Moving to college is an exciting time for any teenager, but it can also be challenging to take those first steps towards independence.
Luckily for Maya Joaquin from Ontario, Canada, moving to the University of Windsor was made much easier by the heartwarming gift that her grandmother spent all summer putting together.
The gift included a variety of letters to be opened at certain times, or if Joaquin was feeling either homesick, proud, overwhelmed, or even if she was in need of a hug. Joaquin said that the gift was a complete surprise, telling Newsweek that she “didn’t see this coming at all.”
“She worked on the letters for the entire summer and kept it a secret until the day I moved into my residence,” she said. “Inside the envelopes are handwritten notes on motivational cards, along with small gifts that relate to the theme of the envelope.”
@mayajoaquinn / TikTok
“There are also some separate gifts that are wrapped like presents that go along with some of the envelopes too.”
The 18-year-old, who is studying communication, media and film, said it’s been tough to move four hours away from her home. However, having these letters from her grandma helps “make [her] feel more connected to home” each day.
“Windsor is a four-hour drive from our home, and I was hesitant to move this far away. But my grandma encouraged me to follow my heart and not to worry about the distance.
“Each envelope brought tears to my eyes when I opened it, but also a big smile. They warmed my heart,” she continued.
It’s widely known that students are faced with a number of changes when they start university, including a new town or city, new friends, and new academic challenges. While most students have a positive time in college and the positives vastly outweigh the difficulties, a study published in 2021 in Front Public Health, found that students require a great deal of support when navigating this new way of life.
The research suggests that first-year college students go through a transition period because they may struggle to acclimatize to their new whereabouts, notably without their friends and family around, with the added pressure to succeed academically.
The importance of human interactions can’t be underestimated when starting college, as the research, conducted in U.K. universities on first-year students, found that many experienced loneliness, and some struggled to make new friends.
When faced with so many changes, having such heartfelt mementos is a huge help for Joaquin, who has already opened four of the envelopes. Even though her grandma is hundreds of miles away, these letters are a source of comfort and support whenever Joaquin is in need.
“I opened the one for when I needed a hug on one of my first days, because I was feeling pretty homesick,” she told Newsweek. “It had a cute pocket hug charm in it, so I can carry a hug with me all the time.
“I opened the one for when I needed a laugh on my first hard day of classes, and received a joke book. Most recently, I opened the one for when I felt proud when I got through my first week of being away from home, and there was a facial mask that my grandma knows I love so that I could relax and enjoy my proud moment.”
On September 8, Joaquin shared a clip of the precious gift her grandma created on her TikTok account (@mayajoaquinn), and social media users were blown away by the thoughtful idea. The video went viral with more than 1.3 million views and over 118,500 likes already.
While filming her “honest reaction” to the numerous envelopes, Joaquin didn’t expect to receive such a response to the video. But she thinks that people “felt [her] sadness through the screen” as it’s a difficult time that many people can relate to.
With over 900 comments on the video, many TikTok users were quick to praise the grandma’s generosity of thought to put so much effort into this memorable gift.
A comment by user @danielledegraauw reads: “Give that woman the crown she deserves!”
And @zumbamumma wrote: “How lovely that she took the time and effort to do that.”
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