Rejection. The harsh and cold feeling of having to start over. The feeling that all of your time and hard work went to waste. The feeling that you aren't enough. Rejection is painful and I am no stranger to that feeling; but, I am sure neither are you. College is a world full of possibility and a chance to fly higher than you did while in high school; but, opening the door for opportunities allows for rejection and failure to slither in as well. It is an inevitable evil, a part of living and expanding your character and experiences to become a well rounded and humble individual.

I recently applied for a Resident Assistant position for the Longwood Residental Offices and received an email a few weeks afterward that they decided that I was not what they wanted for their position. I was heartbroken for around thirty minutes before coming to terms with their decision. The biggest lesson I have learned while attending a university is gaining a mindset that enforced the idea of letting things go. Life will always go wrong at some points and right at others but, if it will not matter in 30 years I won't waste more than 30 minutes dwelling on it.

There is a silver lining in everything, some of them are just harder to find. Yes, the position that I had worked and wished for passed me by; but, that means it will come back around. I wasn't ready and now I have time and experience so that next year I will be. And, should the position pass me by once again, it will give me interview experience once I enter the workforce. All of this is okay. that means it will come back around. I wasn't ready and now I have time and experience so that next year I will be. And, should the position pass me by once again, it will give me interview experience once I enter the workforce. All of this is okay. It is okay because my failures and the rejection I face don't define me. They show that I was strong and brave enough to try and that, in and of itself, is the biggest success I could have earned; I will keep trying no matter how many "no's" and rejections are thrown my way because I know I can. I survived it once and I can survive it again.

Rejection is not the worst that can happen. To stop trying altogether is the worst. Rejection, as painful as it may be, truly is your best friend, working to build and shape you into a strong and resilient individual that continues to stand back up. I will. I will continue to stand, with each failed interview, broken relationship, sports tryouts and everything in between because I am stronger from when I have fallen in the past. I will keep falling and keep standing up and continuing to grow as I become who I have always wanted to be.