Cue “The Climb” by Miley Cyrus
I have been at George Mason for four years. That’s 1,461 days, 35,064 hours, and 2,103,840 minutes. You probably think I’m insane for memorizing all this, but no matter how much time is calculated, it feels like it went by in a blink of an eye. I’ve made friends and I’ve lost friends. I found new perspectives and lost old ones. George Mason has helped me come out of my shell in more ways than I could count through communities, friends, and even through the college experience.
I look back at my years and think to myself, maybe I should have done certain things more. Maybe I should have done this or that, but at the end of the day, I really wouldn’t change a thing because the experiences I have gone through and the lessons I have learned are the reasons why I am the person I am today.
HerCampus has made me reunite with my love of writing that I lost when I first entered GMU, and it has brought me closer to discovering the things I love. From meeting exceptional, smart girls who share the same passion as me, to helping me find an outlet to feel like I am being heard.
If you are an undergrad and you are reading this I’m going to sound like a cliché, but in all seriousness, make those mistakes, and don’t regret anything, because you only have one life and you need to enjoy it. You can’t keep thinking about the what-ifs and what abouts, you need to let yourself fall, you need to let yourself fail, and you need to let yourself get frustrated, so you know you can push yourself to be the best for the next time. Don’t let yourself be afraid to make these mistakes or take these risks, because I promise you, it’s gonna make a huge difference.
I’m sad to leave Mason, but I remember life is waiting for me on the other side of graduation. I walk around the campus, enjoying my last few weeks. I reminisce on past memories and I smile as I watch undergrads talk about the new experiences they will get to go through in their next semester. I am happy to see the changes in the weather as my time here has come to end.
As the flowers blossom, so will I.
I’m happy that I made it this far. I can’t wait to see where my journey continues.
To the readers, thank you for reading all my rants and yaps, and to the GMU HerCampus chapter, thank you for allowing me to enter the space where I can be my authentic self.