So as the school year draws to an end, I can't help but reflect on this past year. So much has happened in these past nine months: I've met new people, moved to a different city and state, joined new clubs, learned about world issues and social justice, and discovered things about myself that I didn't know before I came to college.

It seems crazy that I didn't know any of my friends just nine months ago. Now, I can't even imagine what life would be like without them. It seems that life was boring before I met my college friends (not to discredit my high school friends, y'all rock). I never imagined I would meet such amazing, caring, kind, generous, thoughtful, and supportive people. They are better than I dreamed of. But from hammocking, to movie nights, to late night talks, to friend dates, to retreats, to concerts, college has definitely been fun. While I had heard that college is where you meet your best friends, and find who you are, I didn't actually believe it until I got there.

I also can't believe how fast this year has gone. It seems like just yesterday when I moved in and started a new chapter of my life. I had also heard that college flies by, but I had no idea just how fast it goes until I got here. First, I couldn't believe it was January, then I couldn't believe it was spring break, and now I can't believe we're moving out for the summer. It’s going to be weird not going to meals together, falling asleep to people talking in the hall, playing hall sports, or being able to walk down the hall to see your friends. Saying goodbye to friends was really hard, and it’s going to be hard to be away from them for three whole months.

While friends are the main part of college, I’ve also discovered a lot about myself. I’ve realized that I’m passionate about social justice issues, particularly clean water and poverty. I’ve also realized that I want to get to know people on a deeper level, not just at surface level. I want to be more intentional with my relationships. Even though I obviously haven’t discovered everything about myself, it’s definitely a start.

The classes were challenging and made me think critically about subjects and issues that I wouldn’t have thought about otherwise. I found myself wanting to research the subject and write that paper, because I found it interesting. That’s one thing I can say about college that I couldn’t say about high school. The education is stuff that you find interesting and worth learning about.

While I’ve had many good times, I’ve also had bad times too. I’ve learned from my mistakes and grown from them. Besides, it wouldn’t be as valuable if everything was smooth sailing.

So as the year comes to a close, I can’t help but be sad. It's the end of one of the best years of my life, and was more than I could've ever wanted. But all good things must come to an end, and it’ll be three months until we’re all together again! Thanks for everything freshman year, it was great!