This year seemed to absolutely fly by. It feels like just yesterday I was packing up and ready to fly back to my year-round home. When looking back to August it's as if I just blinked my eyes and suddenly it was May and I was closing out another year of college.

It's the strangest feeling when you look back and you remember it all being so close, but also so far away.

Coming back to college was something I looked forward to all summer. This year I lived in a sorority house with girls that quickly turned into my best friends and sisters. Although slightly hesitant on the flight here, I knew that this was the right place for me to be. Freshman year was a totally new experience in a new place, and sophomore year would be too, but now I would be in a place I called home.

Sophomore year was different, but it was more comfortable for me than freshman year was.

Academically, I pushed myself to succeed as best as I could. It wasn't always easy, but I had a better understanding of the flow of school and what was going to be expected of me. Campus was no longer foreign and scary, but a place to explore every single day. Faces were more familiar and buildings were no longer so unknown. Asking for help when needed was something that I did way more than I used to, and I'm proud of myself.

Socially, this year has given me everything I could've dreamed of. My friends who were just friends at first became sisters. Living in a sorority house has given me a community and family of so many people that I will hold close for the rest of my life. It was truly the best thing I'll never do again.

Personally, I have grown into myself. I started college scared, shy and afraid of the unknown. Now, halfway through my experience, I know how to stand tall and hold my own. I'm not afraid to stand up for what's right, voice my opinion and fight when I need to. I have always been an independent person, but now I was someone who could do it all on my own. Though I am still so young, I feel I have a better grip on life and how to live it as an adult.

Sophomore year for me was when I grew the most. I think that I have really come into my own and feel more confident in the person that I am becoming. I do struggle with bumps in the road and not every day is perfect, but we're all human. I know that I am leaving this year a better and stronger person, with so many connections that will last me a lifetime.

I was able to make Sophomore year, my year.

I'm sad to be leaving school, but am looking ahead to having a summer for myself. I hope to come back in the fall energized and ready to do my best, just as I was a year ago. For those who are going to be sophomores in college, I urge you to make it the best.

Study hard, enjoy yourself, make your best friends and just have fun.

You never get this time back, so make the most of every moment!