I have been back at school for a little over a month now, and have been in classes for about three weeks, and there are so many thoughts I have in my head about how my year is going so far. I am going to do my best to tangibly write those thoughts and share them with you. I do want you all to understand something: I know that it is still the beginning of the year, but I have had things on my mind and I think it is a great honor for me to share them with all of you.

As I came back to school this year, there were a lot of last things for me—it was my last time going through Residence Life training, it was my last time leading worship at the retreat for student leaders, it was my last time moving into a dorm room, it was my last time feeling the anxiety the night before coming back to school. All of these may seem pretty minor, but just contemplating everything that I am doing for the last time was quite an emotional battle within me.

On top of this, I had the privilege of organizing different things for New Student Orientation, and through that time, I was constantly launched back to when I was a freshman. When looking back to when I first got to Trinity, I remember what things I was excited about, and I remember thinking, "What am I getting myself into?"

Throughout these first couple weeks of school, different locations on campus spark different memories from the time I have had at Trinity. And while I feel peaceful reminiscing, the nostalgia also brings me to a point of tears. Not tears in the sense of sorrow, but tears in pure amazement that I have even made it this far.

When I was in middle school, I found out I had a vision problem, so learning for me took two or three times longer than others. It was a battle getting through each year. I remember in the summer when my friends were hanging out, I was getting tutored to make sure I passed another year. Now that I am a senior in college, I am so thankful to my parents who cared for me to make sure I worked hard, and for my tutors who helped me excel. I remember thinking in high school, "I'll probably get through two years of college and then transfer or drop out or something." But the years kept passing by—and I am still here!

In these past couple weeks, I have thought about all the doubts that I have had, the way people have poured into me, and how God has given me the strength to make it through. From that young freshman to the person I am today, I still have a lot of growing to do, but I am proud of who I am becoming, and it's all thanks to God and the people He has placed in my life to pour into me.

As I conclude, I do need to be transparent: I think this year is going to be the hardest for me. For those of you who do not know me as well, I have put a lot into the community at Trinity and have been involved in so many different things. I do not say that to brag, I just say that because when I graduate, it is going to be so hard to leave. For myself, as a person that has poured into it so much, am now, at the end of this year, supposed to leave it.

That fact above all others is the one that makes me so sad because the people at Trinity are so special to me—they are the coolest, most loving, and most caring people I have ever met. I know that God, even now, is setting up a community for me to enter into after school, but this year I am going to be present in the community here and live in it well.

I hope to keep you all updated on how this year is going, but I am doing my best to cherish every minute of it—the good, the bad, and everything in between.