The semester is winding down, and in a short time, I will be back home, and see many of my friends for the first time since the semester started. I wrote a letter outlining the changes they should expect to see, just so they aren’t surprised.

Dear Friend,

It has been a while. I thought about you often this semester, and I missed you. I am very excited to see you again, but you should know some things have changed.

First of all, I have some new friends. You will always be dear to me and near my heart, but so will the amazing people I have met here. The people on my triathlon team have pushed me to swim strongly, bike boldly, run rapidly, and surprisingly bake a lot. The people at the Catholic Center have pushed me to grow in my faith, grow as a person, and again, bake. The people in my dorm have pushed me to study but still have fun and to eat baked goods. Honestly, when you see me, I may be a few pounds heavier after all this baking.

Secondly, I am more mature. Partly because I have befriended some really amazing upperclassmen and grad students who have shown me what real “adulting” is like. Once I went to a going away party for a friend, and there were three people there under 20: me, and two small children of other guests. But these friends have already lived so much and have so much guidance and knowledge to share with me. Maybe I am more mature also because of the nature of college. For the first time I am living without my parents for more than a month, and with that comes responsibility. My mom can no longer sneak into my room and clean it up when I am not home. If I don’t wash my dishes or do laundry, everything remains dirty. No one tells me when to go to bed, when to eat, when to do homework, when to exercise, when to stop watching TV. I have to be responsible and decide for myself what I need to do, and I have to prioritize. Clean clothes or completed homework? No, I am not going to lie, there have been times where I have chosen TV over studying or have stayed up late talking to friends instead of sleeping, but when I have made a mistake, I have learned from it. For example, I’ve learned not to start a philosophical conversation with Jesse, a guy downstairs who has some amazing, intellectual thoughts, at ten o’clock when you know you have to wake up at eight am the next morning, because the next thing you know it will be twelve am and you still have homework to do. While the conversation may be rewarding, having to wake up the next morning may not be as fun. College has definitely made me more understanding of my responsibilities and willing to do them.

Thirdly, I have a second home. Wilco is my home, it is where my heart is, and my family is. But Georgia Tech is now my second home, I love it here. And like anything that you love, you want to share your passion for it. Be prepared for many stories about this amazing place and the people here. You’ll hear crazy Tech traditions like the Horse and stealing T’s. You’ll hear about the stresses of exams or difficult projects. You’ll hear about all my friends and the fun stuff we’ve done. You’ll hear about my go to lunch spots and the dining hall woes: apparently you can’t bring a blanket into the dining hall, and a bathing suit and towel does not count as clothes (it was after swim practice, I was hungry). You’ll hear about an entire semester worth of memories, memories of moments that at times I wish I had shared with you, but, friend, if I am honest, at other times I was glad to be able to branch out and form my own memories with new and exciting people. One thing I have learned is everyone has a story, and everyone has something to share. You can learn something from everyone, and I think that is amazing.

So all in all, I am pretty much the same, just a little older, a little wiser, a little more prepared for my future, and a little more in love with the world around me.

I can’t wait to catch up! Just keep in mind, Georgia Tech has (hopefully) made me a better person, and I love it here.

Sincerely,