During my first week at FAU, I got my class schedule and textbooks. Then I made a counseling appointment. 

I had struggled with mental health issues throughout high school, and I knew I needed support if I wanted a shot at thriving in college. What I didn’t know then was that I’d gain much-needed clarity and community during my time here.

And here’s the truth: FAU helped me stay standing.

From the quiet CAPS office to the diversity centers, I found pockets of people who saw me. Not just as a student, but as a whole person.

And when the state gutted DEI programs, I joined the students who didn’t sit quietly. We made our own spaces. We launched OutFAU, an LGBTQ+ publication born in protest. Because sometimes, when the world tries to tell you to shrink, standing out is the only way to survive.

If you’re a new student struggling with mental health, identity, addiction, or just the overwhelming pressure to have it all figured out, know this: you’re not alone. You don’t have to be perfect here.

You just have to stay.

Ask for help. Take up space. Skip the party if you need a nap. Go to the counseling appointment. Start the club you wish existed. Email the professor. Make art. Change your major. Change it again.

And if someone tells you that you’re too loud, too sensitive, too much?

Be different anyway.

Sign up to receive the OutFAU newsletter here