“Get involved!” are the two words you constantly hear as a college student. However, "getting involved" with organizations and clubs on campus can be scary! Especially when you tend to be shy or reserved. It wasn't until recently that those words became tremendously important to me.

Most of the time, it’s our elders telling us this overused statement, and we tend to brush it off like it’s no big deal. Or maybe we don’t pay attention because we think they don’t know what they’re talking about. Surprisingly enough, they do! Going off to college is a big deal and can be scary for anyone. You have to learn to be on your own, make all the decisions for yourself and have to become educated in a specific field of choice so you can have a successful career after you graduate.

On the other hand, as college can be stressful, it is also the best years of your life! I can attest to that statement. When I first went away to a university after three years of community college, I kept to myself, was reserved and didn’t have all that much confidence in myself. This in turn held me back in getting involved my first semester like I should have. The message “get involved” kept burning I the back of my mind, and I kept telling myself, "OK, if you want to make the most out of your college experience here, then you have to put yourself out there. You find the opportunities; don’t wait for them to always come to you." With that being said, I did try to go to a couple of different meetings and even the college kickoff party to get to know some of the various organizations.

Moving away and starting a new college was a lot of change all at once, so I stuck to my comfort zone with what I knew best. College is about experiences, education and lessons learned. My lesson learned was that I wish I would’ve pushed through the first couple of weeks a little harder so I could’ve been more involved right off the bat. If there’s one thing we should all know by now, it’s that everything will be fine and work itself out with time. New experiences are out there just waiting for us to explore. Honestly, you only have to dip your toes in the water and feel around for what you like and where you feel you belong within your college community. After all, you did pick that college for a reason, and there is an organization for everyone!

Joining different groups on campus that you feel fit you best will help you tremendously throughout your college career. The very first organization I joined was the Greek life on campus. I remember still being a little hesitant about joining at first, until I allowed myself to come to the realization that things change, and I need to give it a real try without any pre-conformed thoughts or opinions. I’m glad I did, because it ended up opening so many other doors to great opportunities.

I've learned to grow as a student and was able to get involved with other activities and organizations on campus. I went from the quiet, reserved, low-confidence type of girl to an outgoing, confident and taking-on-leadership-roles kind of girl! So join organizations, try new things and get involved. This is what college is for!