The home stretch, a year from today you'll be at a meeting with your advisor making sure that you have earned all of the right credits to graduate. I know it seems far right now and there's so much left to still do before graduation, but the end is near and it's just your beginning. The days feel long and the assignments get harder each semester, but it's going to be worth it. I know that for a fact. It 's difficult to hold on to the positivity you had your first day of freshman year where everything was exciting and all was good in the world. Today, you crumble under pressure and find that everything is so much more difficult than it ever has been. We don't talk about how difficult college is enough, a lot of talk circles around about the partying and the fun aspects which are definitely the positives of going to a University.

Yet sometimes we find ourselves deep under without any feeling that we will get out of the dark place we've immersed ourselves in. That's when we lean on each other to get out of it so we can keep powering through and continuing to power through to the end of the semester. We complain and try to make things sound better which helps temporarily, yet in the long run, we usually get back to that mindset somehow. It's not going to be easy and it might get harder but we need to learn to accept that because life itself isn't easy and will present challenges constantly. We accidentally immerse ourselves into this bubble of college and forget that there is a world around us that is growing and evolving.

Life is difficult and college is one of the stepping stones that most of us go through which push us to the next step and so on so that we can be successful. All we want is to be proud and know that we are doing everything in this life to make ourselves and those we love happy and content. These days are hard and the hours are rigorous but it's that smile at the end that we all want to achieve. It's the look on our parents' faces when they see us holding our diploma and the chuckle that we have when a job offer comes our way. We seek pride in how we react and what we face which makes us stronger.

I never said it was going to be easy, I'm going through it right now probably just like you. Things are hard and people come and go, but it's the ones who stick around who are the most important. Don't get lost in what people like or want to do just because you want to fit in, embrace your personality and individuality. Never lose touch of yourself through the process and you'll be absolutely fine. Every day is a stepping stone and you're growing into the person you're meant to be.

Sit back for a second and let yourself reflect on everything that has brought you to today.