I remember that in high school I was the shy kid. I never really wanted to be the center of attention. I loved being on stage but always took a back seat. Now if you were to compare me to that high school kid, they would be totally different people.

I think that I have been able to grow more comfortable with who I am as a person. I wouldn't be able to say that four or five years ago. Looking back I wish that I would have been more involved in co-curricular activities from the start because it would have lead to many different opportunities. When I came to college I planned to just study and not get involved because I wanted to focus on school.

Well, fast forward 3 years to my last year and I am now over-involved at school. Just looking back at this past month I have had many different opportunities to try something new. I got involved with an on-campus job for the second time, I am a part of the school musical and recently I decided to go out for Homecoming Court. That is something that I never thought was possible. Now I am excited about the opportunity to become a member of the homecoming court.

I have also never imagined myself as part of a musical. Growing up in a performing arts school where musical theater was taken very seriously I never had a chance of being part of the musical. Now,being part of a professional theater fraternity, the opportunity to be part of "Legally Blonde", one of my favorite musicals, came up. I decided to take part in the musical. I wanted to sing and dance and act. Now I get the chance to take the stage in a month. I never thought I would be given the opportunity to be on stage as an actor and singer. It was something I never thought I would do but now I am able to.

If I were to go back in time, I would tell myself "get involved but don't do more than you can handle." I have been doing more than I can do but it makes me feel like I am doing something with my time. Another piece of advice that I would tell myself is to take that risk, step out of your comfort zone. It's easier said than done.

For me, it took a while to get comfortable with what my limits are. I knew I wanted to step out of my comfort zone, but it took a small push from my friends to allow me to grow. I will admit it is uncomfortable, it's scary to step out of what you know. For the college experience to be well-rounded it is important for us as students to try new things. By doing this it can bring about new opportunities, new experiences, and it can help students discover who they are and what they are capable of. I'm happy that I was able to step out of my comfort zone. Who knows what opportunities will arise now.