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This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at UWB chapter.

I’m now finishing my Sophomore year of college. And as crazy as that is to finally say it, it feels so real. I’ve changed as a person and am still learning through the friends I’ve made, the classes I took, and the opportunities I received. As I’m reflecting on my year, here are a few lessons that stuck with me:

  1. Be self reliant- I have realized that if you really want something, no one wants it more than you do. It’s easy to have people motivate and push you towards a goal, but you are only as determined as you allow yourself to be. I took charge and allowed myself to take risks, even if I was unsure of the outcome. I joined clubs (Her Campus, duh!), got involved, and even decided to start my own club.

  2. Pursue my interests- As a shy girl in high school, it was easy to go with the “norm” and do what everyone else was doing. But since I started college, I realized it was time to find my interests and really dive into it. I love writing so I joined Her Campus. I love yoga so I attended multiple classes a week and started my own yoga club. I love fashion and lifestyle, so I made a whole youtube channel dedicated to that.

  3. Stop feeling guilty for little things- I’ve always been the first person to say “I’m so sorry” or feel upset because I hurt someone’s feelings. I have always been so cautious of being myself because it could offend someone, but at the end of the day, not everyone is going to like you and that’s okay. I learned to be myself and not acomodate to how people needed me to be.

  4. Be okay with saying no- I’m such a “yes”  person that this is so hard for me. I want to please everyone and make the most out of everything, so I seem to say yes to everything even if it’s more than I can handle. This year, I learned that I can say no sometimes. I don’t always have to be a people pleaser. I can pick and choose my battles.

  5. Continue to chase my dreams- I’ve have always known this, but just a little reminder. Continue to chase your dreams and nothing in life will fail. I believe with the right mindset, you’ll achieve anything you put your heart into.

Samantha is a current Business Marketing major and Visual & Media arts minors. She loves to write about relatable topics such as dealing with stress and mental health. Aside from that, her passions include yoga, style, & self care!
Prathyusha Pillari is a 19-year-old senior at University of Washington, Bothell where she majors in Computer Science and Software Engineering. She was born in India and spent 14 years of her life there before moving to the United States. She is an advocate of women's rights and equality. She loves creative writing, traveling, driving around in her car and stalking people on Instagram.