I cannot believe I’m sitting here writing this right now. It feels like just yesterday my dad was providing me with door-to-door service as he dropped me off at school.

It’s obvious that I’ve changed since I started college, but I believe this change is for the better. I’ve created amazing memories with people I could not even imagine would come into my life. I’ve lived on my own for the first time and actually made it almost all the way through the year. I was finally able to better my organizational skills by learning to balance a social life, school work, and extracurricular activities and still manage to enjoy my time in college. I’m glad that I was able to challenge myself and take on this big change in my life through the support of my friends and family.

I have never felt freer than when my parents dropped me off at college. I’m not going to lie, I was scared beyond belief that first night. I was left in a room, hours away from my hometown, with girls who I only knew through Facebook conversations about dorm decorations. As time went on, however, I knew that college was meant for me. I knew that what was to come would totally change my life forever. I will forever miss the nights of sitting in a cozy dorm room laughing with other people who were in my shoes. I might even miss the horrors of the bathroom stalls and sharing everything with everyone on the floor (just kidding probably not).

As my semester went on, I would travel around campus and have countless flyers for different clubs and activities shoved in my face. Although this irritated me occasionally, it reminded me how involved I was in high school. I can’t remember a time I wasn’t running to a basketball practice right after my field hockey game and then rushing to a school function or volunteering event. This prompted me to join a few programs. Even though I joined too many at first, these events changed my perspective on life. Through philanthropic events, I was able to connect with people who were truly struggling and to hear their stories. These stories are as real as their journeys and they taught me to take life for what it has to offer rather than to hate your life for the things you don’t get that other people do. Although we may get disappointed when things don’t go our way, they could be a lot worse.

My friends have made this journey incredible so far. Thank you, freshman year, for providing me with genuine people who share some of the same qualities and interests as I do. These people always strive to promote my best interest and I wouldn’t even have to think to do the same for them. We have been able to create memories and support each other while we all take on this tough journey together. The simple memories of roaming the streets at night from party to party, laughing at little jokes and funny things we had done thus far that night make for the best stories.

College can be a struggle at times, but I wouldn’t change having this experience for the world. It is filled with many firsts, mistakes included. To regret something would mean that you would want the entire memory of it erased from your mind. If I wasn’t given the opportunity to attend college, my entire life would be different. In my world, I’d probably hate my life if I didn’t have you, college. Thank you for allowing me to understand myself more and make decisions that I think fit me best. Thank you for allowing me to fix my wrongs without damaging myself completely. You packed so many experiences into such a relatively short amount of time, and I couldn’t be more grateful to have you as a major part of my life.

I’ve lived, I’ve learned, and I can’t wait to see what the next three years will bring.