Honestly, I am at a loss for words at how fast this year flew by. It truly feels criminal to think that this school year will be over in just a few days and now we are in the full swing of finals. With Summer starting next week for me, I started reflecting on the person I was at the beginning of this year, and I can barely recognize her. I know that a lot of people might feel this way, but in full honesty, this was the first time I have seen a true transformation in my life, and many of my friends feel the same way. Sophomore year was unbearably hard within the first few weeks of the semester, and I didn’t think I would enjoy this year at all. Boy, was I wrong.
The 2022-2023 school year felt like the year I finally started the process of becoming who I want to be when I “grow up.” The major I was so set on in the first semester, I ended up changing within weeks of the Spring semester and my entire career path changed. I worked hard on keeping my resume up to date, and my LinkedIn polished. I went to about 1000 interviews for a Summer Internship and ended up finally getting one. (Yay!) I joined more clubs I was interested in and filled my schedule because it made me happy being busy. After reflecting on this year, I realized I accomplished everything I had hoped in the beginning of the year, and that the girl I was at the beginning of the year would be so proud of how far we have come and what we have done.
With this being said, I encourage you to reflect on this past school year and take a moment to be proud of yourself. Whether this was the best year of your life or one you’d rather forget, the person you were in the beginning of this year is probably not identical to who you are now, and that is an accomplishment in itself.
So, whether you are graduating this year or just finishing up your freshman year, congratulations to you! You made it through this year and accomplished so much. But more importantly: you grew more into the person you are meant to be. Don’t forget to celebrate that in the midst of finals, and take the Summer to recharge and plan everything you want to accomplish for the next school year. If Summer is anything like this school year was, it will fly by.