New school, new me.
Although this sounds a lot like the cliche, “new year, new me,” it goes much deeper than that. Choosing to transfer schools was not an easy decision. In fact, it was a decision I wrestled with for months. I made so many amazing friendships at my previous school, but I never felt like I had found my home there. I often felt like something was missing, but I wasn’t quite sure what it was. It wasn’t until I spent a semester in Colorado, surrounded by people who had hearts for Christ that I realized what it was—the piece missing was Jesus. As a person who has a bad habit of being a follower, I realized that I needed to be following people who had the same life goal as I did: to be an ambassador of Christ. With that realization came the decision to transfer to a school that I knew would grow me in ways that my current school wasn’t. Don’t get me wrong, I loved my first year of college. I made so many friendships that are still so near and dear to my heart. I made memories that I am certain will last a lifetime. And I learned things that I wouldn’t have learned anywhere else, but I knew my time at that school needed to come to an end.
This past semester has been challenging. Not only did I start going to a new school, but a new school in a whole new state—932 miles away from the place I call home. It was hard adjusting to an unfamiliar environment and at times I questioned if I had made the right decision, but with this semester coming to an end, I am positive that I did. When I think about where I was at this time last year to where I am now, it’s evident that I have experienced so much growth. Not just the kind of growth that comes with time, but the kind of growth that is life-altering. I have found myself building relationships with people who push me to be the best me possible. I have seen myself take on more responsibilities and accomplish them with a positive attitude. I have recognized myself showing more love to others. I have started to incorporate Christ in all that I do. I have become a new me.
It’s hard to start a new chapter of life. It’s hard to let go of who you used to be and focus on who you want to be, but I have found that sometimes that’s the best thing to do. It’s easy to fall into patterns and decide that you are who you will always be, but sometimes it just takes one little change to show you how much potential you have to be someone completely different. Whether that is a change in friendships, a change in your career, a change in the activities you participate in, or a change in schools, sometimes a little change from the things that were hindering you is the best decision you can make.
It has been so encouraging to see how Christ has worked through this new chapter of my life. So don’t think that it’s too late to change the course of your life, because I can assure you it isn’t. I can say that without a doubt this new school has brought with it a new me.
