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woman walking on a pathway with fall leaves
woman walking on a pathway with fall leaves
Dmitry Schemelev
SBU | Life

Stepping Out My Comfort Zone

Olivia Francis Student Contributor, St. Bonaventure University
This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at SBU chapter and does not reflect the views of Her Campus.

When I came to college, I made a promise to myself. Be more open. Step out of my comfort zone. Although that may sound easy, it is much harder than you think.  

As an individual who has an adjustment disorder, it was hard for me to adapt to being on my own. I missed my parents, my friends and everything about being at home. I was scared I was not going to make any friends. At least, I thought about that until Freshman orientation.  

I thought orientation was going to be a good start for me to be less shy around people. It was late in the day, and we had this discussion and we had to point at someone who represented the statement that was said. For example, someone we wanted to get to know better. When they wanted us to point at someone, I forgot what the statement was, so I just pointed at this guy. Although he was intimidated by me, we ended up hanging out with each other. Now, he is one of the closest friends I have here.  

Along with being friends with him, I also became close with my new roommate. We were good friends before as we first started chatting on Instagram before we moved onto campus. We had so much in common when it came to our love for writing. We would both bounce ideas off each other about different stories we like, or we would just sit there and have a genuine conversation.  

Now that I had started to open myself up to people, I knew there was something else I wanted to do to help me branch out even more. Something that I wanted to do without taking too much of a big step that would make me feel uncomfortable. That is when I see a flyer hanging up in my school’s dining hall about a trip to Philadelphia.  

The one thing I did back in high school that I adored was helping people in need. Every time someone needed help, I was always the first one to volunteer. When I helped people, I always felt good about it afterward. So, the opportunity to travel and help those who need it most is something I thought would be the perfect thing for me to do.  

So, if you are like me and are trying to branch out, be more outgoing and try new things, start with something small. Whether it is joining a club or sitting with someone at a lunch table, do what makes you feel comfortable. Then, when you are ready to take that leap of faith, do something that you would never expect yourself to do. 

Olivia Francis

SBU '27

Olivia Francis is a second-year member of the Her Campus at SBU chapter. She oversees the site’s culture, entertainment, and wellness verticals on the site, including mental health, relationships, TV shows, and movie coverage.

Olivia is currently a second-year student majoring in Communications, Social Justice & Advocacy at St. Bonaventure University. Beyond Her Campus, Olivia has been published in many anthropologies over the years through an organization called Young Writers. She is also one of the leading coordinators for SBU's Break The Bubble.

In her free time, Olivia enjoys writing poetry and short stories, along with taking walks while listening to her favorite music genres on Spotify such as Pop or R&B. One of her goals is to travel the world someday and explore new foods and customs. An interesting fact about Olivia is she is not only the first college gen student but, she is the first female in her family to go for a higher education.