To all you college freshmen out there, you just finished your first year of college! Congrats, you should be proud of yourself! I am sure many of you have a wide range of memories and experiences from this entire year. If your freshmen year was anything like mine, you encountered a ton of change and frustrations along the way.

I moved for the first time ever. Going to school out-of-state was already a big adjustment, but I also had to learn how to share a room with someone for the first time. Sharing my space was a completely new experience for me because I had always had a room to myself growing up. I was expecting to have my roommate become like my sister, someone who I could talk to about anything, someone who would be there for me whenever I wanted someone to hang out with.

My expectations did not become a reality right away, though; my first-semester roommate did not adapt well to being away from home and struggled to make the changes. During this rough time, I made new friends who constantly supported me and gave me a place to go when I needed it.

Through those friendships I have been able to build, I found my current roommate who has exceeded my expectations of dorm life; she has been nothing but supportive and loving. My roommate truly has become the sister I was hoping for. Better yet, she has become my person.

Starting college also brings the opportunity to build new relationships; being in a new place with new people, you are bound to make new friends. I made lots of friends. Even in just one year, some stuck and some were only friends for a little while. I have found some of my closest friends here, but I had to learn some very valuable life lessons along the way.

I learned that there are some people who may present themselves as kind and caring friends, but on the inside are not the same person they would lead you to believe. Through these experiences, I have learned what true friendship is and discovered how I truly deserve to be treated by my friends.

Throughout this school year, I changed my major a total of four times. I came into my freshman year with a plan to teach in a Lutheran school someday. I had a major in early childhood education and a minor in theology. However, about a month into school, I realized I am just not meant to be a teacher. I didn't want to give up my passion for education altogether, so I decided I wanted to get a Bachelor of Arts in computer science and use that training to develop educational software. After discussion with engineers and other computer professionals, though, I learned that it can be easier to get a job with a Bachelor of Science, so I switched yet again, this time to a mathematics degree with a specialization in computer science.

When it came time to register for classes, I was hesitant about my major yet again. I was going to have to take a wide range of difficult math courses I felt would be a waste of my time. I wanted to have more computer science courses instead of ridiculous math courses. Through all the indecision, I realized that my major needs to be something I am passionate about and excited to study. Freshman year is a time to explore what you are truly interested in learning and find your place.

I finally changed my major for the fourth and final time, and am again working toward earning a Bachelor of Arts in computer science. This time, I am sticking with it.

After a year full of learning experiences and changes, finals are completed and summer has finally arrived! A multitude of assignments, tests, quizzes and papers are all done. Over the last week, I have had to juggle packing, studying for finals, doing final presentations and saying goodbye to my friends for the whole summer.

Packing up and leaving is bittersweet; I have loved all the memories made this year. Regardless of the challenges I have faced, I have made countless memories here. Packing up and moving out means that my first whole year of college is complete, and I can finally go home and see family and friends again, but it doesn't mean I wouldn't sprint back here in a heartbeat.

I'm anxious to see what memories will be made in my next three years!