This is a response to "7 Valuable Lessons College Taught Me."

I've graduated from college nearly four years ago and the lessons the author mentioned in their article "7 Valuable Lessons College Taught Me" are true to me. They are valuable life lessons that I took with me into the adult world. They are lessons I'll never forget. I believe anyone can learn from their college experiences and turn them into life lessons and they can take with them into the adult world.

I have to say my favorite valuable lesson from the author's article is lesson number six, which is "to believe in myself." I used to doubt myself a lot and always thought I wasn't good enough, especially when I go out and try something new. When I started to take dance seriously back in college, I've actually never performed in front of an audience before. I've doubted myself at first but I told myself, if I want to grow as a person, then I have to take a leap of faith. So I did and in the end, it was so much fun to dance in front of audience. This lesson of believing myself has allowed me to flourish for the rest of my college career and into the adult world.

Later in college, by believing myself and not giving up, I stepped out to the plate and choreographed my own dance during my last semester of college and became captain of my college's dance team. I didn't expect myself to those things but I did. After graduating from college, I got my Masters Degree in Business Administration and got a job in the federal government. I also do freelance writing on the side since I have a passion for writing and managed to get published on several online publications, which I didn't expect at all. Plus, as someone who loves to change the world for the better, I got into activism more and volunteer for a number of nonprofits and campaigns from gun violence prevention to increasing voter turnout. Lastly, I got into pageantry. With pageantry, I've doubted myself at first since I don't see enough people who look like me in the industry. But then I told myself, "why I don't I become the representation people need to see in the industry? To set an example for young women that they can do it." I took a risk of joining my first pageant, Miss Maryland USA 2022. I took the risk because I believe in myself, despite what others would say about me. I was challenging myself (valuable lesson number three from the article) to be my best self representing my hometown at the state level. Even though I didn't win, it was an amazing experience I'll never forget. My mindset of always believing myself has allowed me to grow more into the woman I want to be. And for that, I'm thankful.

I know some people think I'm crazy that I'm doing a lot in my life in general. Back in college, I was always that busy bee. Time management (valuable lesson number two) was definitely the key to my success. A lot of what I do ranging from dance to research has fulfilled me as a changemaker who wants to make the world a better place. I was doing what I love (valuable lesson four). Sometimes, it didn't feel like work at all and I was having fun. Even though I do a lot, it was important to me to manage my time so I don't burn out in the end. I like to plan things ahead and also make time for breaks and sleep. By having a key work life balance for me, I have the best of both worlds to succeed.

Another thing I wanted to say is that success does take time and doesn't happen over night. I have to say the valuable lesson of "to keep gong one step at a time" is the most applicable lesson for all because things take time to happen in life. Goals take time to reach but if you never give up and take one step at a time along the way, you'll reach your end goals and success will happen to you. I've learned about this when I made my college's dance team and when I got into my career field. It was rough both times when I first started out, but with a lot of learning and practice overtime (valuable lesson number five), I've managed to perform successfully without any issues.

The experiences I've gained in college and in the adult world are what I make of them. I'm 25 years old still learning the world around me. If I want something, I go for it. I can do whatever I set my mind to (valuable lesson number one), which is why I'm no longer afraid to take risks. I figure out life is too short when I've graduated from college and moved on in my life. I had to tell myself that the world has many opportunities that I can take on. The valuable lessons I've gained from college are what I'll take with me forever in the adult world.