2019-2020

As I’m sure everyone is having similar experiences, it is somewhat difficult for me to write about this academic year simply because of how much of a whirlwind it was for me. It was my freshman year of college, a stage of life that I had dreamed of since I was young. The first time in my own life that I felt school was finally aligning with the direction I want to take my career. But as all things were, it was dramatically cut short amidst the Covid-19 outbreak. However, I do want to try my best to keep this reflection from focusing only on the effects of the corona virus on my life because there is so much else deserving of mention in my review.

Recurring themes that surface in my thoughts about this year are self-discovery, genuine curiosity, and conflict resolution. The common experience of discovering oneself during college did not fail to be true for me. Although in my experience, I have come to realize that life is a wonderful, terrifying, never ending journey of self discovery. As for what I discovered about myself specifically this year, the process began with understanding who I was and why I am the way I am. I have always been the type of person that plans my future and does everything in my daily life to get to where I eventually want to be. While I still carry this quality with me, this year I have learned to live more in the present. Throughout this year, I have consciously made efforts to express gratitude for the things and people that make my life so wonderful. Continuing on to curiosity, this year I have felt the immense positive results that come from a constant desire to learn. Knowledge acquisition of any subject leads to countless conversations and fascinating experiences that are unforgettable. Finally, conflict resolution has been a huge life skill that has come into play in my experiences this year. Learning to live with new people and adapt to new friend groups has led me to put myself into others’ shoes and gain empathy.

I think that all of these practices have made me a stronger person, and I am so excited to continue to discover more about myself and the world. One of my goals for the future related to honors is to challenge myself in a new way. Sometimes I tend to get stuck in what I am used to, and this coming year, I hope to use the honors program as a guide to new experiences that will stimulate personal growth.