People say that college is where you find yourself. I know it is probably for the most part just a cliche saying, but I well believe that if you let yourself go, really be yourself, and do what fulfills your own happiness, you can find this part of yourself you haven't seen in high school and your younger years.

I can reflect back to freshman year. However, since it was a huge time for readjustment from my home back on Long Island to here in Newark, Delaware, I didn't really have the chance to work on myself and grow as an individual. As silly as it sounds, from this point on, I truly want to find out more about myself including my likes, dislikes, what I enjoy doing during my free time, what I want to do when I grow up, and so much more. I know I had middle school and high school to figure these things out, but the town I grew up in hindered that and my success in fully finding my image. That is a whole other story, but as much as I love the place I grew up in, it was also a very judgmental area. So, hopefully here in college, I get to live the part of me that I didn't get to completely demonstrate in my younger years.

As I am still a female sophomore, I haven't found my full self yet to say the least. I am currently 19 years old and I have my entire life ahead of me to fulfill my dreams and hopes for the future. Before I find out all of that, I first need to find out more about myself. I do like the person I've developed into. On the other hand, I want to grow in the sense of maturity, patience, and depend on others a little less. At the University of Delaware, I believe I can grow in this sense. All of these characteristics come from experiencing them first hand, and I already had to learn to be patient for teachers, other colleagues, and test grades. I have to also be patient with myself when I am unable to figure out a problem or understand a subject being taught in class. By my senior year, I intend to have a lot more patience for others when I am in the real world on my own. Maturity will also grow as I get older. You can't be rude and obnoxious to your professors or other students and expect them to consider your presence and answer your questions. That's not how life works and you will learn this throughout your college experience. So in this sense, I believe I can become a lot more mature by my senior year of college. Lastly, I aspire to be more independent rather than dependent on others. Of course this transition isn't easy since we basically grew up with our parents and/or guardians nurturing us and doing different tasks that we have to take over in Delaware. With time, I believe I can become the independent young woman I am obliged to be.

There are so many more traits I wish to acquire throughout the rest of my college experience and I know I will achieve those goals of mine and eventually find myself in its entirety. I am very excited to see the future me!