The end of the semester is quickly approaching with finals and christmas songs in full swing. Nearing the end of my first semester at college, I look back on it with soft smiles for all of the wonderful moments I have experienced and for all of the memories that I will make in the coming semesters. So much has happened in just five short months, and I am grateful for every second of it.

Looking back at this semester, however, only one thing comes to my mind: a butterfly. Throughout high school, I was relatively sheltered from the world and from life and did not go out of the way to meet new people or experience new things. With that said, high school was almost like a cocoon for me, a place that was purely comfortable with no true growth. By being so enclosed within a personal barrier, I limited myself to not experiencing so many wonderful things that can happen in high school and in just growing up. Thus, high school served as my pre-butterfly stage.

In just one short semester, I somehow broke through the barriers that once kept me enclosed and showed a new, more confident, and more outgoing version of myself to the world. Slowly, with time and with the accompany of friends, I found myself climbing out of the cocoon and gaining enough strength to eventually spread my wings. With my waxing strength, I began initiating conversations more, going up to random strangers and introducing myself in hopes of having a future friend to wave to as I walk by them on campus or someone to eat lunch with. More so, I began climbing out of my comfort zone and attending events that I probably wouldn't have gone to in high school, and through that, I formed relationships and created wonderful memories that I can only hope will last a lifetime.

I have only experienced one semester of college, and with that, I am in no way done growing as a person- I have not completely spread my wings because I don't think anyone completely does so in college. It truly is a place of personal growth and a place where you have to embrace each moment with open arms. I only hope that each coming semester brings the same, if not more, amount of growth for myself so that I can eventually show the world my true colors with poise and complete confidence.