I came to college with an open mind—eager to make new friends, begin fall semester courses, explore our historic town, and immerse myself in every opportunity Gettysburg College had to offer. One of the first organizations I joined on campus was the Mercury art and literary magazine. The introductory meeting carried those same nervous-excited jitters. On impulse, I ran to be the head of the poetry section, along with several other contenders. Although I was placed on the general staff instead, I knew from the very beginning that I was surrounded by individuals who shared my passion for writing. It was at that meeting where I became a part of a family of fiction fanatics, poets, and artists. The second decision was joining the staff of the Gettysburgian newspaper. Not only was I able to become a staff writer, but I was also exposed to new challenges, different topics of writing, and a happiness and excitement that is difficult to describe. During my senior year of high school, I would have never built up the courage to go outside of my comfort zone, to decide not to play it safe.
I began to acknowledge that we are so familiar with the comforts of “I can’t,” “it’s too hard,” and “I don’t want to,” that we forget to realize, when we stop doing things for ourselves, that we are not achieving our goals. We’ve made ourselves weak by not breaking the rules, by not fighting for what makes us happy. I recognized that during the times when I was far beyond the limits of my element, I experienced myself the most—that I saw and felt who I truly am. I’ve learned from the courage to put myself out there that vulnerability is hard, yet important. We tend to go for what’s easy; closing ourselves off is the simplest thing in the world. We send each other links on Facebook to articles in replacement of conversation, post pictures to convey our current state of mind, regurgitate memes to “be in the loop,” all to avoid opening ourselves to the uncomfortable. And, from writing newspaper articles and applying to become a part of another family of writers with Her Campus at Gettysburg, I am constantly reminded that it’s okay to be open, to be vulnerable, to be who we are—with all of the quirks included. I’ve had moments when I wanted to call it quits, afraid of the backlash some articles would possibly receive, fearful of losing friends from speaking my mind, and uncomfortable (at first) with the idea of writing about controversial subjects on campus. But, I continued to pursue new and challenging prospects to help me break further outside of my safe zone. I started to write about what I truly believed in: the fraternity ratio on campus, religious tolerance, how we should react to the Paris attacks, and everything in between. I finally came to terms with the fact that some people may not like what I write and that’s okay because, honestly, I’m doing what I love and I will not let fear control my life!
Throughout my time here at Gettysburg College, I’ve finally become comfortable in my own skin, however awkward the fit. I’ve finally become comfortable with the uncomfortable. I dare you to do the same.