Late Bloomers Still Bloom

Hey honeys and hustlers,

On this exact day 10 years ago, I graduated from college with my bachelor’s degree. I went on to get my Master’s degree before moving to North Carolina and going full-time in my business. I can’t tell you whether college is “worth it” if you intend to become a creator or entrepreneur. But I can tell you what college has done for me. I truly feel that I had a full undergrad experience. The financial stress. Learning how to live with roommates. Studying abroad. Traveling to different cities on the university’s dime to volunteer and present research projects. Changing my degree program in my sophomore year. Making friends that I still have to this day. Having incredible professors who poured into me and mentored me. Being a part of the University Honors Program (UHP), which afforded me the opportunity to take electives that many students didn’t get the privilege of taking from non-traditional teachers. College brought me some of the richest experiences I’ve ever had. So here's a letter to my 22-year-old self, which I think is relevant to any college student right now.

I remember my first time coming to campus and my in-person interview with UHP. My interviewers were an older Black woman and an older white man, supporters of the program. I felt so welcome in this old church, with its creaky floors and stained glass windows. The excitement of accepting admission to this prestigious program and hallowed building soon turned to deep anxiety and disappointment after my first semester. College was a clear step up from high school curriculum, and for the first time in a long time, I didn't make all As in a semester. I remember emailing Mike, the director of UHP at the time, apologizing profusely for my shortcomings as a student. Telling him I felt unworthy of being in UHP. He emailed me back, during Christmas break no less, and took the time to encourage me. He told me to chin up and know that I would adjust to the rigor and demands of college. So I continued. Of course, my mom telling me that as long as I was still eligible for my scholarship that I was going back, was also a determining factor.

In the fall semester of my sophomore year, I changed my major to Spanish and earned dual credit for my Capstone course through UHP. A privilege that allowed me to study abroad in Spain the following summer. I spent two weeks on the Camino de Santiago. That trip started everything for me. I have no photos from that trip, the trip of a lifetime. So I worked all summer as a UAB Ambassador, and spent half my check on a DSLR camera from a pawn shop and never looked back.

Now, I've directed documentary short films and written narrative TV series. I've had photos in the NY Times and words in Essence. I've produced a branded video podcast and spoken at podcast festivals across the country. I've done creative work I'm deeply proud of. And that work and dedication to craft started in college.

It may not feel like it right now, but you won't remember a single grade from a single class. Getting your degree is important, but it's not who you are. It’s not your story. Going to college is just the setting where the story happens. The story is your becoming. The story, YOUR story, is the experiences you'll have that challenge you and push you and break you and build you and excite you. Now is the time for learning what you're good at, what interests you, and what moments make you feel like the truest version of yourself. I wish I could tell you that every rejection gets easier, that every loss feels lighter, that every creative experiment pushes you toward your goal, that every perceived failure or shortcoming gets easier to stomach. I won't lie to you. Some days will inevitably be harder than others.

But just by being here in college, you are creating the building blocks of who you are becoming. A person who is willing to try and try hard. A person who handles hard better. A person who is open to new ideas. A person who knows that failure is not the end. At least it was not the end for me. And this story, my story, your story, is only as good as you make it. Perfect stories don't get greenlit in Hollywood. Boringggggg. Every story needs tension, desire, challenges to overcome, and a satisfying transformation.

As I sit here, remembering the weight of the often too pretentious level I held myself to, and saw my peers holding themselves to, I feel it is imperative that you know the life path you choose is just as much about what you accomplish here as it is about who you impact through what you learn.

This experience isn't to be had in a vacuum. What you learn here shouldn't stay here. Who you become here shouldn't be the final version of who you are. Some people peak in college. Looking back, I'm glad I didn't. And I hope you don't either. I still feel like I'm scratching the surface of what I will do and achieve in this lifetime, good Lord willing. But more importantly, I'm excited to see what you achieve next. Late bloomers still bloom. Right now, you're planting seeds. I hope your feet feel planted in what you set out to do here, and accept the calling to move when it comes.