College life is no easy life. It’s filled with a myriad of new responsibilities, emotions, experiences, duties and activities — club recruitments, consulting groups, fraternity and sorority memberships, on-campus (or off-campus) jobs and work-study, financial aid complications, and — you guessed it — academics. Everything changes when we choose to devote four (or more) years of our lives to this exciting yet simultaneously terrifying adventure. The world shifts, literally in every aspect — from the food that we eat (occasional fruit and green to ramen cups and Sliver pizza slices) to the place we live (with familiar loved ones to unfamiliar roommates, or alone). These changes may suit some people and attract them or they may alienate some to the point of utter anxiety, misery and, most unfortunately, depression. But in the midst of this slew of work, it’s important to realize that there is something we’re all working towards — to look beyond the University Diploma that we’re all actively aspiring to pursue. It’s crucial to think of the piece of paper as a key to happier doors, with opportunities that not only serve to advance our careers but also our lives and prosperities. So read on, for three things I’m thankful for from the Odyssey at UC Berkeley, and realize that there’s still a lot to smile at between the monotony of midterms and the stresses of essays and papers!

1. My Health

It’s something I take for granted, particularly because of the fact that I have pulled off all-nighters without any detrimental effects to my health. Aside from the weight-gaining junk food cravings, groggy moods and occasional drowsiness in less than ideal moments, my all-nighters are voluntary endeavors to fulfill work (albeit not very effectively or in a timely manner) on a last minute basis. My youth, my little rare moments of health maintenance, my yoga ‘burst work-outs’, my dawn weekly walks, my exercise habits, my abrupt healthy diets and my weekly dessert splurges all help keep me physically calm, sane and happy. I’m grateful for having no health issues, for being alive without any pacemakers within me, oxygen machines attached to me, or life support ventilators connected to me. I’m grateful for being healthy because, as annoying as it may sound, “Health is wealth” and rightly so. I’m super grateful for being alive, for being able to promenade outside and amble through the busy, bustling streets of Telegraph Avenue without worrying about asthma attacks, my breathing rate or any ailment. I’m grateful for being here and being here healthy. Thank you, Health!

2. My Education and My Opportunities

Ah, something we college student are eternally thankful for, although it’s often not readily apparent. We have had the resources, the luck, and the parents to be able to attend this wonderful — and yes, I will say it yet again, no matter how annoying it is — “world’s №1 public university in the world” (No, I don’t accept Times Higher Education’s new rating; Cal all the way and bias is not included here — and frankly, this may be one of the most amazing and unique things to be thankful for. It also happens to be one of the points directly related to Cal (other than my fabulous peer group). I’m thankful to be studying at a public research university, to be surrounded by one of the most enlightening social academic milieus, to be learning from renowned professors with jaw-dropping experience who have authored the very textbooks and course readers that I study every night using, to be sitting next to worthwhile mentors, and to be attending an institution where I am not only gaining a world-class education but also perfecting my edification at the higher education level. I’m thankful for all the internship and research opportunities here, the robust campus life I get to take part in here, as well as the active club recruitment/consulting group/Greek life that I am able to participate in. There are a plethora of choices and it’s unlikely I’m ever going to get tired of them (or Spoon University). The innumerable number of courses I have to choose and the diversity of majors to choose are another fact to be thankful for. Thank you, UC Berkeley and all that comes with you!

3. My Family and Friends

I definitely took some time to build a strong support system for myself, but it was definitely worth it. They help me through all my ups and downs (the latter being inevitably more common than the former), my highs and lows, my stresses and all my celebrations. How do they “help” me in my good times, you may ask? They make it infinitely times better than the way it would have been, had they not been there. They make all the pains and tensions worthwhile; when I’m alone, and anxious — about anything, from the mundane activities of life to the occasional midterms that lead to mental breakdowns — they are there to get me through it eventually. They actually help me believe in the phrase “This too shall pass.” They are my fiat lux — “let there be light” through them. Not only do my family support my mental and emotional health, but their life teachings all throughout my 18 years of existence and their tips and constant suggestions fuel my present and future success. I owe it all to them, and that’s why I’m intensely grateful for them, for being their daughter and relative, for being a part of their lives. It’s a privilege and a gift I can never repay them. Nevertheless, I’m also thankful for the company I keep at Cal — they are intelligent, quirky, and amazing geniuses with not only the brains but also the awesome smiles that make my day worth living. They have experiences I would love to listen to and stories worth sharing. They are the Nobel Laureates I aspire to become and they are successful in almost everything they endeavor. They teach me as much as my attendance at UC Berkeley does because they all have something worth learning. It’s a pleasure to know them, to speak with them, to sit next to them, to hang out with them, to eat with them, to live with them and most of all, to study with them. My peers are the other side of my support system, and I hope I am part of theirs too. They brighten up my days and my nights in ways close loved ones never can. The struggle to be at Cal — to breathe, study and simply exist here — is real (more so for some, than others), but they help me “hold on” and remind me that I’m not alone. They are another element that I’m thankful for everyday of my wonderful life. Hang on, my dear Golden Bears.

In short, I have few things to be thankful for, but those few things are deeply integrated into my life and form everything in it — they ARE my life. There is also the UC Berkeley’s all-star and highly memorable Memes for Edgy Teens Facebook Page that I’m insanely thankful for…