I won't lie, the reason that I chose Brenau was because it was the first college that accepted me. I figured if I hated it, I could transfer. So basically, you can chalk up the fact that I attend Brenau as a happy accident.

Every day, I am so thankful for this "happy accident." I never could have imagined how much it would help me to grow within such a short time. Brenau is more than just a "school" — it is truly one of the best examples of "higher education." Here are just some of the things that I have learned in my time at Brenau.

How to take every opportunity.

Being such a small college, Brenau presents women with many more leadership roles than you might have on a larger campus. Personally, I have started 3 campus organizations and become a VP of my sorority, all within my first two years here. Brenau provides opportunities to do things that, anywhere else, you could never even imagine yourself doing — but here, it just works. I have learned that it is important to take every opportunity because I literally have nothing to lose. If I fail, I fail, and I learn from the experience. If I succeed, I gain invaluable skills. It is an experience that I believe is unique to Brenau, and I am so grateful and glad to be able to take advantage of it.

How to achieve my dreams.

If you take advantage of the opportunities that Brenau provides, you will achieve your dreams — here, and in the “real world” after you graduate. Not only can I speak from experience, having become a version of myself that I didn’t even know was possible a few years ago, but I have never met a Brenau alumna who is not as accomplished as she is driven. Brenau helps you to realize that if you can dream it, and if you are willing to put in the work, you can achieve it.

How to be a servant.

Brenau faculty stress the importance of service to their students. Many Brenau scholarships are contingent on community service, there are classes and even program plans that require some sort of “civic engagement." Whatever the reason, Brenau encourages service to others and most Brenau students do quite a bit of volunteer work before they graduate. I feel as if I have been challenged to do something that can have a lasting impact on at least one person — challenged to become a better person, the sort of person who can impart lasting change on a community that needs it. Or, at the very least, I am going to try my best to do so.

How to be a leader.

As I stated earlier, Brenau provides so many opportunities — many of which are opportunities to hold leadership roles. I have been at Brenau for just over a year and a half (nearing on two years) and I have already started three student organizations, I hold a VP position in my sorority and I am a Writing Center tutor. Whether you are president of your club or sorority, a member of SGA or an RA/PA, most Brenau women are leaders in some aspect or another. Brenau women grow in their time here, not just in their academics, but as individuals.

How to get the most out of my education.

In my time at Brenau, my program plan has changed multiple times. Coming out of high school, I was so confused. I’m the sort of person who is good at a lot of things, but I never really felt like I was particularly great at one thing. This made specializing and finding a focus fairly challenging. After hearing the same thing from multiple professors, guest speakers and Brenau staff, I decided to just do what I love and not worry so much about doing something just because it will pay the bills. Obviously, I want to be a successful adult one day — financially and otherwise — but I’m never going to be able to do that if I’m miserable.

I have also discovered how to learn for the sake of learning. Yeah, at the end of the day, a lot of classes are just a requirement in your program plan. But I think it’s important to take a class that isn’t required every once in a while, just for the heck of it. Learn more about the things you are interested in! You only get the organic college experience once, so make the most of it while it lasts.

How to not waste time being angry.

Life is too short to spend time being mad about something a friend may or may not have said behind my back. Who cares? When I get angry about something that happened, I try to take time to stop and reassess — something I have learned largely by example from upperclassmen. Is this really going to be something that matters in a year? In a week, even? College is stressful and sometimes fuses short out, but try not to take everything so personally. In a couple of weeks, you won’t even remember the girl who cut you off in the parking lot and took the last good space. Again, we only get this time once. Don’t waste that time being fueled by rage and bitterness. We’re all too busy for the BS anyway! Let love and kindness saturate your life, even when it’s hard because you’ll be thankful for it later. As Meg Bronaugh likes to say, throw kindness around like confetti!

How to be brave.

I think a lot of what goes into being brave is not wasting time and just going for something. You don’t want to be in your major anymore because it’s literally making you feel like you’re dying inside? Switch majors! Thinking about starting a student organization but not sure if anyone will join? They probably will, so start the club! As Shia LaBeouf said, just do it. You have nothing to lose, and you’ll be so glad that you decided to take whatever risk. Brenau has taught me that I deserve the happiness and satisfaction that I have reaped from taking risks. You deserve it, too — so go for it! The worst that can happen is nothing.

How to be humble.

In my time interacting with people at Brenau, I have learned how to give more. By this I mean, I am less of a pretentious, stuck-up, stubborn know-it-all than I was just a few years ago. I think many teens and young adults go through some sort of phase where they feel entitled and mine was the kind that made me argumentative and self-righteous — especially toward the people I spent most of my time with.

After coming to Brenau, settling in a bit and coming into my own, I have learned that I am not always right 100 percent of the time, and I definitely shouldn’t act like I am. I get into arguments less because I can recognize that I am not objectively right. Even if I still feel like I am right, it doesn’t mean the other person is wrong. Being able to recognize the validity of other people’s points of view, even when they largely differ from my own, is one of the most valuable things that Brenau has taught me. Brenau has made me a much more empathetic individual — I try and consider others a lot more than I would have a few years ago. I also don’t let my achievements make me feel better than or superior to anyone other than my past self. We have all achieved a lot to get to the point where we are now, and for that, everyone deserves to celebrate and be celebrated.

How to be confident.

Out of all the skills I have learned at Brenau, confidence is one of the most important ones. I have learned to be confident in taking risks, to be confident in what I want — to be confident in who I am. As someone who is considering a career in the entertainment industry, confidence is key. Being confident is sometimes all you need to do in order to really make things happen. The great thing about confidence is that it’s a cycle. The more confident you are, the more you can achieve, and the more confident you will be as a result of your achievement. There’s literally no downside to being confident. Who cares what other people think? Don’t define your life by other people — define your life by who you are as a person. That is when you will become someone that you’re proud of.

Live each day by the Brenau Ideal.

To quote H. J. Pearce:

Brenau teaches us “to find satisfaction in being rather than in seeming, to find joy in doing rather than in dreaming,” and “to be prepared for service thereby earning the right to be served.” We learn “to be pure in heart, vigorous in mind, discreet in action;” we learn “to love deeply, fear nothing, hate never.” We all "enjoy that freedom which comes from knowledge of the ‘Truth.’” We have all become “modestly conscious of the limitations of human knowledge and serenely confident of the limitless reaches of human endeavor.”

We are Brenau women. We are as gold refined by fire.