It’s kind of weird to think about the fact that college is halfway over. I’m not going to lie and say that I feel like I graduated high school yesterday – because I don’t. I’m a completely different person than I was two years ago, and it’s taken me a little bit to realize that.

My mom always told me that college would change me. She said there was something about these four years that really alters who you are as a person, even more so than your high school and teenage years. I believed her, because she tends to be right, but I don’t think I realized just how right she would be.

When I left high school, I walked away from something that meant the world to me – music. It’s not like it isn’t still a large part of who I am, because it is, and I still sing whenever I can, but I drastically changed the career plan I had laid out for myself since I was a kid, and that was a big adjustment. Coming from that to Seton Hall to study journalism was a really big thing both mentally and emotionally for me, but I don’t regret my decision at all. I know journalism is what I’m meant to do and I can say that confidently now, as opposed to the shaky half-sure reaction I had to changing my life plans when I was eighteen.

What I have really realized, however, is a lot about people. Part of the reason I want to be a journalist is because people are crazy interesting and it’s ridiculous how much you learn when you start paying attention to what they do and why they do it.

I have a whole new group of friends now, and while my friends from my childhood that have stuck around are immensely important to me, I’m glad for the friends I’ve made so far in college. My roommate and I for example, could not be more different. We are actually complete opposites but somehow my random roommate from freshman year has become the closest thing to sister I’ve ever had. I’ve lost friends too, ones that I thought would be around forever, and I’m learning to understand that that’s okay.

I’ve also learned about trust. I’m a ridiculously trusting person, and it’s to my downfall sometimes. I not only look for the good in everyone, but I tend to assume the good in everyone. I’m learning not to do that and to be a little more closed off. I don’t mean I’ll stop sharing who I am with others, but I’m just starting to accept the fact that I can’t trust everyone. People you think are your friends aren’t always, and learning to differentiate between truly good people and the truly bad people is something I’m incredibly grateful I’m learning two years through school.

I’ve met people in the past four months or so that have taught me the importance of living day to day, and accepting a situation for what it is. It’s really important to plan for your future, and I’m not saying not to, but always looking forward stops you from enjoying every day. Sometimes it’s good to just live in the moment, and accept something for what it is, instead of trying to force it. I’ve become a lot more easygoing as a result of learning this.

More than anything, I’ve learned that I am who I am, and that’s totally, one-hundred percent okay. Some people aren’t going to like you, and some will, but at the end of the day, if you don’t like you, life can be incredibly painful. Whenever you’re feeling upset, remind yourself who you are and keep it pushing.