I was in my dorm over the weekend and I’m having a problem leaving my current two friends. They are awesome and they are hilarious but the thing is that I’m not myself around them and they in a way abuse me. They don’t listen to me and treat me as if I’m less than them. I always am pumping myself up after an incident happens where they make me feel less and I say “I can do this, today is the day I move on and take control of who I am.”...What is so special about this moment is that today I was able to resist my temptation of going to what I know and hanging out with them. It was a step in the right direction

A fearless moment of mine is when I competed in the Senior Concerto competition. I feared that I wasn't going to win, and I really wanted to win. But in the end, during the competition, I gave my best and played my music. I didn't win in the end, and my fear came true, but in the end, I think it has made me a stronger musician who can accept failure a bit better now.

hope that my fearless moment will be gaining the courage to ask for help, both with academics and with my mental health because I have always been afraid to ask for help because of the idea that it is not a masculine thing to do.

My fearless moment is when I called my mom and told her that I wanted to decrease the amount of academic work I’m doing. This was a big deal for me because I have always taken the most challenging courses and have been at the top of my grade. Yet, after I told her and I dropped the course, I felt like I belonged more and I feel like I was able to be more truthful to my parents.

I finally decided to tell my parents about my bad grades. I thought they were going to get very mad at me, but they said it was ok and they started helping me with my homework. My grades have gone up a lot. Your speech caused me to tell them. Thank you!

I acted out of my comfort zone and had a hard conversation. I told all of my best friends about what I was feeling inside and they understood and even related to me. It felt SO GOOD!

Recently, I decided I would quit gymnastics to pursue other sports and most importantly, my academics. Once I joined the track team, I felt as though I would have to go above and beyond just to touch the top of the glass ceiling. Being a black girl in a sport dominated by other black people, I felt that the expectation for me was higher than everyone else's, simply because of my appearance. However, I used this to motivate me to consistently give my 110%, and now I've qualified for the state track meet in multiple events!

Hi Darryl, I just wanted to let you know that your speech gave me a lot more motivation than I expected walking into NGLA. I am the president of my chapter and we are about 20 people large since I come from a very small campus. I was about ready to throw in the towel and say screw it but because of your speech, I became more motivated than I thought I ever could be. Things are already changing back at home, thanks so much dude 🤟

Hi Darryl!! My organization has our formal this weekend, and to be honest my big has been treating me like crap (not including me in family plans, taking me out of our table, hasn’t talked to me in days). Last night after you spoke to us I realized that my fear of ruining her last week as an active member doesn’t give her the right to not uphold our values or put me down. I just texted her sharing my feelings and am hoping that we can make a change without ruining the time we have left together on campus. Never in a million years would I think I would be the type to initiate a conversation/confrontation but now I know I’m fearless :heart: