And just like that, another year of college has come and gone. After finishing up an amazing summer interning at Goodwill, I branched out into an entirely new world, The Ohio State University. Somehow, despite the overwhelming amount of uncertainty that came with being a transfer student, I knew that everything would be okay. And I was right; I've had the time of my life this year.
Before the school year began, I applied to be a writer for Odyssey and found passion in writing all over again. While not all of my articles are the best, they give me a chance to put my thoughts down and (hopefully) spark some conversation. Writing for Odyssey has been a critical part of my year, as I can see myself growing as both a person and a writer through each and every one of them.
I was also granted the amazing opportunity to be a part of the Ohio Union Activities Board, which although seemed small at first, has grown to be one of my favorite parts of being at Ohio State. OUAB has the distinct privilege of bringing events to campus that both engage and challenge them to grow in ways that they have yet to explore. As you can imagine, this is no easy feat when catering to a campus of nearly 70,000 people, but time and time again I am amazed by the dedication put forth by those around me.
However, I have met remarkable people both in and outside of OUAB. In addition to going to school alongside some of my friends from high school, I have gotten the chance to meet people that I hope will be by my side for the rest of my life. I have made the most supportive, caring and enjoyable people that after this year, I can not imagine my life without. It is with these people that I learned to break out of my comfort zone and realized that I do not need to be so high-strung all the time.
I am beginning to realize as I grow older how lucky I am to live this life; a life where I am surrounded by a loving family, supportive friends, having been given the opportunity to further my education. There are so many people who would, and have, died trying to be in my situation. I am so blessed to not have to worry about much beyond focusing on my schoolwork and my future rather than whether or not I will have another meal or a place to sleep.
Joining my sorority, Alpha Chi Omega, helped to remind me of this as they encourage me to grow both personally and professionally. A lot of times, Greek life gets a bad reputation due to the light only being shone on the negative aspects. Rarely does the media take the time to acknowledge the thousands of hours each year being put forth by fraternity men and women towards the greater good, and I think there needs to be more of that.
But as I say goodbye to my first year at Ohio State and second year in college, I can say one thing for certain. At the end of the day, it doesn't matter what my GPA is or what I do on the weekends, it doesn't matter who has the most money or who has the best body, because all that matters is that I'm being the best version of myself. We all have our different talents, and we all have a different combination of strengths. Although I think we all have our doubts (at least once a day), it's all going to work out in the end.