I am not going to sugarcoat it: my first month at Purdue had me feeling like I am the main
character in a coming-of-age movie.
As a girl coming from Peru, in South America, the classic college experience was something I
could only dream of throughout my life. Growing up, I saw huge lecture halls, frat parties and
football games as elements of a movie, perhaps a rom-com or a PG-13 comedy. It was only this
year, when I got accepted to various US colleges, that I realized everything I had grown up
admiring would soon become my reality. And when I chose to attend Purdue, one of the “Big
10” universities, I knew I was diving head-first into the quintessential college experience.
I did my freshman year online at a Peruvian university, where you attend classes during the day
and then go home. No dorms, no crazy parties, no losing your key or struggling to make ramen
in your dorm at 3AM. I transferred to Purdue to continue my education here and joined the class
of 2024 in an adventure that surpassed even my wildest dreams.
In my first month here, I have been the main character in my own movie. I romanticize my long
walks to class, feeling like I have an audience watching my every step. I go out every single
weekend, experiencing first-handedly the reality of college parties (I absolutely love them). In
my classes, people ask me where my accent is from and why my hair is so curly. I make friends
at study halls, at the pool, at Mass and at football games. I try new foods, I go swimming, I dance
until dawn and I study (of course). I can truly say I am living life to the fullest.
From the big parties to the quiet mornings by myself, I feel like every moment is meaningful and
filled with excitement. Every minute I’ve spent at Purdue, I have felt more like myself than I
have in months. I feel like the world is my oyster and like there is so much possibility awaiting
me. Yes, this has been a rough year for all of us, but I finally feel like there’s a light at the end of
the tunnel. I feel like the main character in the movie of my life, and I live like it, too. I think it is
time for all of us to start romanticizing our lives and start living like the protagonists we are,
rather than side characters in someone else’s story; so we can truly find ourselves in the process.
After all, that’s what college is about, right?