One of the best parts about college is the amount of opportunities you have to express your interests. Something great about surrounding yourself with people who share your passion is that you begin to develop a sense of self. You realize that maybe that crazy idea you had a few months back is actually not crazy at all. You gain a feeling of empowerment when the people that you chose to surround yourself with are doing amazing things, they inspire you. Who you choose to surround yourself with has a great impact on your experiences.

Getting involved with campus activism was not something I thought I would do my freshmen year whenever I thought about college. I never realized that a freshman could have a voice or even an impact on the campus climate or university policies. I didn't think that I personally would become so involved especially as an out--of-state student. I've always admired people who have the ability to act on a concern that they have.

It's only been my first semester and already I have participated and helped to organize protests and movements on and off campus. These experiences that I have gained already have helped me to realize the type of person I want to be. I want to be the person that actually does something about the problems we face in the world. I realized that my whole life I've just sat by and disagreed with certain things but never actually took action upon them.

Now whenever I see any type of injustice or an idea comes to mind about how I can improve my environment I have this new voice in my head that says I can do something about it.