My junior year is ending in an unthinkable way, a feeling that I am sure many of my friends, peers, and classmates share with me. I actually feel like it ended at the beginning of March, two months earlier than it should have after moving out of my dorm and my classes going virtual. Even though it ended abruptly with a lot of fear and chaos, I consider myself lucky because I still have another year or so left at university when, hopefully, this new world we are living in will somewhat represent the old world we used to have not so long ago. In the third part of my goodbye series, I am reflecting on my junior year.
Ending my junior year is a bitter-sweet time because that means I have to say goodbye to my senior friends; something that I didn’t properly get to do, which makes me extremely sad. The end of university celebrations never got to happen in the way that they should have, which breaks for my heart for all of the seniors. If you are reading this… know that I am so proud of you for finishing university. I know that each and every one of my senior friends are going to do amazing things in the next chapter of the lives, and when everything gets back to being normal we will celebrate!
I think many Cal Lutheran students can agree with me when I say what a year it is has been. Aside from the events on campus (that hopefully a lot of change will now happen due to new light being shined upon the various issues), this year has also been insightful for me on a personal level.
I think I will always remember my junior year as the year I hustled hard. As well as being a full-time student, I have two part-time jobs on campus, I am head of the writing and editing team for Her Campus, and I recently started a social media internship. On top of all of this, I also decided to start writing a book when given the opportunity from a Georgetown professor… I’m not afraid to say it’s been a lot! Not forgetting that I also moved house in the middle of my junior year and now live in a completely different area than before. Although this year has been a challenge, it has allowed me to grow and learn in so many ways which I’ve really enjoyed. Writing a book, however, has been the biggest challenge this year and still continues to be as I raise money for the funding of it during this difficult time.
Hustling hard is great, and important, but at the same time, don’t bite off more than you can chew. As much as I love the grind and hustle, I now know that in my senior year I want a little more time to myself to enjoy the last few months before officially going into the adult world for the rest of my life. This year has been a challenge to juggle a full-time calendar and integrating it with my personal and social life, but it has been a welcome challenge and nevertheless fun. I am so grateful to have these opportunities!
In the second part of my goodbye series that I wrote in my sophomore year I said, “I have learnt so much about myself this year, which makes me excited to see what growth I have in my junior year.” I can happily say I have seen a lot of growth this year and guess what? I’m excited to see where I am this time next year.
I can’t believe that the time has come to write this at the end of my junior year, with only one year of university left… Where did the time go? Compared to last year, I feel more certain about the direction I am heading, and that makes me feel excited. Although still scared and unsure, I’m looking forward to my last year of university. May it be the best year yet!