This past year has flown by just as fast if not faster than my last semester of high school. I still cannot come to terms with the fact that my first year is already over and my second year is approaching. It is nerve wracking to think how quickly a year could pass by, let alone the next couple years of my undergraduate career. A lot has changed since my I graduated high school. Not only have I embarked on a journey towards self-discovery, but I am rapidly changing from just three quarters. As challenging as my first year at UCLA has been, I do not regret my decision in attending this university. It has taught me a lot about myself in such a short span of time that is both irreplaceable and valuable towards personal and professional growth.
College is meant to be challenging. There is no doubt about it. Students must be given the opportunity to grow and learn from their trials and tribulations. If not, my achievements and positive experiences would not be as meaningful without hardships to put things into perspective. The amount of mental, physical and emotional challenges seemed never ending at times. I have learned and grown stronger from each experience I have overcome. From my first midterm, to my first feeling of homesickness, to my first major illness, each experience has become invaluable for my undergraduate career and beyond. I have learned to be resilient and determined no matter how difficult it can be. Resilience and determination are two qualities essential for all students when put under constant stress and self-doubt in college. Thankfully, I always had the support of my friends on campus to work past the difficulties especially since we all underwent similar burdens as students.
I am ready to do my best this upcoming year, and to push myself even further than before. But before school begins in the fall, I am happy to be able to take a break from school this summer. Although I am not taking summer classes, I have been working with UC Berkeley’s Pre-College TRIO Talent Search Programs. As a Teaching Advisor for their Summer Bears program, I have been able to maintain a level of productivity. It is as if I were going to school. Not only am I gaining invaluable work experience, but I am also able to work with one of the programs that has contributed to my academic success since high school.
I would just like to thank the Ed Fund for all their support this past year. I am very grateful for the program’s hard work and dedication towards serving scholars of the West Contra Costa College Unified School District. I cannot thank you all enough.
