Freshman year is filled with new people, new environments, and new experiences. It's dealing with the bittersweetness of leaving home and creating a new one. Although I fell in love with freshman year, it was just a preview of the amazing memories that are in store throughout my college experience.

Sophomore year has absolutely, hands-down, been the best so far. It's not because I haven't struggled or experienced loss, as I definitely have. It's not because I have it all figured out, I definitely don't. Rather, it's because, as this year comes to an end, I'm one step closer to exactly where I want to be.

However, not every moment of this year was a breeze. With every bit of good comes a little bit of bad. It worries me that half of my time in college has passed in the blink of an eye, but it is a blessing in disguise along with the lessons that two short years can teach you.

Dear sophomore year,

Thank you for giving me the confidence to step out of my comfort zone.

As many of my friends know, I have a very shy side. If you just laughed at that statement, venture back to when you first met me. The girl who walked into her first day of college was very quiet, awkward, and lonely. The bruises and wounds that were in my heart resulted in huge confidence issues. My past kept showing me that I couldn't do things. As I gained relationships with sorority sisters, professors, and co-workers, those thoughts that once made me feel invisible became invisible. I have learned that a few simple steps can start making a path and you are in charge of the direction that you go in. There are hills and sometimes valleys, but learning how to curve between them always leads to a victory lap. Sophomore year was full of twist and turns, but it truly showed me how to be a leader and become someone who I once looked up to.

Thank you for helping me let people in.

High school was not my favorite time in my life. When I kept hearing that those were the days that people will look back and miss, I felt as if it wasn't going to get any better. When I came to college, I realized that one of my biggest worries was one of the biggest lies. Some people peak in high school, but I am so glad that I didn't because, for me, the best was yet to come.

In freshman year, I lived in a dorm where my door automatically locked and it had its own bathroom. Therefore, there wasn't much activity to get to know my floormates. Even though I didn't get to know my neighbors, I made the best of it by getting involved on campus.

This year was very different. I lived in our temporary sorority housing with 20 of my closest friends. I tend to keep my thoughts and feelings to myself. My past makes it hard to let people in because of the hurtful actions that came after. Yet, this year was different.

Living on the floor showed me the beauty of leaning on each other during times of loss and how to celebrate in times of victory. I learned the importance of letting people in and, more importantly, the unhealthiness of keeping it bottled up. I always thought that It was a waste of time talking about my problems, but I can't put into words how blessed I am to have amazing friends who have shown me that it only gets better if you let it out and let them face it with you.

Thank you for making me realize that when you dream, you can achieve.

My friends can tell you that I am obsessed with my major: Visual Communication Technology. I am always showing them my completed website compositions, t-shirt designs, and print media projects. For a girl who never knew what she wanted to do in her life, I am finding little stepping stones throughout my academic experience that have strengthened my belief in where I am supposed to be. During freshman year, I nervously scattered to find an internship for the summer. I was terrified to start the process and had a million fears about messing up. Of course, It turned out it to be a blast and it lead me to network with my dream internship program that I have been officially accepted into for this summer. During freshman year, I would never picture myself interning at a high-end marketing agency, but it was just a reminder that if you can dream it, you can achieve it.

Thank you for teaching me how to love myself.

I think this is a struggle for a lot of adults my age. Living with a group of young women, I'm constantly hearing their negative opinions about their bodies. Since it's very easy to be the hardest critic on yourself, it is easier to get lost in the meaning of beauty. I have learned that you can't live a positive life with a negative mind. No matter how many people tell you positive things, at the end of the day, the only opinion that matters is yours. I may not have the size 0 body shape, but I have learned that to be beautiful is to be yourself. I have goals to gain a healthier state of mind and, while completing them, I don't want to be anyone other than me.

While I am sad to say goodbye to my sophomore year, I am packing up so much more knowledge and wisdom to take through the next two years.

Here's to junior year. The third time is the charm, right?