05/08/2026
With all the SQA certificates arriving yesterday, I just wanted to share something from the heart. ❤️
If your results weren’t what you hoped for, please, please don’t let them make you believe you’re not good enough. A few grades on a piece of paper will never define your worth, your potential, or the life you’re capable of creating.
The truth is, I lost my Granda the day before my 16th birthday, right in the middle of my exams.
The grief completely consumed me. I missed every single one of my exams and eventually had to sit them alone in a room. I was trying to answer questions when all I could think about was the person I’d just lost. Looking back now, I don’t know how anyone expected me to focus.
I left school at 16 with 0 good grades. At the time, I felt like I’d failed—not just my exams, but my future too. Watching everyone else move on while I was struggling with grief made me feel like I’d been left behind.
But life had other plans.
The very day I left school, I secured an interview for my dream job. Fast forward to today—I’m 21, five years into a job that I genuinely love, and alongside that, I’ve built a wee thriving business that I’m so passionate about too. 🫶🏼🌸
If someone had told that heartbroken 16-year-old version of me that one day she’d be genuinely happy, working in a job she loves and running a business she’s poured her heart into, I don’t think she would have believed them.
That’s why I’m sharing this.
Because I know there will be people looking at their results and feeling like their world has fallen apart. I know some of you might be carrying battles that nobody else can see. And I want you to know that one set of exam results does not decide the rest of your life.
Your journey is your own. It won’t look the same as everyone else’s, and that’s okay. Some of the best opportunities come from the paths we never planned to take.
If I’ve learned anything, it’s to believe in yourself even when life gives you every reason not to. Keep showing up. Keep working hard. Keep putting your heart and soul into everything you do.
One day you’ll look back and realise that what felt like the end was actually the beginning.
Be kind to yourself. Be proud of yourself for getting this far. And remember—your story is so much bigger than your grades-
Much love as always -Rianna 😘😘😘
