Year 1: Courage’s Reflection
As I am approaching the end of my freshman year, I can ALMOST say, 1 year down, 3 more to go! It is similar to the feeling you get when you finally check off something from your to-do list that has been there for quite a while. It feels both accomplishing and relieving simultaneously. My first year has been many things, but the first two words that come to mind when I think of it are eye-opening and fulfilling! Eye-opening because I quickly realized that the world no longer revolved around me as it did when I was home and pampered because I am the last child, but also because I have seen and learned so many new things!
Admittedly, I am not a fan of everything I have learned. Why does a civil engineering student have so many reading courses? That is not what I thought I signed up for, but apparently it is. However, I began respecting the relevance of these reading courses as they provide knowledge of history, art, religion, etc. Some of which I am terrible at, some I love learning about, and others I welcome with an open mind. I say fulfilling because it did not only meet my expectations of an ideal first year, but it also surpassed it. This does not in any way mean everything went according to plan. In fact, my first plan of getting a 4.0 GPA throughout college got shut down right after my first semester. Surprisingly, that only made me kinder to myself and reaffirmed my belief of not having lofty expectations of my plans as they are always subject to change.
As I end my second semester, I celebrate all my achievements, the connections I have made, the risks I have taken, and the failures from which I have learned a great deal. Now, I intend to go through the rest of my school years with conviction that I will come out victorious because I have a group of supporters that includes my family, my SHE-CAN sisters, my mentors, SHE-CAN staff, and most importantly, because I trust God to complete the work he has started in me. Amidst many undesired results, I have learned to simply do my best, focus on all the good things, live in the moment, and trust God completely.
