Starting off at a college seven hundred miles away from home was terrifying for me. I had always strongly depended on people before August. However, this year I surprised myself more than I thought I would. I proved myself wrong on a lot of the doubts I had about myself. I discovered myself, which was something I had yet to do before now. Of course classes were difficult and it was difficult to adjust to being so far away, but I overcame challenges in ways I did not think I was capable of. I learned key lessons this year. I learned that I am stronger than I thought I was. It really took leaving home for me to recognize the strength I had inside of myself. When I could no longer run away or hide from my problems I had to face myself and solve them. College gave me the time to do that. Freshman year has shown me how capable of being independent I am. One of the most important things I learned is that I should only surround myself with those who lift me higher. There is no need to have people dragging me down, or giving me a negative mindset. Off of that, I realized I need to respect myself enough to walk away from anything that no longer lifts me up, grows me to be better, or makes me happy. This probably took the most time to comprehend for me. It’s always hard to walk away from something entirely. It is hard to recognize what does and does not help you in a healthy way. It is difficult to see past regular routines and obligations, but if they are dragging you down, you need to. I learned that I need to respect my own being enough to let myself thrive in a place I want to be and one where I am able explore my passions. This year I also did the unthinkable for me. I joined a sorority, Coming from the North, Greek Life is not a popular thing. However, I decided to put myself out there and give it a try. I could not be more happy with myself that I made that choice. I was able to try a new thing and meet so many new and great people because of it. This connects to another lesson I learned. It is okay that the friends I made on day one are no longer my friends. In college, I found people with similar interests, and some who were not who I thought they were. Thankfully, I did not let those people bring me down. I discovered that friends coming and going is normal and I should not be offended or take it personally. I am going to meet so many people over these four years and chances are they are going to change, but I can only assume it is for the best. Freshman year of college has been the fresh air I have been desperately searching for. I have learned lessons here that I never thought I was capable of accepting, and I am so thankful for what this school and year have given me.
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