Like many of my friends here at college, I am almost halfway done with my college experience. As I see my senior friends getting ready for graduation (some of them I have known since my Freshmen year), it is sad to see them go. I wish them the best. With this, however, there also comes a realization of how I will be entering into my Junior year as I return to my university for my Fall 2018 semester. The exciting part is that I can officially declare myself an Upperclassman.

With the last week of classes ending, I can reminisce how this semester at times was a struggle both academically and socially. Through all the tears, I somehow persevered. I felt like I came out stronger than I was ever before since I learned some important lessons along the way. Throughout much experience during this time of further growing up, I have truly come to a complete understanding of what a true friendship is supposed to be.

I have found that the true feeling of friendship might only come from a few individuals. I am perfectly content with having a small circle of friends rather than associating myself with a long list of random people that treat me like garbage. An important takeaway before I rant on further about this lesson is to pick and choose your friends wisely.

Through niche-picking my friend group and letting go of those toxic relations, I have also managed to come to the realization of how important it is to take care of yourself. My mental capacity of remembering that my future is brighter than the sun has always been important to me. However, there were many times during my two years of college so far where I wanted to throw everything away. At times, my thoughts and my mental state worried the people that I loved the most. I somehow overcame this.

To anyone who is in school or just going through a rough patch, remember to always take care of yourself. Your life matters. So where was I? Oh yeah, recapping on my college years that I have gone through so far. As I am about to end my sophomore year, I cannot wait to see where life further takes me.