For someone who’s a big cry baby, it’s hard to write this piece as it’s my last contributing article for Her Campus. I am so thankful for all that this organization has brought me, from the awesome girls to new writing skills. I wanted my last article to include advice for all of us who are graduating in less than 20 days. When you’re a freshman, you barely think about this day. But it’s here, and I’m trying to cope with it.
I have changed immensely as a person during these past four years. I have put myself in situations that were risky and completely unknown to me and the outcome always challenged my mindset and improved my skills. That is the point of going to college, aside from earning an education. I have encountered severe amounts of stress that landed me in the hospital sophomore year, and by the end of junior year, I needed to chop off half of my hair to prevent it from thinning and breaking. Still, I am thankful for the stressful decisions that I have encountered because it has made me the person I am today. I wish my freshman year self would have known that this is the person she’d be one day because she rocks.
College has overall made me stronger and significantly more confident in myself. I love being able to say I conquered the fears I had previously in my life. I love presenting in front of people and public speaking. I love engaging in conversations with people I don’t know. I love standing up for people. I love going out of my way to make others feel good and happy. These character improvements have prepared me for real life situations outside of college and I can’t wait to put them to use.
The stress I have felt these past few years won’t go away because that’s just the type of person I am. I worry about EVERYTHING, all of the time and not even just about what concerns me. I am constantly thinking about the people around me and my family. I know a lot of you can relate to this, and the pressure that comes with this can sometimes feel suffocating. It’s crucial for us to focus on ourselves during this time. We’re at a stressful age and it’s easy to feel the pressures of society in regards to where we should be in our life. Being genuinely happy and successful is the ultimate dream for me, and it’s difficult when we see others our age already so much ahead of us. That’s OKAY. You WILL be successful, you WILL find your path, you WILL be happy. Your time is going to come, you just need to appreciate where you are now and relax. This is an affirmation I tell myself every morning when I feel worrisome about time passing way too quickly.
So to my college graduates, I advise you all to take this time to dive into your own reflection over the next few weeks before we walk across that stage. Think about what these past four years have done for you and how you can make a difference in other people’s lives while taking time for your own. You are the most important thing, and your future is bright.