The Last Letter - Exec of 2025

Photography by Julia Thompson

Dear Reader,

This letter includes mention or discussion of death by suicide. We advise those who may be triggered by these topics to exercise caution when reading this letter.

Sincerely, The IfYoureReadingThis at UNC Team

As the class of 2025 approaches graduation, we wanted to give our graduating members the opportunity to share one last time. We thank everyone who has been a part of this community with us - our work would not be possible without all of you.

If you’re reading this, we are hopeful for the future.

We cannot believe this is our last week of college. We have spent hours studying, participating in clubs, going to basketball games, and more, but If You’reReadingThis has been one of the most fulfilling and impactful things that we have been a part of. Being able to have a direct positive impact on students in our own communities is something that makes our time here at UNC that much more meaningful. From strangers, to close friends, to teachers, to alumni, and even basketball coaches- we hope that we’ve been able to showcase Carolina’s community through letters.

Ironically, our IYRT UNC team is led by a pair of students who went from strangers to next-door neighbors to best friends—and now co-presidents. It started in the spring of 2024, brainstorming our vision of creating a space where vulnerability is celebrated, stories are shared, and no one feels alone. We've turned our dream into a reality through If You’re Reading This. 

So here it goes…our final letter of the semester. And what better way to say thank you to everyone who has read along, sympathized, related, felt empowered, or simply followed this journey. You are worth it. You are special. And we see you.

Carter Murr, Chapter Founder/Co-President

My freshman year at UNC was marked by three unimaginable moments. Two students died by suicide - one being inside my dorm building - and a campus lockdown during a school shooting. Each time, it felt like we had to just keep showing up for class and move on with our daily tasks as college students. I kept thinking about how many students walked the halls carrying invisible pain, how many people don’t feel seen until it is too late. I knew something had to change, so I set out to create the first chapter of If You’re Reading This at UNC. This would be a community not just for students, but for faculty, alumni, and anyone a part of the Carolina community. I knew one letter, one word, one painting, one Instagram post, or one community event could be the point of saving for someone. 

After a year filled with 14 letters, countless exec meetings, two community events, and just a space where people can be open to share anything on paper, I can confidently say I am hopeful for the future. 

As I walk across the stage in three days, my advice to you is to find your Carolina community. Take the leap and find a friend to start a club with, sit out in the pit and meet people, go eat lunch in Lenoir alone, go watch the girls' field hockey game, and search around because there are people waiting for you and ready to support you. Do it all scared because I can guarantee you will create something amazing, just like I did with this chapter. But remember, it does not have to be perfect. It is not perfect. There will be hard days, lonely moments, and times when it feels like everything is falling apart. But, that is exactly why things like If You’re Reading This exist - to remind you that you are not alone, to build a community that holds space for both the pain and the joy, and to help people get through what they thought they couldn’t. Acknowledge the hard and lean on those close to you. Read the letter and ask for advice. Do not expect it all to be easy, but do expect to grow and find the people who will build you up along the way.

Being able to read and post the letters every week has been one of my greatest privileges. To everyone who has trusted me with their words, their stories, and their hearts -  thank you. You’ve helped build something that matters. This chapter is more than a collection of posts; it's a collection of the strengths and vulnerabilities in this community. I hope this is a reminder, as it is only the beginning, that your story is worth sharing. I cannot wait to see what the future holds for this chapter.

Fenley, Editor/Co-President

Serving as the editor for IfYoureReadingThis and launching the first collection of letters from UNC-CH students and alumni has been one of the most powerful and profound experiences of my college years. Reading and editing these letters, every sentence and every vulnerable moment shared, was more than just refining and perfecting a document. It was an honor to witness the raw truths, struggles, and transformations that others entrusted to us.

At the same time, I couldn't help reflecting on my own journey through college. My biggest struggle was not with a specific subject or class; it was with myself. I put immense pressure on myself to succeed and to meet impossibly high expectations, and I rarely gave myself grace when I fell short. I doubted myself constantly, convinced I would never be good enough. And yet, here I am, preparing to graduate, having completed every STEM class I needed before grad school, something my freshman-year self would have thought impossible.  

Looking back now, I wish I could tell that younger version of me to have courage. Your capability comes from within. You are stronger and more resilient than you think. Confidence and self-assurance matter, and if I had just a little more of it, it would have changed my trajectory throughout the four years at Carolina. 

My hope for anyone reading this: trust yourself. Believe in your own potential. You are more capable, more deserving, and more powerful than your doubts will ever let you believe.

Adin, Community Outreach/Co-President

IfYoureReadingThis has been an integral part of my college experience and to think that it all happened due to chance is surreal. One random facetime from Fenley asking if I wanted to write for her new mental health support system turned into a “how can I come and help you run it instead?” It has been this attitude of taking chances and risks that has gotten me to where I am today.

Four years ago, I was afraid to put myself out there, afraid of others judging me, afraid of failing and more. It’s not even that I am not afraid anymore, it’s just that I do it regardless of how I’m feeling, which leads me to the first point I’ll make:

1) Do it scared and growth will come.  What’s the worst that will happen? You’ll be right where you would’ve been if you didn’t try? I have had an infinite amount of added experiences through taking risks and I hope that you will too. It’s always scary to jump forward, but once you look back, you see the immeasurable growth and progress that you have made.

The second thing that I wanted to talk about is community.

2) Embrace your community. Leaving your hometown to come to college is a life changing event and by doing so you have to seek out a new community. Community is in everything you do in college, from group projects to clubs to sports games. It is exciting to call yourself a tarheel and embrace others around you, so try to do that as much as possible.

The last thing I’m going to talk about is a bit more personal and relates to why I enjoy leading projects like IfYoureReadingThis. I have had my down days, I’ve dealt with bad anxiety and feeling down for multiple long periods of time and I just want to say that it does get better. I need to continue to work on this, but just having faith that everything will work out through self belief and trust is an incredible skill to have and will power you forward.

3) Keep moving forward, day after day, and you’ll make it. And when you do- you’ll be so proud of yourself for getting through what you got through. It is only our downs that make us realize how great the ups are. Believe in yourself, be yourself, and keep going. Go Heels.

Julia, Photographer

Although my role in this organization was small, I’ve truly felt so grateful to be included in something so meaningful. Watching what Carter, Fenley, and Adin have accomplished in just a year has been nothing short of incredible.

There’s something undeniably special about UNC. If you had asked me four years ago where I thought I’d be right now, my answer would’ve been completely different. I never imagined I’d end up at Carolina…let alone be graduating in just three days.

I spent weeks worrying over where to go to college. I didn’t want to follow my family’s path, and I was determined to leave North Carolina. I wanted to carve out my own future somewhere new. But man, I could not be more thankful I ended up here. UNC has been everything I didn’t know I needed and more. I had a special feeling the moment I first stepped on campus, and I realize now that feeling hasn’t gone away.

Lately, I’ve been trying to remind myself just how lucky I am. Lucky to wake up healthy, in a bed, in a house. Lucky to have an education, to go to class, to take exams. Lucky to have an unwavering support system of friends and family. We so often take the little things for granted, when in reality, they mean everything.

So if you’re reading this, here’s my advice: You’re going to be okay. Everything will work out the way it’s meant to. You don’t have to have it all figured out right now. Give yourself time, grace, and patience. Count your blessings, and remember just how lucky you are.

A Final Send-Off from the Team

We are appreciative of the community that has been fostered by this platform and we hope that our campus will learn from the voices that have been amplified. IYRT has the strength and power to bring the student body together; intertwining creativity, intellect, wisdom and encouragement. Even though we are stepping down following graduation, we are hopeful that this is just the beginning of something special at UNC. It takes all of us to continue to destigmatize mental health and #starttheconversation.

As we finish off, we are confident in the next leadership for the 2025-2026 school year. Thank you to Tatum Murr and Max Haber for stepping into this role– we know you’ll carry this mission forward with heart and purpose.

IYRT Exec of 2025, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Connect With Us

To follow IfYoureReadingThis at UNC on Instagram, get in touch with our chapter, and learn about more resources available to UNC students, visit our chapter’s homepage.