One month... it has been about one month since we have parted ways and went back home. This is the first summer that ending school is a much bigger deal than it was before. Depending on where we live in regards to our friends, we are saying goodbye to people we have spent everyday with and are not seeing them for weeks or even months. Since being home, I have been able to experience and understand more than I could have before I left for school. It has taught me many different ways of looking at life. We are at the point where we can decide our actions and be completely responsible for them. We are also able to judge adult-like situations harsher and from a better perspective than from when we were in high school. I have realized so much about being a person and an adult as a whole.

Being home has also taught me how important family is. While we are gone, life keeps moving but our family is still intact and we are part of our family. It is so important to reach out, spend quality time with your family and understand that during these years filled with tremendous growth, you are also meeting your new family. The people that will be by your side through thick and thin. Family and relationships are so much work, but a good type of work. The benefits that come from good relationships are so valuable. Being home has also taught me to make more of an effort in relationships than I did before. I always thought I was a good friend but I have realized I want to be a great friend. One that unconditionally loves and supports the people around her. The reason why I have gotten to this point in life is because being without our loved ones during the time we are away and seeing that things have changed since I have come back, has made me take a deep breathe and look. Look around and appreciate the people around me; their strengths and faults.

Since Freshman year has ended, it is also terrifying to think we are finally "adulting." We are growing up and there is no looking back. There is nothing more nerve racking than knowing we are really children anymore, it is up to us to mold our future now. The great part about this fear is that it teaches us to be comfortable in it. We are so close to our dreams, we can almost touch them. We are so fortunate to have an education and an experience that affects us so much, giving us the ability to look at life a different way and implement that into our every day lives.