Published on 2024-02-29 21:16 by Sam Wu

Lynn Asare-Bediako

I was just thinking about going to a state school in Florida up until COVID. I know I had good grades but I didn’t really think I was good enough for Harvard or anything. But then I started talking to one of my friend’s moms and she was like, “You should apply. You have the grades and a good story.” I started going down the rabbit hole of applying to Ivy League schools and schools in the north. I just didn’t think that that was even a possibility.

I got into BU and I was really excited. I had this idea that the North is so much better than the South because I’ve always heard from my teachers that the North is smart and educated. And I was like, “OK, Imma like them.” And if you look at the South, like they had slavery, so they’re always going to be a couple of steps back compared to the North. Obviously, I think Florida is a little worse than Boston is, but in Boston, it’s just a lot more quiet. People are just chilling behind the scenes about it. No one is saying the N-word to your face but … I think the biggest thing that changed for me is being more grounded and aware of what’s around me. It’s not that I’ve changed much. I’ve been the same. But I’m seeing things differently now.

Written by Sam Wu