To the Professor Who Said I Shouldn’t/Couldn’t Do It— A Super Short but Encouraging Story of Doing the Thing Others Thought Shouldn’t/Couldn’t Be Done

It was my last semester of my senior year in undergrad. My husband and I had just finally grasped the fact that we were about to be parents. I know what you’re thinking— “she’s in undergrad, why is she already married and pregnant?”— I get it. You see, I was a little, quote on quote, behind in college. I am almost 25 years old and have just graduated college with my bachelors degree. That absolutely deserves to be celebrated, especially knowing I’m the first to begin and complete college in my family. You go girl! Back to the story though. Months before I was expected to have my baby, I emailed all of my professors I knew I would be having during my last semester. Responses came in, with most like, “congratulations! Of course we will work with you,” and “We can absolutely make this work. You will do great.”

And then there was this response: “It’s going to be really hard. I think you should take the semester off and focus on your new baby.”

In the moment, I almost took that seriously. I told him that, one way or another, I was going to graduate. That night, I went home and told my husband that I should take the semester off because it would be too difficult and I would miss too much of my child’s life because, well, my professor told me so and obviously that should be how it is. The one conversation with that one professor— a person who is supposed to see all of the potential in their students’ no matter what— nearly destroyed all of the encouragement and determination I had forced myself to believe and accept. But he failed. And I passed.

Here I am— A wife, a mama to a wonderful, smart, joy-filled, beautiful baby boy named Eli, and a college graduate. Yes, I did all of those things at the same time. And I rocked it.

Moral of the story: Not only prove to others your worth, but prove to yourself that you are capable of doing that thing that is standing in front of you. Whether that thing is graduating college, starting a new job, quitting that job that has been wearing you out for ages, becoming a mama, deciding you don’t want kids (no judgement here— I love my baby but I understand and respect those who choose not to procreate) or any other obstacle that you may be facing. At the end of the day, you live with the seeds you sew.

I hope I sewed at least one thing into my professors mind and heart and that is this: Be a person who believes in a person who says they can’t instead of being a person who doubts a person who says they will.