Recently it hit me that in approximately one year I will be standing on a stage accepting a diploma from a university that I have given four years of my life.

Every day I constantly ask myself:Will it be worth it?

It'll be worth it because I will be proving to people who didn't think I was capable of going to such a difficult university, that I can do it. It'll be worth all the stress and anxiety I endured every day to be the best I can possibly be.

It'll be worth it because of all the truly inspirational and amazing people I have met along the way. Yes, it's cheesy but I don't think I could have survived four years of school without all of my friends and family.

As students at a prestigious university, we centralize our world around our studies. Midterms every week that consume our lives as people. Taking classes that we feel we'll never actually apply to the rest of our lives. What we often forget is that we are people too. We have to learn struggle and discipline because it will develop us as individuals. Going to a college is a doorway to discovering who we want to be and what we want to make of ourselves. When I look back at the end of my four years I want to be able to say that I made an impact on the university, whether it be small or large. I want to be able to know myself and what I want for my future. I want to put my mark on where I was.

One of my favorite quotes comes from Mahatma Gandhi:

"Whatever you do in life will be insignificant but it's very important that you do it because nobody else will."

Despite whatever person we might become in our journey as students, we have to remember that we were all created for a reason. With one year left of college, I am struggling to see what I was meant to do as a person. What will be my contribution? What will I contribute so uniquely that nobody else will?

I hope for all of those who still have 12 months before standing on a stage accepting a diploma know this: You were given this opportunity to make something of yourself so don't waste it on stressing yourself out every moment or comparing yourself to others around you. You are here for a reason.

Remember that although a diploma comes with stress, loans, anxiety it also comes with memories and moments that make you who you are. Don't forget yourself along the way. Always put yourself first and you'll be one step ahead of everyone else.