Dear Allison,

Not so long ago you were standing at a crossroad. There on the threshold was the anxious version of yourself. You knew that unlike other people, this crossroad was not college or work. It was always college. Just like the several other times you have stood on your own, this crossroad was marked differently. Ahead lies college. You could take the easy way out. Revert back to the outcast you so reveled in, being cautious of people's intentions. You could take comfort solely in academic books, falling back down into the hole. Or you could have stepped out of that tunnel onto the other path. This path does not house your security blanket. You could step out in faith knowing that here it as a fresh start. That you could find friends at were like you. This new path was not clear; you hesitated.

I can say standing here after your first semester, you have done it. I have witnessed your growth while at Eastern. Both as a student and as a person you have made strides. These last four months have tested your strength, allowed you to heal and challenged your thinking. At first, you were cautious, thinking it was too good to be true. It was too good to have found a few friends that spent time with you outside of class. That it was too good to have found someone that shared your music taste and passion for dance as well as religion. That it was too good that you were asked to partake in social events without asking for invitations. That it was too good to find a family in your dance troupe. Or that it was too good that you found a Christian fellowship group on campus. You lived in these moments.

Academically you flourished as well. You made the right choice in continuing french. It was daunting at first to be the only student in a classroom, but by the end, you grew to love it. It gave you a chance to improve the skills you did not want to admit were difficult. You had your doubts at first, but the honors program is your element. Here not only have you found great friendships, and a cool study group but a place to challenge your ideas. It has given you a chance to learn that a failing grade does not mean failure. You have worked endless and as a result learned invaluable skills.

Time went on and you relaxed. You allowed yourself to believe this was God’s way of pulling you out of the tunnel. That part of your old identity of being an outcast was shed, but not gone. Your experiences deeply shaped who you are, and you will carry that always. It is marked forever on you. But God is giving you Eastern to develop into a better version of yourself as well.

From,

First semester from Eastern