I write this today on my last day of normal classes of my junior year. It has been a year filled with change and defined by new experiences and transitions. To say that the year flew by is an understatement. It honestly feels like the end of the first semester and not the end of my Junior year. How did eight months go by so fast?

In August, I uprooted my whole life and began a new chapter. I transferred to Mississippi State University and it has proven to be one of the best decisions I made. It is also crazy to think how close I was to attend a different school. In March of 2018, I had my heart set on a school in Louisville, Kentucky and I had not bothered to apply to Mississippi State University. By April of 2018, I was fully convinced God was opening the doors for me to attend State. It is honestly crazy thinking how things changed so fast but yet played out so well.

I fell in love with State pretty quickly. I love opportunities and student body. I also love the passion I saw from the faculty and the southern charm the university has. By the end of August, I knew this was "home."

That's not to say it was not a big adjustment. The campus is larger than what I was used to. The classes were three to ten times the size of what I had attended before. It felt like I had less time to figure out the campus and get used to the University because I was a junior instead of a freshman. But it was all worth it.

Academically, things changed this year too. I picked up a new minor and changed my concentration. I also considered going back to my original concentration and even my original major. It's been a whirlwind of emotions and stress trying to decipher what is best. But I think I am more confident now in my decision.

I started the year in a new relationship. I do not regret our time together, but I wish I could go back and tell myself to communicate more. I wish I would have been more honest about needing to share my life with someone and not simply share theirs. I also wish I would have verbalized that I wanted him to visit me, rather than waiting on the weekends for me to travel home. Things might have been different, but at least I learned the importance of honesty. I also learned that I am not quite ready for a long distance relationship.

I meet some amazing people and grew closer to those I knew from before. If you would have told me freshman year that I would join a Christian sorority, I would have first asked if Christian sororities were a real thing and then laughed at the idea of me being in a sorority. But here we are and I would not change a thing. I love the girls of Sigma Phi Lambda. I adore the opportunities and the time we spend together. I am thankful for the sisters I know I will have long after the time in college ends.

I also experienced one of my friends turning into one of my best friends.

I also moved into my first apartment. I thought living in an apartment would be a big adjustment from dorm life. Come to find out, I was stressed out over nothing. Yes, it is different but not by much.

Life has changed a lot in the past year and I am thankful I made it through Junior year without going completely crazy.