Dear Freshman Me: Letters from the Class of 2026
On the eve of Commencement, members of the Coppin State University Class of 2026 wrote letters to the freshmen they used to be. Here is what they said.
Before they walk across the stage, before the tassel turns, before the name is called, every graduate was once a freshman who wasn’t sure they belonged.
We asked members of the Class of 2026 to write to that earlier version of themselves. To the one who walked onto campus carrying nervous excitement, family expectations, financial worries, dreams long deferred, and the quiet question every student asks at the threshold: Am I supposed to be here?
Their answers are honest, tender, and unguarded. They speak of closed businesses and late nights, of professors who saw them and rooms they earned, of faith that held when nothing else did. Read together, these letters are a self-portrait of Coppin: who we are, and who we keep becoming.
Rosalind Holsey
Major: Social Work
Dear Freshman Me,
Take a deep breath. You are exactly where you are supposed to be. I know you are broken these days. You are carrying your family, your faith, your sense of responsibility, and your quiet question of whether you really belong here after all these years away. Let me tell you something: you do belong here. The road ahead of you is going to stretch you, humble you, and sometimes make you feel like you are in way over your head. Fear is not of God. It is going to make you reach yet again for that strength inside of you that you have not yet used. Stay focused, stay prayerful, and stay kind to yourself when the road gets rough. You have overcome many things, and this has been your dream.
There are going to be times when you feel like the system is confusing you, the financial situation is so unfair, and the ache of closing your salon weighs heavy on your heart. Keep going. All of those late nights, all of those class discussions, all of those leadership roles are preparing you to become the social worker you were meant to be. You will look up one day and realize you didn’t just survive this journey. You thrived. You graduated with a 4.0 GPA after more than 20 years out of the classroom and a sense of leadership you once prayed for.
Most of all, walk boldly in the identity of who you are. Your boldness is not arrogance; it is growth. Your voice is not too loud; it is necessary. You finally can relax and focus on you. Stay firmly planted in Joshua 1:9. Be strong and courageous. The Lord your God is with you wherever you go.
With Grace and Courage,
Your Future Self
