Dear Sophmore year (2017-2018),

You were something that I will always cherish in my heart and memories. This past school year, I have changed so much it’s hard to put it all into words, without writing 11 pages - but I’ll keep it brief.

At the beginning of the Fall semester, I was unsure about myself. UMD was this new and big place, and I got lost about thousand times. But eventually, in a matter of weeks, I fell in love with the campus. I made new friends (shout out to my Jour200 morning commuter squad) and opened myself up. However, at times I felt like I didn’t belong. Sometimes, I would sit at McKeldin Mall and try to make sense of my “acceptance,” and wonder about did everyone else felt like they belong? Was I in the right place?

Towards of the middle of the fall semester, I was obsessing over finding internships and over my future. I had this constant fear that I wasn’t going to do well and worried that I won’t find a job after college and that everything depended on this one semester. There was a weight on my shoulder that wouldn’t leave no matter how hard I tried. The weight never left, and I still feel this way.

Eventually, end of the fall semester quickly approached and I was excited to spend my days sleeping in during winter break and recharge myself for the spring semester. I was beyond happy when I received my final grades of 3 A’s and 1 B. It felt like things were starting to look up.

I wanted to take a moment and address one of my favorite parts of this school year, which is working as a Student Aide at the Writing, Reading, and Learning Center at Montgomery College, Germantown campus. The Writing Center was my happy place, and I will miss it. My coworkers would always put a smile on my face and have me laughing for hours. I also learn to enhance my people and communication skills. I became a better version of myself while working, and a better writer from seeking help. The writing center will always hold a special place to me, and I can’t wait to show my old coworkers my future accomplishments.

As we reach, the spring semester. This semester felt different, but I’ll keep it short. I felt like the classes I had taken, was something I wasn’t passionate about so I didn’t apply myself the way I did during the fall semester. I felt drained and that I was slowly crumbling. I was digging and digging, and I could see the light, but it disappeared. Summer had now approached, and I owe it to myself to find that light and keep going. I have so much to do and to accomplish, that the list keeps piling up. I hope it works out in the end, and one day I won’t have to worry so much. I’ll remember to take it easy. Sophomore year, you were the start of something beautiful, and I can’t wait for my adventures and challenges in junior year.

Thank you,

Love,

Ambi Narula