Have you ever felt trapped in your circumstances? Consumed with the idea that you don’t have options, no autonomy, no choices… Well, I am here to not only tell you that you have power but to show you that you do. I know that some people around my age face the issue of realizing that they ended up in the wrong environment. According to a Washington Post article, “a 2015 report by the National Student Clearinghouse Research Center found that 37.2 percent of college students changed schools at least once within six years, and of these, 45 percent changed their institution more than once.” One of my life-long friends, Shainae, grappled with the same issue after packing up her life from a small island in the Caribbean and making her way across waters only to realize that she wasn’t happy. When she became conscious of her power, she was able to take a leap of faith that changed the course of her life. 

Shainae:

“ I recently took a social psychology class, and one thing my professor said that really stuck with me was ‘trust your intuition’. Certain decisions we make shouldn’t be made from weighing the pros and cons, but just by listening to our intuition. If it wasn’t for my intuition, that gut feeling, that little voice in my head saying yes when everything else is saying no, I wouldn’t be where I am today. 

In my freshman year of college, I already knew I wanted to transfer. I had less reason to at that time but I still knew staying at that university was not what I wanted... I had that gut feeling. I decided to stay because my closest friend at that time convinced me to. We were ’in this together’ so I stayed in the hopes that things will get better. Now don’t get me wrong, things did get better, on the surface. But my junior year came and I still was not happy. That feeling of needing to transfer was still present. So I decided on a whim that it was my time to leave. And so I made many plans. Some of my closest friends decided they wanted to transfer too. We found a great university, a place to stay, I canceled my housing, I told all my friends I made at that university that I was leaving. I was ready for a new start. 

Then everything went left. It all happened so quickly. 

All my friends decided not to go. One by one they all backed out and I was the last one standing. I had to figure out what I was going to do. Do I stay here at this university where I would be comfortable but unhappy? Or do I leave and take the risk of being out of my comfort zone, not knowing if I’d be happy there? It was so much easier to stay. But that feeling was still strong. That gut feeling... my intuition. It was telling me to leave. So I began figuring out how to fix what was broken, and surprisingly all my efforts went smoothly. Everything fell into place. If I made my decision solely on the pros and cons, I would still be at my previous university, unhappy. But I decided to continue even though the odds weren’t exactly in my favor. My intuition, God, kept pushing me to take the risk and I have no regrets. “Intuition makes sense after you follow it, not before. You don’t get to know the beauty unless you take the risk.” -Unknown “

One of the biggest things I feel as though we can do for ourselves is to believe in the power that we hold and to use that power to manifest our desires. The type of power I am talking about is not the kind of power that comes along with institutional privilege, but the power that we all hold inside of us. When we remind ourselves that we all possess a power that already lies within us, then we prove to ourselves time and time again that we can change our circumstances and lead the lives we want. 

What propelled Shainae to take such a leap of faith and propels people every day to take risks is complete trust in the magical prowess that they possess. This sense of autonomy gives people the ability to leave that job/environment they hate, cut off a toxic relationship/friendship, and for a survivor to risk everything by coming forward and sharing their story. I am inspired by the people around me who understand their power in such a way that allows them to be change agents of their own lives and of the lives of those around them — and I’m hoping that this inspires you too. 

p.s. Thank you Shainae for sharing your truth! love you! “Let us lift her up into the light of goodness and hold her there.” - Gabrielle Union