I am a girl who values traditions, love, family, and friends; I am not a girl who values change.

This was at least what I used to think until less than a year ago when I blinked and twelve years of school was gone.

I had to leave behind the hallways I have come to know so well, the obstacles I faced, the drama, the laughter, the tears, and most of all the friends that grew up right beside me. I never knew the true power of change until the day I walked across that stage with tears in my eyes ready to accept my diploma. But, looking back on this now I have found peace in knowing how much I have grown because of that one great change.

My life is so different now. I walk around a college campus, sleep in a dorm, and have met new friends that are like me in different ways than my friends back home, but I have finally begun to accept that good things don't always last forever. With strength and endurance, you can find something even better in the future!

Change is hard... It's one of those things that people either love, accept, or in my case, hope to accept it and find happiness with it in the long run. I am the first to admit that change is one of the hardest things I have ever had to experience in my life thus far. Ironically though, I believe that things happen for a reason. But, I have a complicated mind (I mean who doesn't?).

So with that, I fight it. I fight myself and avoid everything that may change how my life is now. It took me the longest time to finally accept that I was going to college. My parents and I fought about whether I truly wanted to leave home, the stress grew as filling out fourteen applications became a burden of whether I was going to enjoy college or not, and most of all I could not accept that my life was going to be different. I hated the feeling of leaving my comfort zone: leaving all of my friends behind, my boyfriend, my dogs (who I couldn't bear to leave), and my family. I knew I wanted to try new things, but I did not want to be away from home to do that. In the midst of searching for ways to avoid all of it though, I have found that sometimes the things we can't change end up changing us.

I have become a new person at college, and I see the world differently now. I have learned to think more about myself and what I can do to improve who I am as a person day by day. I am there to not only learn for my career, but also discover new aspects of myself. I no longer want to waste time in trying to manipulate everything around me; I am going to sit back and enjoy every moment, just as you should do the same. Change cannot knock you down if you find the courage and strength to get up and challenge it. You may have something good now, but you can find something better in the future. Do not be afraid of it. Prove to yourself that you can take on anything the world has in store for you. Make mistakes and learn from them. You are going to grow in so many ways that you never could have imagined. Most of all though, allow yourself to change...allow yourself to grow, learn, and stop yourself from fighting it. Whatever it is that you have struggled with, have an open mind. It will allow you to move on, find new opportunities, and create something new and beautiful. You will be stronger than ever before, and you will not regret it. After all, change is the one thing we can count on in life, so why not embrace it?