The year 2016 was a year that was filled with lots of laughter, tears, joy, pain, and success in my life. Of course I don't like going through sad times, but those hardships helped build me into the person that I am today. Overall this was possibly one of the greatest years of my life.

In 2016 I completed my freshman year of college and achieved a 4.0 for my second semester of college. I was astounded and felt very proud of myself that I was able to get As in all of my classes. Anyone can get As, or get anything else in their life, but it is really about working hard and never stopping. I spent practically every single day that semester either in the library or in the gym. I would spend at least five to six hours in the library to memorize materials, write essays, and do my homework.

My freshman year of college went pretty well and I'm very happy that I decided to go to St. John's University. The staff at my college are out of this world, they'll help you with anything and do everything that they do out of their hearts. Prior to even being in college, I got a letter during the summer about doing a study abroad program my freshman year. I was quite confused because I've been to countless college open houses where they said that people could only do study abroad after their freshman year. However, at St. John's University, we have the Freshman Passport Program where Freshmen are allowed to either go to Rome, Italy or Paris, France for a whole week either in the Winter or in the Spring! I hopped on this wonderful opportunity because I've always wanted to visit Rome, Italy and be exposed to the beautiful culture that awaited me. I was immensely excited when my parents were completely on board with the idea of me going to Rome. They felt secure that we were staying on the St. John's Rome campus and that we were traveling with our professor.

Going to Rome was one of the best things that has ever happened in my life and I'm so happy that I was finally able to visit this beautiful ancient city. I got to see a lot and do so much. Our campus was ten minutes from the Vatican and about a twenty-five minute walk to the Trevi Fountain. Being independent and basically on my own made me grow as a person. I also really wanted to experience what living in a dorm was like.

Going to Rome and visiting ancient ruins changed my perspective on the world and left me in complete awe of it. I was always asking a million questions the whole time. Walking around the astonishing city of Rome made me the happiest person on earth and I never wanted to leave. Being in Rome made me feel alive... It was a feeling I never felt before, almost as if I was destined to go there. From walking in the Coliseum, to wandering the streets with classmates and getting lost sometimes, to trying new foods, it was one of the best cultural experiences that I've ever had, and I can't wait to go back.

Right when I got back from Rome, Italy, I started my summer internship with the National Park Service out in Floyd Bennett Field in Brooklyn, New York. I got this internship through the career fair at St. John's University. I applied to dozens of jobs, but this job stood out to me the most. When I met my future boss, Jessica, at the career fair, I knew this was something I could see myself doing. I have always loved nature and being able to work in a park everyday of the summer was something I only dreamed of.

I learned useful skills that I wouldn't have learned if I hadn't gotten this job. I learned how to successfully kayak, how to rescue someone if they flip over, and how to help myself if I was ever alone. This job taught me practical and tactical skills that are immensely necessary in the real world and how to save someone if I ever found myself in that situation. Through this internship, we were able to get CPR and AED certifications done in Manhattan. Previous to this CPR and AED training session, I never even knew how to perform CPR. I feel confident that if I were around someone who needed CPR or AED, I would be able to step up to the plate and help them out.

I'm very thankful that I was able to learn how to perform CPR and how to use an AED. The name of my internship was called, "Your Park, Your Health" and we had free public events that allowed anyone to come. We had biking, camping, kayaking, and sailing offered through our program. My favorites were kayaking and camping because both things were new to me and it led me to gain new hobbies and skills in my life. I'd kayaked once or twice before but I never found myself in a situation where I was practically doing it every single day for three months. Our public kayaking was a lot of fun as well as interactive-- we got to help people who'd never gone kayaking before and they got to experience the fun of it! I'm very happy that I got this amazing experience this past summer.

The year 2016 was one where I discovered a lot about myself, became stronger, and traveled the world.

I know that I'll continue to grow and learn more about myself. I might not completely know where I want to end up in my life or who will be there with me... But, at the end of the day, I have faith in myself and the confidence to follow my plans through.

I continue to keep growing and learning more about the world around me, meeting more people, traveling more, laughing more, how to be more spontaneous, and how to show love to everyone around me.

"Let this New Year be the one, where all your dreams come true, so with a joyful heart, put a start to this year anew. Wishing you a happy and prosperous New Year. "

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