Ladies and gentlemen, yours truly has just finished his seventh semester of college. Soon, I'll begin my eighth and final semester here at NC State and I couldn't be more excited. However, despite all my enthusiasm for the future, I'm also feeling a great deal of sorrow for the years that have passed. My time at NC State has quite honestly been the best four years of my life. I already know that when it's all over, I'm going to be absolutely crushed. I'll join everyone else in the real world and this will all be just another fond memory of mine. Actually, it won't just be another memory. It'll be the best memory I'll have for a long time. I have so many friends and mentors to thank for my amazing experience at NC State, but there is one group in particular that has done more for me than I could have ever asked for. It wasn't a group I met in a class or at any party. Believe it or not, it was a group that I met at work.
Becoming an RA was the best life decision I've made thus far. Initially, I did it to save money on room and board and improve my resume (and so I didn't have to have a roommate). However, despite the great benefits, the real reason I've stuck with the job was because of the co-workers. I've met some amazing people in my life, but no one can ever compare to my fellow RA's. All my greatest memories of college have come from the times I've spent with them. Whether it was working through a three-day straight move-in weekend or celebrating the end of a semester crammed in one of our rooms, I know I'll always cherish every second we've shared. I could go on and on about how incredible these people are and how much they mean to me, but I need to get to the main point of this article. You'll never know how a decision is going to impact your life. More specifically, you'll never know how a person is going to impact your life. We meet new people all the time. It might just be in passing, or in a new class, or maybe at your job. Very rarely do we find ourselves meeting someone that ends up enriching our lives in ways we could ever imagine. I was lucky enough to find a group of people like that because, for one of the few times in my life, I gave my colleagues a chance.
I'll be the first to admit that I'm the kid who sits in the back of the class in every course. I keep to myself, do what I need to do, and never branch out outside my comfort zone. When I was hired as an RA, it was the first time I really got to know the individuals working around me because the job kind of demanded it. It was, however, one of the best things that could have happened. I was able to get out of my comfort zone and meet people who I now consider to be my closest friends. So here's my advice to you. Whether it be in your next class or your place of work, make an effort to reach out and get to know someone. If they're in the same major or line of work as you, chances are you may have a few things in common. I got a chance to get to know my peers and it was the best part of my college experience. So give it a try. Because what's the worst that can happen?
