One of the great things about becoming a junior is that you’re halfway there. You just feel like you got this, right? You know where your classes are, you’re acquainted with the teachers, and you know how to get around the Hickey dining hall to get a decent meal. Everything’s familiar again, and with the experience you’ve earned the past two years being there, you just know that this year will be filled with surprises. Welcome back to the cold harsh winters, the late night caffeine-induced study sessions, and the old, gracious Catholic scenery that is St. Bonaventure.

So far, I’ve had a wild and crazy trip. Friends have come and gone. I’ve dived in and out of clubs like no one’s business. I’ve even changed majors twice. However, that doesn’t even describe the amount of personal growth I’ve gone through over the past two years. The little things, like the anxiety I’ve faced when trying to complete an assignment or some weird college drama, have been the little daily things that have led me to this point. Learning to live on my own throughout my freshman and sophomore years have been so valuable because, when I was a senior in my old high school, I was afraid to even step out of my own hometown. I didn’t know what to expect. I didn’t want to leave my friends and family behind. I was afraid, but I wanted this. I just had to take that first step. Who knew that that first step would lead to all of this?

Now, I’m approaching my junior year. I am not the same person I was two years ago. I am different now because the pain I’ve felt has helped me become a better human being. I’ve challenged myself to think in new ways that I never thought I could, and I’m looking forward to whatever comes next. I look forward to how I grow and change, because there’s freedom in not knowing what will happen next. However, I am hopeful that this year will be just fine. In a way, I think this year will be better for all of us because we now have an idea of what we’re doing. We’re in the time period where we’re not teenagers anymore. We have capabilities that lead us far beyond what our parents see. We have dreams now, dreams of hope and adventure that we seek to grasp and make reality. We’re all going in different directions into uncertain futures. We don’t know where we’re going, but in the end, that’s okay. That’s the point of life: just let your worries go and see where life takes you.

So, as for the advice I have for anyone approaching their junior year? Just be ready to experience it. There will be struggles and there will be so much to handle this year. However, if there’s failure, don’t beat yourself over it so much. You’re human. Allow yourself to be human and just live for the moments, because they don’t last forever.