There are hundreds of milestones that happen in a person's life. Your first day of kindergarten, your first kiss, your 16th birthday, and your high school graduation are just a few, more recognizable, milestones that I could name. However, one that does not usually come to mind is finishing your sophomore year of college.

At this point in your in your life, you are halfway done with your college career and about halfway from being a full grown adult. But other than that, not much has really changed. In the fall, you will still be a full-time student at the same school you have attended for the past two years, and you still have two more wonderful years ahead of you. Yes, most people probably would not consider this a very big milestone, but for me, this point in my life is one for the books.

Upon finishing my second year as a college student, I started to notice changes in my life that I am truly proud of. For starters, my work ethic has changed dramatically. In the past two years alone, I have gone from having the mindset of a high school senior, who thought that passing a class was all that mattered, to being someone who actually puts forth the effort to succeed and is proud of what she has accomplished. Moreover, I have noticed that I am a more cultured person. Just within my first two years of college, I have been given the opportunity to experience things I never thought I would experience and open doors that I never thought I could open.

Now, while it's true that the ending your sophomore year is something to be proud of, this point in your college experience is also full of nostalgia and can even be bittersweet. In finishing your second year of college, you begin to realize how fast the past two years have flown by and start to wonder if the next two will slip through your fingers just as quickly. However, you also get the chance to reflect on what has brought you to this point in your life. In doing so, you are able to see who you were, who you are now, and who you would like to become before you graduate in two years. This allows you make even more changes in your life and, ultimately, grow into the person you are destined to be. After all, two years in college can really change a person.

With that in mind, I would like to ask you this: who do you want to be two years from today? Perhaps you will graduate and continue your education, eventually getting a degree in medicine or law. Or maybe you will start your career after graduation day, where you will go on to mold and benefit your community. Whatever your decision may be, it is yours to make and in just two years the decision will be right at your fingertips. Until then, all we can do is be thankful for the small milestones we reached along the way.