In high school, I knew a lot of people. I was everywhere on campus, but I was very quiet. Oxymoron, I know. I just said I knew a lot of people yet I was quiet? Yes, it makes sense, I promise.

Anyway, I left my island town for big-city lights about seven months ago, lost as all hell. I had a basic understanding of who I was. I knew I was a loud-mouthed teenager trying to make a change in the world with her crazy ideas. Over the last seven months, though, I’ve become a feminist woman with a voice, an opinion, and a way to make a change.

If you ask any college student, most of them will say that college has really shown them who they are and what they believe in. I found myself through moving out of my parents’ house and gaining my own independence, but also when I surrounded myself with women who wanted nothing more than to see me succeed.

For most people, college is the first real step into adulthood. Many of us are from out of state and don’t see or rely on our parents. Every student who walks through the doors is different. We’ve come from different backgrounds, different experiences, and different lives. Once your first semester (or quarter) of college starts, though, we all have the same thing in common: We’re all about to go through some major life changes.

We all turn to different activities in college, Greek life, sports, or clubs. Each of these activities is meant to help you make connections for after college and also show you who you really are. Whether it’s putting in countless hours in practice or making sure you show up to chapter to spend time with your sisters and maybe grab some dinner afterwards, these people change you. Personally, I’m constantly a text or phone call away from a sister who might be able to help me, and this has made me more willing to ask for help when I need it.

College opens your eyes up to just about everything. It shows you how ugly the outside world can be, but also how amazing some people out there can be. College allows you to have an opinion on everything. College allows you to be the person you always wanted yourself to be. It also allows you to be who you are meant to be.

“You’ll learn, as you get older, that rules are made to be broken. Be bold enough to live life on your terms, and never, ever apologize for it. Go against the grain, refuse to conform, take the road less traveled instead of the well-beaten path. Laugh in the face of adversity, and leap before you look. Dance as though EVERYBODY is watching. March to the beat of your own drummer. And stubbornly refuse to fit in.”
― Many Hale