Not everyone has the same upbringing; outside influences shape who you are such as where you are from, who your parents are, and who your friends are. That is why everyone’s story is different and why everyone learns different things about themselves, about how life will be, and how to overcome obstacles. Throughout my life I have learned that there is a bigger plan that I do not know about and that is probably for the better. I am the type of person that likes to know what is going to happen next and have a list of what the day will entail. I’m the type of person that is very particular about always making lists, everyday, about almost everything…

As I have made it through my first semester of college, that is not how life works and that is okay. Life throws curve-balls out of nowhere and you just have to learn to go with the flow. When I was a sophomore in high school I lost three grandparents in a matter of six months. One of the hardest times of my life thus far because I just kept losing people whom I was close to and I could not figure it out. Now looking back at that time of my life, those experiences helped strengthen my character and taught me how to get through other difficult times that I knew I would soon encounter. However, if I knew that from the get-go then I would not have handled the hard time the same way. I would have tried to speed up the process of how to overcome the hard times, however that would defeat the purpose of slowly becoming the person I am the way I did which I believe would have caused an altered personality and I would not have grown to be the stronger woman I am today.

Something that a lot of people, especially where I am from, is that family has the one of the strongest bonds you will ever have in life- don’t take them for granted. No matter what kind of family you come from, there is at least one person in it that will always be there for you whether you know it not. Don’t throw away the family time that you are given because when you are sitting in your dorm room, you will find yourself missing the movie nights or late night drives with your sister to get ice cream.

One of the more major things I have learned from a very slow learning process, life really does move on, and you’ll be happier from it. As Celine Dion once said, “My heart will go on”. You will meet new people and new amazing opportunities will come into your life. Lots of people are unable to believe this because at the time of that heart break, or rejection from a tryout you worked so hard for, or something in your life was taken from you, eventually something better will come along, so don’t give up hope. Let it happen. It might take time. Don’t go searching for a new love in your life, when it's time, you will find it. Do not give up your passion because of one “no”. Keep fighting for it, nothing worth having is ever easy to achieve.

As I stated before, there are so many different factors that influence how someone grows up and what kind of person they make themselves to be. These three points are just a few of what has influenced my life and changed my perspective on life for the better. I am not fully the person I aspire to be but because of the perseverance through tough times, my family bonds, and moving on from the hardships in life are what is helping me get there. As I tackle the challenge of sharing what I think is valuable information to friends and family and complete strangers, I am just one step closer to being who I want to be and I could not be more excited about it.