Being able to accomplish something that you didn’t think you’d be able to do is one of the greatest feelings. Perhaps you’ve spent so much time dreading the route to get there or wondering if this is worth the hassle, but you did it, you made it. That’s an accomplishment in and of itself.

As I packed my bags, clothes, miscellaneous in my dorm room, it was sort of nostalgic. Everything that happened in the past nine months, I won’t be able to reclaim again. Some of those things I’m grateful for, and others, I'm glad I won't have to be able to go through again. I’m continuing to learn so much about myself. Things that I was too afraid to admit to myself before or even things that I never knew I was capable of.

Of course, there were times where I was frustrated with myself and moments where I questioned if I was capable of anything, but I learned to step out of my boundaries and to face fear head-on. Most of the time I didn’t do what I was scared of, but I made an effort to do it at least every now and then. Whether it was reaching out to someone, trying new foods, or spending time with myself. I’ve learned that it’s okay to be alone and that there’s nothing wrong with it.

I almost forget that there was a whole other semester before my spring one, because this whole entire school year went by so fast, and a lot has happened in that span of time. There were the good moments and the bad moments, often times where the bad moments felt like they outweighed all the good, but I made it through with some help along the way.

My second year of college has taught me that I need to be more vocal in how I go about things and not be afraid of speaking about what’s on my mind, in a respectful manner that is. As with all things, I’ve gained things and lost things along the way. Not everyone will agree with your own decisions, but that doesn’t mean you blame yourself for everything, relationships/friendships work both ways. And people will choose what they want to believe along the way.

Freshman and sophomore year of college were some of the toughest times. This year, especially because I was close to the verge of giving up and figuring out an alternative to college. Yet, as this year comes to an end, I want to push through and believe that this will all be worth it. Despite it seeming otherwise.

This chapter of my life allowed me to learn so much about myself and others. Even if I wasn’t open to learning what I didn’t want to accept, I still did anyway because that’s the only way you’ll grow. So even though sophomore year made me recognize how much I want to fight for what I want and even over exhausting myself at times (self-care is something I most definitely need to work on), at the end of the day I’m glad for all of the experiences I’ve had in these past nine months.