Here we go. Welcome, world, to my brain. It's a bit surreal to me that I've been reading the Odyssey since I was 14 or 15 years old, and now I'm writing an article for the website I stalked to help me make my college decision (don't mock… I needed the ~vibes~ of each place). When the possibility was first presented to me, I wasn't sure if writing for the website was something I would want to do. Until a good friend texted me out of the blue saying, "whatever you're thinking right now, yes." From 800 miles away, she made my decision for me and I applied. Now here I am!

Growing up, I was always the girl who found herself with one too many things on her plate, and I liked it that way. I was the queen of extracurriculars in high school to the point that I once had a teacher assume I had skipped homeroom senior year when I didn't make any announcement about a club. But, when college rolled around this past fall, I was overwhelmed by how easy it was to not do anything. I joined a sorority, as I always planned on doing, but beyond that my involvement on campus was basically nonexistent. I made friends through my classes and in my hall and did well enough in all my classes. Because of that, it wasn't until I was sitting on the couch during Thanksgiving break that I realized how bored I was with Netflix from my first semester.

It took me a minute to accept that I had let a part of myself go when I came to college. The first time my parents saw me after move in, my dad told me I was like a fish in water. I honestly found my stride in coming to UGA, I was excited for the new four years. So why did I feel like I had lost something? Because the reality is, new opportunities have been a source of happiness for me for a long time. Getting the chance to discover new people, activities, and ways to serve my community allows me to figure out who I am. I realized two important things that day: just because a part of you may be slipping, doesn't mean you can't get it back, and more importantly, just because you're already content, doesn't mean you can't be happier!

When I came back to Athens, I started to look for places where I could get back to being my hectic-scheduled self. I registered for a course load I knew would challenge me, got a job on campus, landed spots on a few sorority committees, and sought out clubs I was interested in joining. It was scary at first to re-acclimate myself to UGA as an involved student. I had loved my first few months just getting to know the campus, enjoying gamedays, and making sure my room was a destination hangout for my friends. But the reality is that I feel more myself now that I've invested my time and energy into outlets that I feel a part of. New opportunities, ones not unlike joining the Odyssey, bring me deeper into a community I was already so happy to be a part of.

I'm excited for what these new chapters will bring me. Not only writing for the Odyssey, but making my mark on UGA in a way only I can do. So cheers to the new opportunities, not because they help shape us, but because they allow us to be more fully ourselves.