When I went off to college and unpacked my bags and hugged my parents goodbye, my dad looked at me and said, "You have no idea now, but you are going to change so much during college." After they drove away I went back to my small gross dorm and thought there was no way I was going to change. I had loved who I was and more importantly, I didn't want to change. However, months went by and after my first semester, I realized my dad was completely right.

Now, looking at high school me and how I am now it's like looking at a completely different person. And, it isn't because I dyed my hair, changed my clothes or any form of exterior change. The person I was for years just simply wasn't the same and the parts of me that changed on the outside just added to it. My outlook was different, my ideas were different and more importantly and my morals were different.

The sad part about change is people tend to look at it like it's a bad thing as if changing your ideas or morals is a horrible thing to do. However, humans are forever evolving and it's in our nature to adapt to different lifestyles and people. The human race itself over time has become so much more innovative, stronger and smarter. How can a person advance their own self without being able to change from what they already are? Imagine living in a world where you were just stuck with the person you are right now forever. Would you be happy?

Change is exciting and it's important to embrace it. I am changing almost every day and it's my experiences that influence the change. Just listening to my friends who have the widest range of views make me more knowledgeable even if I don't always agree with them. Listening, traveling and learning will all take you further than refusing to be anything but the person you are right now. And, despite the twisted popular opinion that's a good thing.

Now, I go home and my friends will joke with me and say, "who even are you" or the ex-boyfriends that we all know will give the, "you've changed" speech. But, now instead of wondering what I'm doing wrong or how I can go back to who I was I simply respond with, "I hope so".