - Secretary

If you’re reading this, you are right on time. 

College moves fast. It is easy to feel like everyone around you is a few steps ahead or question if you’re doing enough. Take time to slow down. Enjoy where you are and who you are with. UVA is full of beautiful communities. Lean into those communities when you need them and trust that you are headed on the right path at the right time. 

I joined IfYou’reReadingThis as a Third Year. I was initially nervous to join an organization at a time that felt like I was “too late.” I had not been formally involved with IfYou’reReadingThis before but I had read the letters and was passionate about the mission. After joining, I was welcomed in by an immensely warm, empathetic group of people who genuinely care about sharing our stories and creating a more inclusive UVA. It is never too late to join or do something you care about.

People in this community care about you. If you keep putting one foot in front of the other, you’re on the right track. Give yourself grace and trust you are not falling behind.  

IYRT 4th Years, University of Virginia ’24

Connect With Us

To follow IfYoureReadingThis at UVA on Instagram, get in touch with our chapter, and learn about more resources available to University of Virginia students, visit our chapter’s homepage.

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