College is often a terrifying point in life that many high school seniors may not be ready to face. I'll admit, I was definitely one of those incoming freshmen. Being a shy girl going into college is not an easy task, but thanks to my school, it's been slightly easier for me to transition. It turned out that all I needed to start getting on track was one little push, a playful nudge whispering, "You can do this!" in my ears. At my university, this came from a three-day event sharing tips for improving leadership and well-being at school.

Move-in day came at a very early 5:00 am to wake up a terrified to the point of nausea me who had absolutely no clue what she signed up for or got herself into. This also happened to be the first day of the three-day event called BASEcamp where I met my first round of more freshman that seemed to be handling any of their potential fear far better than I was. I spent those few days getting to know them and others, realizing that they're all a fun and interesting group of people. I can truly say that I can't wait for classes to begin and to hopefully learn more about them.

The third day of BASEcamp touched me in an unexpected way. Yes, it was the last day, but there was an emphasis that we are all connected to each other in many ways. The leaders had each of us standing in a circle in the auditorium with our hands linked, and it was there that I noticed all of the individuality that also helps each of us complement each other and notice that we're all one and the same. In the end, I sat with my group and we had an activity involving sitting in a circle and essentially tapping someone (with their eyes closed) that you wanted to get to know more, that inspired you, etc. I was touched three times and I can't explain enough how good that felt.

Going through the program, it was easy for me to question if I was really making an impact or improving myself at all. Feeling those touches at the end of BASEcamp thrilled me. Never in a million years would I have thought that people there actually thought I made an impact when I was just some quiet girl who chimed in when I really pushed myself. The transition from knowing everyone back home to knowing no one in this state is a major challenge for an introvert like me, but that little moment showed me that even a scared, shy girl like me can do it, and I'd like to spread that same message to potential introverts reading this.

Making friends will take time. This is something I've accepted at the moment and all it takes is a little patience and courage. I found myself talking to a few new people this week, a couple I was vaguely familiar with thanks to group chats, and others I did not know at all. I wound up at a game night thanks to my roommate and met really awesome people (minus really not wanting to interrupt their "heated" game of Scrabble).

From BASEcamp to game night, to getting WAY out of my comfort zone and asking my group chat for a lunch buddy and proceeding to meet with them, to now I can say that I'm at the very least a slightly improved person socially. I can only hope that my social situations will continue to improve in the future for college life. I've met some really amazing people and I would love to keep learning about them. From this successful first week of college, I can really say that getting out there is extremely beneficial even if it scares you at first. Don't run away from situations because they scare or intimidate you like I used to. Get out there and at least try!