1. The professor who texted me. She noticed I wasn't in class. She asked if I was okay. I wasn't. But she asked.
2. My mom's voicemail. She calls every Sunday. I didn't answer for two weeks. She left messages. She didn't ask about grades. She asked if I'd eaten. She asked about the weather. She said: “I love you, baby.”
3. The guy in my study group. He brought me coffee once. He didn't say anything. He just put it on my desk. He was also failing. We failed together. We passed together.
4. The counseling center. I went once. I thought it was for people who were really struggling. I was really struggling. She said: “You're not alone. This is normal. You can do this.” I didn't believe her. But I went back. Four times. She helped.
5. The unfinished semester. I thought about quitting. Then I thought about explaining to my dad. Then I thought about the unfinished work. The paper I hadn't finished. The presentation I hadn't given. I didn't want to leave things unfinished.
6. The idea of next year. I thought about coming back. I thought about the classes I wanted to take. The things I wanted to learn. I didn't want to give up on those things.
I'm still here. You can be too.
2. My mom's voicemail. She calls every Sunday. I didn't answer for two weeks. She left messages. She didn't ask about grades. She asked if I'd eaten. She asked about the weather. She said: “I love you, baby.”
3. The guy in my study group. He brought me coffee once. He didn't say anything. He just put it on my desk. He was also failing. We failed together. We passed together.
4. The counseling center. I went once. I thought it was for people who were really struggling. I was really struggling. She said: “You're not alone. This is normal. You can do this.” I didn't believe her. But I went back. Four times. She helped.
5. The unfinished semester. I thought about quitting. Then I thought about explaining to my dad. Then I thought about the unfinished work. The paper I hadn't finished. The presentation I hadn't given. I didn't want to leave things unfinished.
6. The idea of next year. I thought about coming back. I thought about the classes I wanted to take. The things I wanted to learn. I didn't want to give up on those things.
I'm still here. You can be too.
