You Are Stronger Than You Think

It has been about two months since I last blogged, and I have missed it a great deal. I have much to say about my life and my ah-ha’s over the last two months, but I want to start with focusing on those reading this. I am preparing to do a webinar on responding to bias incidents on college campuses tomorrow, and due to some other student crises I’ve been managing as of late, I think it’s important to share a quote that resonates when doing this work. It is also particularly powerful as students prepare to tackle finals and face commencement. Facing uncertain job markets and being unsure of yourself can be debilitating, even for the most accomplished of us. So these words are for you:

“I can be changed by what happens to me. I refuse to be reduced by it. In the face of such uncertainty believe in these two things – you are stronger than you think, and you are not alone.”

~Maya Angelou

To all those recent initiates into fraternities and sororities I know you understand the value of these words. What the master poet Maya Angelou reminds us of, is that we can do so much more than we think. And that if we just take a moment to look around, there is help everywhere. So despite your trials and struggles right now – take some ownership in the great work you have done thus far, and take a moment to count (literally count) your blessings and friends. If you are short in the “true friends” category, then it’s time to make some new ones. In the meantime lean on me and others like me to be a sounding board and word of encouragement as you transition yet again from one chapter to the next. Take care people, of yourself and each other, and never forget your own strength.