It feels strange to me to be in my junior year of college. I am not the same person I was freshman year (thank god for that) but it also feels like I just stepped foot onto the campus for the first time yesterday. It is a very bittersweet feeling to know I am almost done. However, I am very excited for the year to come. I feel like I finally nailed down a flexible routine and schedule that works, and challenges me enough to where I want to succeed and do my best rather than just get through the classes. I definitely piled my plate too high in the past, and I have used that to grow and learn.
The first aspect of my junior year I am excited about is my schedule. I have fairly busy days Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays, but I somehow managed to make Tuesdays and Thursdays super light. I have a few obligations those days but for the most part, I am free. I have already seen how having these lighter days improves my day-to-day attitude and my overall mental well-being. It is so nice to be able to devote a day to catching up on assignments, or even take a nap. If you know me I almost never nap, so this is a crazy concept to me.
The second aspect of my junior year I am looking forward to is our University’s third annual Queer Prom. Although this isn’t until the end of the spring semester I am already thinking of ways to improve. This event holds such a special place in my heart, it felt unreal to be able to go to a prom last spring without feeling like I was hiding a part of me. I am so excited to be able to hold that space again for first-years and returners.
One last aspect I could not be more excited for is just being back with my people. This summer I worked A LOT, and I regret not holding more space and time for my friends. Now, back at school we are closer, literally just a wall away in some cases. I am making it a priority to reach out more and say yes more. Obviously within reason, but I am finally letting myself have a little more fun than I used to, not winding myself so tight. I love being able to text someone to see if they wanna tag along to the grocery store, or go on random late-night adventures, and I adore being back with my roommates and having our nightly debriefs.