Dear Dyondra,

Congrats, you did it! You finished your junior year!

Now that the spring semester is over, you have officially ended your first year at Stony Brook! You've learned so much this past year, and handled a lot of your stress and pain with grace and a smile. I must say I'm proud of you. By switching to a new setting and embarking on a new path, you followed your heart even when you weren't sure of the outcome.

Just a few days ago made a year since you graduated with your associate's from SUNY Delhi. You often tell people how at one point you weren't going to continue with school and get another degree; your motivation somewhat vanished. I know you were dealing with a lot and your heart wasn't totally in it. Still you applied last-minute to schools (around this time) with little hope, not really thinking you'd get in. Graduating felt so final, and with the loss of your brother, a part of you didn't want to move on.

Stony Brook felt so far-fetched and life felt so uncertain. Fortunately, you prevailed and got in and the rest is history. You forged a new path using Stony Brook as your tool to accomplish many of your goals. From getting a job and an internship within your first two weeks, to getting involved on campus, to becoming your dorm's hall council VP, to falling in love with your major and forming new connections, to getting an RA position on campus and now planning to study abroad in South Korea!

You did all of this while also dealing with a hard break up, anxiety, loss and so much more.

I know a huge part of your moving force is due to your brother Dimitrius. With him gone you want to do everything he wanted and more! I know you look at Stony Brook and picture him attending college, going to class and making new friends, and I know its the hardest thing in the world to know that he won't get the chance to. Your love for him, God, your family and now yourself is immensely intense, which fuels not only your passion but also your pain. Try not to be so hard on yourself when things don't go as planned. You'll pull through and you're much stronger than you think. And with that in mind please keep going, and moving forward with your goals, and with most importantly life.

The force that wanted to hold you back moved you forward and forward you go to seek out as many opportunities as you can. You've learned that life has many lessons for us, and for us to learn we must be willing to embrace those lessons and teach ourselves their meaning. You're still figuring out yourself and turning many chapters that are "to be continued," but be proud of the woman that you're becoming.

Remember: don't let your crown dip too low and your head bend too high. Rule your soul and capture your destiny. And if you're ever at a stand still, keep going--you'll soon see the light once again, I promise!

xoxo,

Self.