I can say without a single doubt that every one of my semesters at this university have been an absolute whirlwind. I know we’ve all heard that saying, after every storm comes a rainbow, and it might not always feel like that but sometimes I think that’s the point of being young. To absolutely destroy your self esteem and hope of a successful future by constantly comparing yourself to others so that one day you could recognize how far you’ve come. That’s okay. At some point you have to step back and realize that everything isn’t going to be perfect, sometimes rainbows take a little bit longer to appear. Please don’t take that literally. I know absolutely nothing about the science of rainbows. My point is that I can accept that there are plenty of things going great in my life, and I’ve finally learned to focus on that instead of the negative. With that being said I would like to highlight a few moments of this semester that I consider celebratory worthy.
My 21st Birthday
The first is when I turned 21. Yes I know what you’re thinking, but I chose to spend my actual 21st in my hometown with my family. While I will admit I still spent the following weekend with friends, I think being home for my 21st was exactly what I needed. I’ve grown up in a pretty big and tight knit family, so when it came to celebrating this moment, I knew I wanted to be surrounded by them. I don’t attend school super far from my hometown, but considering how the majority of my family lived within a 15 minute proximity of each other growing up, moving away was difficult. When I visit home it usually consists of trying to visit as many people as possible in the two day time span I have there. Getting to see everyone at once in a fun environment was fulfilling in ways I can’t explain. I appreciate that I have that support system and I consider this a key moment in my semester and year.
My Aggie Ring Ceremony
Another moment I would like to celebrate for myself is when I received my aggie ring. I’m not going to lie, I’m not the biggest on aggie traditions and know very little about them. I spent my first two years here not really thinking about getting it, and didn’t really understand why everyone cared so much about it. The closer the date was, the more excited I became. The excitement hit me throughout the entire morning of the ceremony. My parents had never gone through this process themselves, so they didn’t really know what to expect, and neither did I. My mom’s excitement is probably what made me the happiest. It’s an achievement to get the ring, but seeing how happy my parents were that I was doing so made my entire college career worth it. It was like I reached some crazy impossible achievement that I’d only dreamt of, and I guess I did. It made me proud to have made it this far in school, and excited to see what else I might be able to achieve in my future.
My Ring Dunk
Last but not least, my ring dunk. It sounds silly to call drinking four beers as fast as possible, without throwing it back up, an accomplishment, but to me it was. I’d attended a few ring dunks before so I knew what to expect, but I was terrified. I spend the week leading up to it preparing for the absolute worst, knowing that I probably wouldn’t finish in a timely manner, or at all. I had come to terms with this and was more so worried about looking bad in front of the crowd. When it came down to it, I knew it wasn’t a necessary tradition, but I was so happy to have my ring I knew I wanted to participate. That night, four beers were indeed drunk. Four beers were also almost immediately thrown up in a small corner of the yard. I didn’t care, I had actually finished. It was 1 minute and 58 seconds, which honestly I’m proud of because I did better than I had expected. I had finally completed my dunk, something I had been nervous about for a while, and I’m proud of myself for doing so. It was also amazing to have such loving friends and family there as a support system and alongside me.
While these accomplishments might not compare to those of others, I don’t care anymore. Every little accomplishment is still deserving of a personal celebration. I’m proud of myself for making it through another semester here and I’m looking forward to the Spring. I have an amazing support system, along with a strong sense of belonging that I’ve never felt on this campus in previous years. Younger me would be extremely happy to see where I’m at now, and I’m content with that. I can’t wait to see the next rainbow in store for me, no matter how small it may be.