Wow, I can’t believe how the time has flown. It feels like it was just yesterday you were walking on the yard for the first time at Howard University. You were so amazed to see so many people that looked just like you all in one same place.
During this time, you were so confused on where you would find your place in the world and debating on whether you would attend Howard or Hampton University. This decision was hard because you wanted to make everyone happy and feel included in your college decision, a process that was so important because you'd be a first generation college student and the first in your family to leave home for school.
Every night you would contemplate on the decision, and Hampton had so many upsides. At 18 years old coming from Minneapolis, MN a place that was smaller, more sheltered, less diverse Hampton felt like the safe option. It was the school mom felt more comfortable with and your best friend Kya had already decided to attend Hampton in the fall. On the other hand, making the decision to attend Howard was a little more frightening. The campus was located in the heart of Washington, D.C., it looked a little more rough around the edges, and it felt so unfamiliar. You knew that if you moved to D.C. this would be the first time that you'd ever been alone. But deep inside you already knew the answer to the question you kept asking yourself. Howard University was the only place you dreamed of being for the next four years of your life, so you took a leap of faith, and I'm so glad you did.
I'm writing to you now as a senior with less than six months until I will be a graduate of
THE HOWARD UNIVERSITY with a degree in journalism and political science from the Cathy Hughes School of Communications. I want to let you know that you were right, everything worked out better than you ever expected. Howard was truly the only place that you would have been able to spend four critically important years of our life. The Cathy Hughes School of Communications was the best school for you to grow and develop into the woman, writer and journalist that you always knew you could be. Although I can tell you we still have a lot of work to do, I can also let you know that your decision to pursue your passion for writing and storytelling has provided us with opportunities that four years ago you would have never even imagined experiencing by the age of 21 years old. You've become a White House Correspondents' Association Scholar, your work has been nominated for a few awards, you've interned with CBS News three times, and we were even recently offered to return in the spring for a fourth internship. You've made our family proud. But most importantly, you've made me proud.
When you entered Howard at 18 years old, you may not have even fully understood the importance of what it means to be a journalist. You also may not have realized the value in being a journalist that was educated at Howard University. During my time here I have learned the importance of listening, remaining curious, and just how important it is to gather and report information that is accurate. Because of your determination I was able to cover monumental moments in history like Kamala Harris, our fellow Bison becoming the first woman, Black and South Asian Vice President. Your drive and passion also led to me being able to interview one of my idols, Joy Reid.
I wish I could tell you that I was spending our senior year with friends on the yard, attending classes in SOC, and celebrating all of my accomplishments on Howard University's campus. But that's unfortunately not how it worked out. I know, it sucks. Instead I must report that I have spent the semester in my apartment attending my senior year classes like NewsVision, which is my capstone broadcast course virtually. But if Howard has taught me anything it’s that we can turn a situation that is not ideal into a success story.
This semester, in my NewsVision class I was able to discover and reconfirm my passion for storytelling. This course challenged me in more ways than one, but it sparked something in me that let me know that this is what I want to do with my life. I have learned to write, shoot, report, and produce stories that I am proud of. Thanks to Professor Thomas, I learned to "Keep It Simple Sista". While I am constantly questioning the reasoning for all of this right now, I know that this journey has only set me farther along on my path to success.
I have learned so much at Howard University, but I would say that the most important thing that Howard gave to me was the freedom to grow into myself. Howard was the place where I learned to except every curl in my head and every thought in my mind. It was the space that allowed me to grow into a proud Black woman, and that is something I will never take for granted.
Thank you so much for trusting yourself to make the decision that changed our life. I am so proud of you, and I know you'd be proud of me.
Love Always,
Sam
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