Katherine P.

Photo provided by Katherine P.

If you’re reading this, you don’t have to earn your worth.

I have been repeating this phrase to myself lately, not because I’ve fully internalized it, but because I haven’t.

I’ve spent years believing my value is directly tied to my output: how many tasks I can complete on my google calendar, how productive I am, how impressive I look on paper. And at a school like Rice, that pressure only intensifies. It’s easy to fall into the trap of thinking, if I’m not doing enough, I must not be enough.

But I’m slowly learning that rest doesn’t make me lazy. Struggling doesn’t make me weak. Wanting softness doesn’t make me any less capable.

My worth isn’t something I have to prove, polish, or perform.

I’m trying to show up for myself the way I would for a friend—with kindness that doesn’t hinge on achievement, with love that isn’t conditional.

Some days, that looks like allowing myself to rest without guilt. Other days, it’s letting myself laugh—like really laugh—even when there’s more to be done.

I’m allowed to exist just as I am. So are you. 

So if you’re reading this and you’ve been measuring your value in your GPA, resume, or how much you contribute, take a breath. You don’t need to do more to deserve love. You already do.

Carla C., Rice University

Connect With Us

This letter series features reflections by students, faculty, and associates at Rice University. Their bravery in sharing their personal stories about connection, struggles, growth, and mental health remind us that behind every face is a story, and that no one is alone in what they’re feeling. This series and space exists to share real experiences from our community, and foster deeper conversations around mental health on campus. If you’re reading this, we hope you feel seen, supported, and a little more hopeful.

Letter series coordinated by Katherine Sammy. To get invovled with IfYoureReadingThis at Rice University, email kss11@rice.edu.