Rin's Project Line
Darinda Reddick grew up in Cincinnati, Ohio. Following high school graduation, Darinda came to WKU in 2016, to pursue her undergraduate degree. After an active four years on the Hill, she earned her degree in May of 2020.
At the core of Darinda’s life is resiliency, and through hardships and devastation she has continued to push forward. In November of 2019, she became a victim of sexual assault. In 2020, she experienced additional adversity with divisive elements of racial injustice as well as unemployment due to COVID-19 that affected not only her and her family and friends, but others around the world.
One of the ways she copes is by channeling her energy into Rin’s Project Line. Darinda founded Rin’s Project Line, a small retail business, on February 12, 2020. She started Rin’s Project Line because she values community and is passionate about helping people and creating change. While the project offers assistance to others, it helps her as well. Painting and creating pillows is therapeutic and has allowed her to dive into creative passions while dealing with depression.
What makes her pillows unique is what they symbolize: love, hope, and strength. Growing up, Darinda’s grandma would always tell her, “It’s easy to hate, but it’s harder to love.” The quote made a lasting impact. The hardest thing Darinda ever had to learn was to forgive and let love back into her heart. Even though it felt that love had turned against her, she still chose to go back to it, which ultimately made her stronger, wiser, and more empathetic to others.
Darinda’s goal with Rin’s Project Line is to remind people that they matter. She wants them to know that even while their situations may be heavy, they are not alone, and they are always loved. She believes love is what gives us strength, and as long as we have love, there is hope for better days.
To further that mission, Darinda established the Rin’s Project Pass The Love Scholarship Fund in March of 2021. Darinda indicated her motivation for the scholarship stemmed from the adversity she faced and the national events she experienced and dealt with in 2020, such as COVID-19; the killing and sexual assault of victims Oluwatoyin Salau and Vanessa Guillen; and the victims of police brutality such as Breonna Taylor, George Floyd, Elijah McClain, and countless others who lost their lives to racial injustice. Rin’s Project Pass The Love seeks to reinvest in minority student’s education in order to promote opportunities of generational success, growth, love, and community. The fund assists deserving WKU students who are members of the Intercultural Student Engagement Center and have at least a 2.0 GPA. DACA recipients are encouraged. Through this fund, Darinda continues making a positive impact on her community.