If you’re reading this, I hope you’re doing good. I hope your life is full of joy and excitement. I hope the good days outweigh the bad. It can be hard, but I remind myself that life is good, and it will be ok. I know everyone goes through life differently but listening to what other people have to say about struggle can help. Not every day can be good, but I try to remember my good days and how grateful I am for them.
Being at WSU gave me a lot more good days than bad but don’t get me wrong, there was a lot of pain in my college days. Tyler Hilinski, Sam Martinez, Bryce Beekman. Those names carry a lot of weight in the WSU community as students that passed during their college years. I never met them, but every year, we lost a fellow Cougar and I think about that a lot. Their deaths affected everyone differently, and it’s hard for a lot of people to think about. It’s easier knowing they impacted a lot of people in good ways and that people continue to celebrate the people they lost. Mental health can be touchy, but it is still important to talk about.
The WSU community and mental health have become a lot closer since the pandemic hit. Between online school and a handful of students passing during my school days, I can admit it was not all sunshine and rainbows. I was getting tired of school as I got closer to graduating and motivation became harder to find with each passing day. It almost felt like days weren’t passing because they just seemed to run together more and more. I was used to being online, but not seeing my friends and my professors and walking on campus took more of a toll than I’d like to admit. I know I’m not the only one that feels that way, but it is interesting to look back on and have that just be part of my past now.
There is a lot about the world that is confusing to me, and I might not ever understand parts of it. I like to think I’m trying my best and I try to remind myself of that when I can. The challenges in college and life that I faced have helped shaped the person writing this letter, but those are only a fraction of the hardships and obstacles life has in store for me. There’s much more to my and our future, and it is scary at some points.
Knowing that I have succeeded in life and impacted others positively helps push me forward, and I hope that can push you forward too. I empathize with others well and I never want anyone to feel depressed or sad. I have never struggled with anxiety or depression, but I know people that have shared stuff with me that I cannot relate to well, and I know I don’t want them to feel that way. I know what depression can do to someone and I want to help those that feel that way. I don’t have the solution to it but I hope that if someone shares their thoughts, it can help a little, and that can lead to more help.
The world is a strange place right now, but there’s hope and there’s people that want to see you succeed. Everyone does things differently, but if you find what works best for you, that will only help you in the long run. I hope you are doing good and reach out to someone if you think you need to. We need to help each other when we can. Thank you for reading. Go Cougs!
Asher L. (he/him), Washington State University ‘21
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