UCF Affirmations

I started one of the University of Central Florida's largest unaffiliated online communities as a joke. Here's how.

Being a sophomore in college after enduring my whole first year online in the biggest university in the United States, I was itching for community. I only knew a handful of people and found it very difficult to create meaningful connections with other students, as the only interactions I would have with others in my classes were through very non-interactive Zoom calls. I thought about ways I could make more friends, and I realized I was definitely not the only UCF student that felt the same way.

I knew that the best way that this would work in the age of COVID-19 restrictions was online, despite the fact that the reason I felt so alone in the first place was because all of my classes were online. However, I also knew that an online, casual setting would be a much different atmosphere than those in my classes. 

 I began to brainstorm how I could make this happen. I was inspired by a rapidly growing account that went by @afffirmations that would post extremely blunt, almost nonsensical, yet relatable, daily affirmations in slightly stretched out text over extremely saturated, shiny images that were reminiscent of 2000's McBling and cyber aesthetics. I thought that was the funniest thing.

Naturally, I began to think about what sorts of affirmations I would write if I were the owner of that account. And then it struck me - why not start my own @afffirmations-esque account tailored specifically for UCF students. I thought this would be such a great way to interact with the UCF community, so I started creating posts that were edited in a similar, intentionally so-bad-it's-good style; thus, @UCFAffirmations was born.