When I walk around campus I tend to people watch. I don’t do it for any particular reason, but at times it can be super refreshing. When I look around and see the differences in culture, gender and color, I am relieved that together all of us make up UND.

Sometimes I ponder on things that aren’t always visible from the outside. What do people carry? Where do they come from? And what is their story?

It seems to be common knowledge that every student comes with their own invisible “baggage.” The reality is that life often throws us curveballs. Some life events we can’t always make sense of.  

I don’t say this as a way to suggest that life can’t be fun, or that there aren’t good experiences out there. I just mean life has a way of happening, and it demands we often go with the flow of what it carries.

Today, I heard some students suggesting that when a student or a person is going through something that they should just “suck it up.”

I couldn’t help but be confused by their comments and their lack of understanding. Some of the students I’ve talked to here at UND  have expressed that in their educational careers there are often things that come up. Rather it is things that happen at home, or in their relationships, or at their jobs, the reality is things happen.

The stories and situations we face outside our “student identities” are very real experiences. I believe they don’t deserve any less to be spoken about, or    recognized as experiences that     matter.

To say that one should just “suck it up” on what they are going through limits the freedom of expression that we as students have.

I think we all should have a support system in place that allows this freedom to be expressed. But sometimes we can’t or don’t have the resources in place to express our feelings with others.

I encourage students to remember the faces or the people you see walking around campus as more than just your peers. They are people who have goals, desires and feelings that are worth paying attention to.

While I may not know everyone I come into contact with I do make it my goal to be thoughtful of the people around me.

Perhaps this is a hard challenge. It may seem impossible to understand and put into practice. But I think that it is central to understand we are more than just students. We should be allowed to express our stories, freedoms and insights openly.

You are worth it. I encourage you to remember you should be able to carry your story openly without the fear of condemnation from others words. Be who you are. And share that with others. I believe it is the kind of communication UND was founded on.

Amina Chinell-Mateen is a staff writer for The Dakota Student. She can be reached at [email protected]