by Emily Mosier and Ansley Miller
College can be a difficult and messy experience, which is why Christian author and podcast host Grace Valentine came to Troy University Tuesday to share her own struggles and offer wisdom.
Valentine has a blog and has written four books aimed at empowering young women, and she said she wants to be the voice of inspiration that she needed, but didn’t have, when she was in college.
“I think it's important for me to talk to students because, one, it's healing for me since college was very hard at times,” Valentine said. “In college, I was either partying or struggling with school or figuring out some lessons the hard way.
“It feels like it's my purpose -- this idea that we can all be someone's survival guide.”
Ashlyn Simpson is a junior biology major from Dothan, Alabama, and serves as Panhellenic director of spiritual life. Simpson is the one who reached out to Valentine’s manager and has spent the entire semester organizing the event.
“I was starstruck,” Simpson said. “When she was talking about not following the crowd, that stuck out to me. We can get stuck in a routine of listening to everyone around you, to your sorority, to whoever you think is popular.
“But you should look to God . . . the one who you know loves you.”
Valentine said she wants students to know they are not alone.
“It’s easy in college to feel bogged down by insecurity, by doubt, and to just be overwhelmed,” Valentine said. “But there’s more to life than just about becoming who you want to be when you grow up.
“It's about being that purposeful person now.”
Valentine is known for sharing “mini-books,” or devotion-focused posts, on social media.
Zoe August, a freshman nursing major from Navarre, Florida, said she discovered Valentine through these posts and became a huge fan.
“I honestly was trying not to cry,” August said. “Grace Valentine is very relatable, very sweet, and she touched on some really important subjects for like college girls -- struggling with feeling single, struggling with friend groups.
“You can use that kind of advice for the rest of your life, really.”
Ann-Elizabeth Murphy, a senior elementary education major from Headland, Alabama, said she only felt happiness while listening to Valentine.
“This event was more than I expected it to be,” Murphy said. “It’s so easy to get caught up in all of the negative things in life rather than the lessons that can be learned through those challenges.”
Valentine’s fourth book is coming out April 11. Those who pre-order the book can visit Valentine’s Instagram, @thegracevalentine,– and enter to win an all-expense paid trip to Universal with her and her friends.
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