Spring is usually signified as a clean slate, or new life, new beginnings. This is when all of the flowers start to bloom, animals are out of hibernation, and new offspring experience the world for the first time in their life.

I never thought in a million years that I would be transferring schools mid-way through my first year at college. In high school, I was definite on the road I was going to go down, to pursue my goal of becoming a professional in the medical field. Earlier that year in senior year, I had some disappointments where I got waitlisted on a few top schools I had for an accelerated Physician Assistant program. I then got this letter from The University of Scranton. To me, it wasn't any acceptance letter; it was an achievement for me that I was accepted into a very rigorous school to become a biology major. I was close to the decision date in order to choose that I wanted to attend the U, and I deposited my money, ecstatic for the four years to come.

Later in August, I was honored to participate in a program called F.I.R.S.T, and this was the start of a journey that would be so memorable. Spending five nights at Chapman Lake, meeting 40 new friends, staying up until 5:00 AM playing signs, mafia, mango, and also reflecting on the service experiences was the highlight of my first month starting college. To this day, I still wear the cross they gave me back on the last day of F.I.R.S.T. It was an unbelievable experience that I was so greatful for. Fast forward a little to September,and my apparel for Scranton was overflowing from free t-shirts, and a retreat called Impact. Impact was amazing because we did some team building activities linked to leadership, and it was awesome. You could sum up my fall as a whirlwind of fun, along with some sleepless nights with the homework I had.

October was the beginning of swimming, because that's where I found my second home, and my second family. They were a bunch of talented people that shared joy through the challenging (painful) practices (let's not forget those 4X200s of breaststroke on the 3:30 or those 12X200s) as well as helping each other by holding slots for the class times underclassmen couldn't register until much later. Swimming gave me friends to walk to meals with, whether it was all of us going to dinner trying to fight for the DeNaples room in the back boys vs. girls or just going to eat breakfast together after a dreaded morning practice. Truly, box love to you all.

Flash forward to the end of December, I lost track of all the time that had gone by already, realizing that it was time for finals. I knew that academically, I could have performed better, but something about winter gave me an irregular sleeping patterns. I was spending maybe two all-nighters in a row and pulling at least two all-nighters out of the five school days. Yes, I realize from one of my friends that sleep is important. No matter what happened, I was determined to finish my finals, but I received the most devastating news of losing my scholarship. I knew that my time at this school would be short and this was after I paid for a training trip with my friends for swimming. I went on the training trip to start the new year, and it was so much fun, and relaxing. I was in paradise for one week, but I knew I had to face the music of transferring schools as soon as I left the trip.

They say that Spring is a new beginning, and that's what I thought of my transfer. Yes, I didn't know too many people at the school I now found enjoyable, but it gave me more time to process my mistakes from first semester and how to fix it. I still haven't made a lot of friends yet, but I was able to join the activities programming board for the semester which excited me. I also know that friends take time to make, especially when you start fresh at a new school. So yes, this semester is a new beginning to a new chapter in my life. I enjoy the classes I'm taking at Cabrini, and finding some of my photography and music has entered my life again. I continue to swim as much as I can for exercise, but I'm excited to try out for Cabrini's swim team next year. I hold hope for my future here at a college I know I can succeed at.

I think about the analogy of the farmer and the architect in life. The architect is ther person who knows exactly where they are going, and has their plan set in stone, whereas the farmer waits and sees where life takes them. I used to be an architect with a plan from A through Z about how I would go around a problem, but I realized that being a farmer isn't so bad. You receive surprises from the unexpected things that arise from the seeds in the soil, and especially when spring signifies new life, and new beginnings. Yes, new beginnings are truly a mystery in life, because nobody knows what the results are, and you can never predict the certainty of one plan. So I ask you to reflect: are you a farmer or an architect? Are you a little of both?