Born as Aubrey Drake Graham in Toronto, Ontario, Drake was raised by his mother in Toronto after his parents divorced when he was five. Although Drake dropped out of Forest Hill Collegiate Institute, he attended and eventually graduated from another high school, Vaughan Road Academy. First entering the world of entertainment through acting on the television series, Degrassi: The Next Generation, as Jimmy Brooks, he later transitioned to rapping. Along with one Grammy Award, three Juno Awards and six BET Awards, Drake also passed Jay-Z in August 2012 for being the rapper with the most (ten) number-one singles on the Billboard’s Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart.
While it’s quite laughable that I’m quoting Drake, I have to admit he’s got some pretty good things to say. I’m sure he wasn’t the first to think about having faith in how the future unravels itself, but his phrasing states it in a blunt and concise manner, which I’m all up for. There’s also a reason why I’m releasing this blog post now, just one day away from the end of first semester. That, my friends, is because our grades are about to be carved in stone (onto our transcripts).
In just a few days, an undisclosed number of 4.0s will be tanked and a few other students will be devastated with whatever grade debacle they have. Similarly, some students will rejoice with joy for keeping their 4.0 or just for surviving one more semester of school. There are also the students who don’t give two flying squirrels about what their grades are and that’s totally spiffy, but regardless, they still have other troubles in life that are plaguing them.
To all of you, I repeat Drake’s quote. I’m not an overtly religious person, nor do I particularly associate myself with a religion, but like Augustus Waters in The Fault in Our Stars, “I believe in Something with a capital S” and I also believe in Someone with a capital S. Everything happens for a reason. Call it fate or anything else, it just makes it easier for me to trust in the universe. Accepting that there are just some things that are unexplainable and trusting that every disappointment I live through is a gift in disguise keeps my brain from going out of whack.
For any situation that school can – and most likely will – throw at you, just remember that the world won’t end. Granted, there’ll be heartache and tears, but life will go on. Life won’t be so cruel as to close all the doors in your face; it’ll always keep at least one open for you, even if it’s a job at McDonald’s and even then, there are chances of promotion that eventually lead to high paying management job. Referencing back to my previous blog post, in every situation, you can find something positive and negative. I encourage you to look forth with a smile and live on with an accepting and open heart.
With those words of wisdom, I wish you a happy end of the year and a refreshing and fulfilling winter break!
By Alice Yu
art by Maddy Mueller