Call home.

Regardless of what year of college you may be in, from Freshman all the way up to senior, you need to call home. College, for most, is a wonderful place. For four years you can shape and mold yourself into the person you want to be, and surround yourself with different types of people that hopefully aid you in that growth and that process; the unfortunate downside of college is that it is all too easy to lose your roots--to lose who you really are.

Humility is a lost art. If you asked me to describe what I was like before I came to Villanova, I could give you multiple strands of semi-true strands of information that could lead some to believe that, frankly, I was the freaking man. I could relay to you that I have had so many girlfriends; I could tell you that I was a phenomenal lacrosse player; I could tell you that I had so many friends, and that my trips through the halls of Chatham High School were so filled with “yo’s” and “hey what’s good”s that any normal, less-cool human being would have been entirely overwhelmed.

And, frankly, that is probably what I would tell you.

The temptation to surround yourself in these “half-truths” to hide things that may not always be too flattering is so strong, so commonplace, that it is almost inevitable to fall victim to it. No one is going to know about your addiction to World of Warcraft, or the immense trepidation you felt as you prepared for your first kiss, hug, or how your mom would have grounded you until the second Tuesday of next week if she ever caught you drinking. No one is going to know the real you.

This is why I say: call home.

Whether it be calling your parents and siblings or a weekly check-in with your friends from back home, a simple phone call can make all the difference. These people know you; these people can see through your half-truths and force you to present the real you! In a world where filters and photoshop appear to reign supreme, the genuine and the sincere are the ones who truly thrive.

You see, the people you truly connect with, the people you sincerely trust and deeply care about and for are not the ones who care about your goofy antics in High School; rather, your true friends are the ones who care about and support the things that you may not want people to know about. Although this idea may seem like something that needs to stitched onto a small pillow on your grandmother’s house, it is a message that has never been more desperately needed. Be genuine, be sincere, be you:

Call home.