As my first year of college reached its end, I realize that I have changed so much in just one year. It’s crazy to think for a moment and acknowledge how much I learned from myself this year. I got to see for myself what my weakness and strengths are, and how to manage my time properly to keep myself from falling behind. But also how to take some breaks to distress myself from the school environment, because there has been times when I felt like I was falling behind compared to the rest. But that is not true, everyone takes their paths in a different direction. Some chose to take the same steps as their fellows, for the fact that their majors are similar or the same. However, I chose to kept my own path at my own way, and I can say that it has been working out pretty efficient so far.
Comparing the experience I have now rewarding college compare to my experience at the beginning of the school year, I can see big changes in myself as a person and also as a college student. My college days in UC Santa Cruz have been amazing, I would not change it for anything else even though I do recognize that at the beginning I was falling a little behind because of economical and family problems. Fortunately, the psychological services along with my academic adviser, both helped me overcome the problems that were coming in between my educational performance. At first, I found it weird going with a psychologist, but I realize that they help you so much, plus you learn many strategies based upon the experience they had when they were in your position. Every individual has been in a situation where they think they reaches the end with no way out, but that is never correct. Success is not finding the perfect path, it’s about taking several paths to find where you belong.
A side from my academic performance, I have develop great friendships. Beginning with my roommate, her and I became close ever since the beginning and our friendship, as roommates and friends have gotten stronger that we even decided to get our own apartment for the upcoming school year. In my math class, I meet a group of friends whom I kept a close friendship throughout the entire year. At the end I can say that my first year of college was a year full of excitement and great memories that will last for a lifetime. I thank God and my family for giving me the strength I needed when I felt like giving up, and I also want to thank the EDFund for their hard work and desire to keep up with every EDFund scholar of 2014. I can now say that I closed the first chapter of my college journey with a happy ending, ready to continue with whatever comes along the way.
