A few years ago, I graduated from high school. Looking back, I’m proud of myself. I graduated as a BETA club member, with an A average, and as an honors student.

I worked my butt off to accomplish that, too. It was all that I wanted, to wear that honor stole at graduation. I thought it would set me apart from others in college, that it would give me an advantage.

But, I was wrong.

My first semester of college, I got my first C in a class. I was devastated. I couldn’t understand how on Earth I could have made a C, after all – I was an HONOR GRADUATE. Who did this professor think they were, to stick ME of all people with a C? I fell apart at the seams and spent the next semester busting my butt to get that grade up – as if I had to prove myself to someone.

Then, I started to wonder… Who was I trying to prove myself to? That’s when I realized that I wasn’t trying to prove anything to someone else… I was trying to prove something to myself.

I had put so much stress on myself to be an honor graduate that I had lost sight of what was really important. I thought that grades meant more than anything: more than my mental health, more than family, and more than my happiness.

I look back on the past three years of my college career, and I find myself even more proud of myself than I was back then. I am happy. I have friends who I couldn’t imagine life without, and I look back at that anxious, devastated freshman I once was and I shake my head – because that girl didn’t understand what exactly college and life was all about.

Grades are important. Your GPA is important. I’m not saying to scream YOLO at the world and spend your days and nights partying. I’m saying that you’re important, too. Grades aren’t everything, and a C here and there in a class or two isn’t going to completely ruin your life. I’m saying that your mental health is more important than a number on your college transcript. I’m saying that college is supposed to be the time that you make connections, learn about your passions, and make memories that will last you forever.

As a senior, I can honestly say that I’m not a straight A student, I have a blemish here and there on my transcript. However, I am happy, I am successful, I am proud of myself.

Most of all, I will graduate and follow my dreams.

You can too.