Hey girl! It’s me.

Well, 21-year-old you.

I know you’re really upset right now because you feel like you just failed that AP Bio quiz. Well, spoiler alert: You did! And you’ll fail 10 more. But it’s not the end of the world. I can promise you that.

Oh, and get this: You’re not going to NYU, or USC, or Hofstra, or Emory … You’re going to Howard University. Yes. Howard. As in the HBCU. As in, “No, I didn’t mispeak. Not Harvard. Howard.” The Black school. You don’t know what HBCU’s are yet, but one day, they’re going to become the most important aspect of who you are in this world. I can promise you that too.

Oh, and you know how you think you’re going to be a Public Relations Specialist for a thriving clothing line in New York just like Whitney, the blonde one from that show The City? That’s not happening either. See, you’re going to have this mini existential crisis when you’re 19 and come to the conclusion that PR just isn’t for you. You’re gonna try journalism. That thing you hate right now. You’re going to think you want to be the editor of a magazine like Susan Taylor was for Essence. But, that’s not going to happen either. It was actually kind of cute that you thought it could, though!

 

November of your freshman year is going to roll around and you’re going to be getting ready for the Iota Phi Theta Miss Brown and Gold Pageant. Spoiler alert: You won’t win. You probably shouldn’t have even competed, but you did! And it’s really good that you did, because you’ll have this stupid idea to record yourself on your webcam getting ready for it. You’re going to post that grainy, pixelated video to youtube and send it to all of your friends and family members and only 10 of them are going to watch it. But guess what? It’s going to spark a flame in you. And from that video that no one really saw, you’re going to build a brand for yourself. And at the end of 2017, you’re going to have 13,000 loyal subscribers, over a million channel wide views and people are going to cry to you. Some are going to tell you that they wouldn’t be here without you. Some are going to write you in on their college applications as a record of how they heard about the school. They’re going to make you feel something you haven’t felt in a long time: love and acceptance. All because you put on a crooked eyelash.

You feel empty inside right now, and very alone. Unfortunately, that feeling doesn’t just go away so easily. But, it is going to get better. Being at this black school is going to teach you about strength and self love. No one here is going to make fun of the way you speak. The way you part your lips and let words flow out in the soft accented voice is going to make you money as people subscribe and click the like button to request more from it. You’re going to realize that you mean something to somebody–To a whole lot of somebodies. And when you’re 21, you’re going to realize that you mean something to you.

You’re only 15 right now, so these heartbreaks, failed quizzes, and arguments with your best friends are going to seem detrimental, but 6 years down the line you’ll forget all about them. There are finer men. And sis, they have college degrees. Act accordingly!

This time at Howard University is going to act as a fan in your life full of foggy smoke, clearing the air a little bit at a time so that your vision can focus on the important things. The most valuable thing you are going to learn about is confidence in how you carry yourself and the ability to speak up about what you know is and isn’t right. It’s going to put a backbone in you so strong that you stand up tall and proud and people will know your name. But you’ll learn not to get too big. Howard will also humble you. At times, you’re going to look at your pen and paper while Lucille from USC is tapping away on her ipad and you’re going to wonder why the gap in your resources is so wide and profound. But you’re going to learn that any setback made you stronger as you had to learn how to get more creative to overcome it.

Someone once said, “I can do two things in life. I can dissolve into the mainstream, or I can be distinct. To be distinct, I must be different. To be different, I must strive to be what no one else but I can be.”

Note to self: Don’t trip too much over this failed quiz, because you will fail more. But, it won’t make you a failure. I promise.

Published by Judayah L. Murray

Judayah Lorraine Murray is a Junior Broadcast Journalism major and Graphic Design minor studying at Howard University by way of New Hartford, New York. Ms. Murray began her popular Youtube Channel under the alias #BlackGirlsYouTubeToo in October of 2014 when she was just a mere freshman with a passion for cosmetology. The name served as a direct response to her dissatisfaction with not seeing enough equal representation on the medium. Although her original focus was on beauty, she saw more impact in her videos where she talked about Howard, HBCUs and motivational things as well as general advice. Today, Judayah uses her platform to inform high schoolers on the importance of higher education and how to apply to college as well as how to receive funding to go. She has developed her brand into a safe space for black creators and students all over the world to convene and talk about different matters and she works consistently as a freelancing videographer and photographer.

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