Back in September, I came to UAlbany as a naive, small individual. Even though I had (and still have) so much heart and passion for change in the world, I had no idea how to do so. I had no idea what it was like to see the world, to meet other people, and to hear other beautiful ideas. I was willing and able to do all of these things. All that I had to do was open my eyes.

So, back in September, I decided to apply to be a writer at the Odyssey, hoping that I would improve my writing skills. That happened, hopefully, but that was just the very beginning.

By exploring the reality of the world around me through a more open and intellectual lens, I saw so much, made so many friends, and grew in ways that I never thought that I would in such a short amount of time.

I think that this speaks to the fact that the process works! By that, I mean that if you just have an open mind, so much more than you ever expected can and very much will happen.

So, back in September, along with the Odyssey, I started my own online blog called I Have an Idea.

This blog hasn't been used since the day after I created it. This is an ironic situation that I think that we can all learn a lot from. I got rid of the thing(s) that didn't matter and I focused on what mattered. It all turned out okay so far.

This, too, speaks to something greater and much more important: the name of the blog was, I Have an Idea andI did have an idea! I just didn't know what it was nor did I care to find out at that point, I just thought that it was a cool name. What learned was that my idea was to get rid of what didn't matter, to leave the baggage at the door, and to focus on the important things.

So, no, I don't use that blog anymore. I use the Odyssey, which is much cooler, for obvious reasons.

So what I did, my idea,was to stay me and to not pretend to be anything else. Yes, college is different, but I know that at the end of the day I will still be someone who keeps changing, developing thoughts, and creating ideas.

Cheers.