It's that time of the year, again: The end of the semester is approaching, and the buzz of graduation is in the air. As many of our friends and peers prepare to walk across the stage, some of us are left preparing for another semester. Like many of you, I'm not graduating "on time," but you know what, I'm glad.
College is hard. There's no denying that. After leaving high school behind, we came into a brand new world of challenging new courses, developing friendships and relationships and the struggle of trying to live on our own. Not to mention the fact that there was also the added pressure of trying to figure out what we wanted to do with our lives. As an 18-year-old, fresh from the juvenile years of high school, this new chapter of life can be overwhelming. I struggled for a long time trying to figure out college: where I fit in, who my friends were, who I was and definitely what I was actually even going to college for. There were dark times, for sure, and it was definitely challenging. But I'm glad for those experiences because they made my college journey so much more rewarding.
I changed my major at least four times, all the while being questioned by others about why I couldn't decide. But you know what, I'm glad that I changed my mind so much. It meant that there were so many things that I was passionate about that I couldn't decide on just one. Trying to figure out my future as a teenager or early 20-year-old proved to be both one of the most challenging and rewarding things I've struggled with. I'm glad that I took the time to try different things that I was good at before deciding on one. Because of this, I am more confident in my decision now than I would have been. Now I know I'm making the right choice with my major.
I also took a little over a year off from school in the middle of my college experience. This was also one of the best, most life-changing decisions that I have made. After going straight into college after graduating high school because it was what I was "supposed" to do, I found myself with no purpose, no reason for being there other than that it was expected. I struggled with grades, with going to class and with taking college seriously. I knew that I was wasting time, money and my GPA, so I decided I needed to take some time off and reevaluate what I wanted out of life.
After working full time as a grocery store clerk for over a year, I knew that I wanted to go back to school. And this time, I was going back for me, not for some socially constructed obligation. I wanted to get a college education so that I didn't have to work at a grocery store for the rest of my life. Not that there's anything wrong with that, but after a year of working full time in a retail environment, I knew that I wanted to do something more meaningful with my life. I'm glad that I listened to myself and knew that college would only mean something to me when I was doing for myself, not for anyone else.
Because I took a little extra time to figure out what I wanted for my future and my present, I was able to learn and grow. During the time that I spent away from school, I gained the wisdom and determination that I needed to go back to school and finish what I started, but this time I had a purpose. Graduation is rewarding no matter how long it takes you to get there or what kinds of challenges you have to face along the way, but for me, I think it's going to be extra gratifying knowing that my journey wasn't easy. I'm glad that I struggled because now I'm stronger, more determined and more confident than I ever would have been.
So, in these coming weeks, as we watch our friends and peers excitedly share graduation announcements and post selfies in their caps and gowns, remember that this is their time, but ours is coming. There is no right or wrong time to graduate, there is only the time that is right for you.