First Year
If I had to sum of my freshman year of college in one phrase, it would be, “figuring stuff out.” It was a time of change, adjustment, challenge, and confusion. Nevertheless, there were also moments of fun, learning, and growth. All of my experiences this year, good and bad, provided me with a sense of direction on where I want to go in the future, academically, professionally, and personally.
I will start with my personal growth. When I was in high school, I thrived by being the best at everything I could. Whether it was in theater, sports, or academics, standing out and being recognized for my achievements brought me satisfaction and pride. Coming from a small school in a small town, I enjoyed the attention and respect from my peers, teachers, and community members. With this attitude, I was in for a rude awakening when I arrived at college. Here, I was simply one of thousands of students, many of whom were equally, if not more, talented than I. For the first time in my life, I struggled with not being the best at what I did. I was blinded by my hubris. Fortunately, I soon realized that the greatest satisfaction was derived not from the recognition that others gave me, but from my own hard work and self-discipline. Whereas before my motivation had been doing better than my peers, now I was driven by the goal of being the best version of myself that I could possibly be, always striving to learn more, to partake in experiences that expanded and/or challenged my worldview, and to come one step closer to becoming a global citizen scholar. Figuring out what things I considered important was a crucial step forward, as it allowed me to better prioritize my studies and extracurricular activities. Two of the most significant experiences that helped me reach this truth were Gateway to University Honors and LeaderShape. In Gateway, I had the opportunity to interact with other motivated honors students, from which I gained friendships, support, and inspiration. From LeaderShape, I not only honed my leadership skills, but also learned how to use my strengths to enact positive change, while also developing soft skills such as active listening and emotional intelligence, which are useful in any social situation.
The other aspect of my life whose trajectory was impacted by the events of this past school year is academics. Going into college, I had no idea what I wanted to major in. I chose electrical engineering because, for lack of a better reason, it seemed like the hardest program and I wanted a challenge. Within two weeks, I realized that I had absolutely no interest in electrical engineering, however, and, while I endured through the rest of the semester to see if I had a change of heart, I switched to chemical engineering for the Spring. Again, however, I felt that that career path would not provide me with the type of fulfillment I was seeking. Therefore, with just weeks left in the Spring semester, I switched my major once more, to biomedical engineering. While I can’t pretend to know exactly what I want to do with my life, or even have basic outline of my career, I feel satisfied with my decision and am eager to pursue this field that has so many opportunities to contribute to scientific innovation and discovery. One of the reasons I struggled so much with picking a major was that I had so many varied interests and hobbies. I was worried that in the regimented curriculum of engineering, I would not be able to pursue the things that brought me enjoyment. However, by managing my time wisely, I was able to satisfy my interest in politics by joining and becoming Treasurer of the College Democrats. In the Spring, I was able to participate in a truly incredible experience that fulfilled my loves of travel and nature by going to Brazil with the “On the Amazon River” honors seminar and study tour. These are just two instances of the importance of balance – in other words, taking the time to step away from the stress of studying for math and engineering classes.
Now, I’m looking forward to having a somewhat relaxing summer teaching myself Spanish, working on a political campaign, and helping my grandmother in her garden. I’m excited to be getting involved with research at Nanoworld UC in the fall, as well as being an advocate for students’ rights and interests by serving on the President’s Cabinet in Student Government. Though I still have a lot to learn, and though there will definitely be more challenges ahead, with the experiences of the past year under my belt, I have gained a better sense of what works, what doesn’t; what I like, what I don’t like; and most importantly, who I want to be.
I will start with my personal growth. When I was in high school, I thrived by being the best at everything I could. Whether it was in theater, sports, or academics, standing out and being recognized for my achievements brought me satisfaction and pride. Coming from a small school in a small town, I enjoyed the attention and respect from my peers, teachers, and community members. With this attitude, I was in for a rude awakening when I arrived at college. Here, I was simply one of thousands of students, many of whom were equally, if not more, talented than I. For the first time in my life, I struggled with not being the best at what I did. I was blinded by my hubris. Fortunately, I soon realized that the greatest satisfaction was derived not from the recognition that others gave me, but from my own hard work and self-discipline. Whereas before my motivation had been doing better than my peers, now I was driven by the goal of being the best version of myself that I could possibly be, always striving to learn more, to partake in experiences that expanded and/or challenged my worldview, and to come one step closer to becoming a global citizen scholar. Figuring out what things I considered important was a crucial step forward, as it allowed me to better prioritize my studies and extracurricular activities. Two of the most significant experiences that helped me reach this truth were Gateway to University Honors and LeaderShape. In Gateway, I had the opportunity to interact with other motivated honors students, from which I gained friendships, support, and inspiration. From LeaderShape, I not only honed my leadership skills, but also learned how to use my strengths to enact positive change, while also developing soft skills such as active listening and emotional intelligence, which are useful in any social situation.
The other aspect of my life whose trajectory was impacted by the events of this past school year is academics. Going into college, I had no idea what I wanted to major in. I chose electrical engineering because, for lack of a better reason, it seemed like the hardest program and I wanted a challenge. Within two weeks, I realized that I had absolutely no interest in electrical engineering, however, and, while I endured through the rest of the semester to see if I had a change of heart, I switched to chemical engineering for the Spring. Again, however, I felt that that career path would not provide me with the type of fulfillment I was seeking. Therefore, with just weeks left in the Spring semester, I switched my major once more, to biomedical engineering. While I can’t pretend to know exactly what I want to do with my life, or even have basic outline of my career, I feel satisfied with my decision and am eager to pursue this field that has so many opportunities to contribute to scientific innovation and discovery. One of the reasons I struggled so much with picking a major was that I had so many varied interests and hobbies. I was worried that in the regimented curriculum of engineering, I would not be able to pursue the things that brought me enjoyment. However, by managing my time wisely, I was able to satisfy my interest in politics by joining and becoming Treasurer of the College Democrats. In the Spring, I was able to participate in a truly incredible experience that fulfilled my loves of travel and nature by going to Brazil with the “On the Amazon River” honors seminar and study tour. These are just two instances of the importance of balance – in other words, taking the time to step away from the stress of studying for math and engineering classes.
Now, I’m looking forward to having a somewhat relaxing summer teaching myself Spanish, working on a political campaign, and helping my grandmother in her garden. I’m excited to be getting involved with research at Nanoworld UC in the fall, as well as being an advocate for students’ rights and interests by serving on the President’s Cabinet in Student Government. Though I still have a lot to learn, and though there will definitely be more challenges ahead, with the experiences of the past year under my belt, I have gained a better sense of what works, what doesn’t; what I like, what I don’t like; and most importantly, who I want to be.
