Dear Degree: A letter to the chapter that built me piece by piece

Thank you. Not just for the degree I now hold, but for the person I have become because of you.

You did not come in easily. You came in with tears. You came with doubts. You came with silence that felt louder than words.

Thank you, Degree

When I first packed my life into suitcases from India to Brisbane, I thought I was just chasing a Master's, but what I didn't realise I was stepping into a transformational zone, one that would challenge me, teach me, and shape me in ways I never expected. I came to Brisbane, uncertain yet slightly hopeful. New country, New culture, Different accent, Different expectations, and probably a New me. But, deep inside, there was a heavy silence, unfamiliarity, and the echo of 'Did I take the right decision?' I was not ready for the days that felt lonely, nights that felt too long, the unfamiliarity that followed, and the silence that loomed.

But somehow, I decided to stay. I stayed when nothing made sense, but gradually, without even realising, it all started making sense. What followed were days of constant growth, ups and downs, struggles, that in no time turned into 2 years.

View my LinkedIn reflection: LinkedIn|Anika Kapoor

You did not just teach me marketing/advertising, you gifted me moments of pure magic

You taught me resilience
Turning strangers into a community.
You taught me how to fall but still show up
Giving moments that turned small efforts into recognisable honours.
You gave professors, tutors, and mentors
That saw the potential in me, even when I doubted myself. 
You gave me assignments that made me question everything
And grades that made it all worth it.
You gave me friends who shared a similar sense of feeling
Showing up together, when we wanted to disappear.
You gave the joy of final submissions, all 7s on the transcript. The Friday evening call that felt the proudest. The address that changed my life. The walk across the stage. 
All this leading to moments, I realised, 'I did it'.

You were not just a degree

This is for the version of me who, in 2020, said ' I can't do this'. The version of me who felt lost in the unknowns. The version that still carried hope and stayed. And the version, right here, right now, who made it to the finishing and starting line all at once.

To my fellow international students, I see you

I see your strength in every silent struggle. Your courage in every phone call home with a fake smile. Your emotions when your country is celebrating the festivals that bond you strongly. I see how you juggle between assignments, part-time jobs, visa stress, all that for a dream career.

If you are just getting started, believe in yourself and trust the process. You are stronger than you know. If you are at the end, breathe it in, you did something not everyone can do.

So, dear degree, Thank You

For tearing me apart. For helping me rebuild. For turning uncertainty into strength, isolation into independence, and fear into confidence.

As I walk into the next chapter, I carry with me more than just a degree from the world's top 50 university. I walk in with clarity, confidence, and a new version of me. From India to Brisbane, this was not just a journey of distance; it was a journey of becoming.

Here's to a degree that didn't change my career, it changed my life.