2015 was a stressful year for you, mentally and personally. You never thought you could come back to college with everything that has happened--financial worries, and scattered grades (thank God you didn't receive a D). However, the biggest challenge was finding your voice again. With an endless traffic of strong opinions and new admirations, you suddenly fell apart and scrambled some pieces of writing. When you applied for scholarships, you wrote every prompt they gave and not checking anything you need to change. It was like watching a bad spin-off of Top Chef except with writing and more procrastinating. You tried cussing in your poems to convey emotions or tried being "angry" on politically driven topics. Everything you tried to be wasn't defining who you are.

Asela, you became a soulless person walking around on campus and saying you're a writer. How can you say that and not feel anything? Have you started to doubt yourself that much? Do you still want to go on?

The answer is: yes.

As cheesy as it sounds, you have done so much since 2015. First of all, you came back to SOU and still manage to pay for the balance. Because of your passion in writing, you performed more than two SOU's poetry slams. In November, you made it to the second round of CUPIS, College auditions. It was like the semi-finals! You marched for Racial Equality with your friends and colleagues from campus to Downtown Ashland. Remember your final for Hip-Hop class? It was posted on the class' Facebook page with over 200 views! And you're one of the contributing writers for The Odyssey. May I say that you create wonderful weekly playlists. The best part about everything that has happened to you is you're finally finding yourself. You went through this crowded space and managed to slowly find your own voice.

And you're just getting started. Your submission is recently featured on an online site, Asians Doing Everything, where Asian Americans are documented and celebrated with their careers. Even though you felt stressed and worried during those times, you have accomplished a lot. You should be proud of yourself because I know you will achieve something greater if you keep this up. You're going to keep improving and learning as you reach for your dreams to write after college. You're going to earn those scholarships like a BOSS. And most importantly, you're going to be you.

Make 2016 a better and less stressful year for you, Asela.

I believe in you.

Cheers,

Asela of 2016