Graduating from college is a time that comes with a lot of reflection. Looking back on the three years’ worth of articles I wrote for The Daily Campus Opinion section, I have been able to reflect on the stances I took, but more importantly, I saw my growth as a person. This growth makes me incredibly grateful for the experience I got at the University of Connecticut. Many people say college is the best four years of your life, (I once wrote an article arguing that it isn’t) and while I still don’t believe that to be true, college is the catalyst that helps to shape us as people and help us to figure out how to have the best possible life.
In high school, there is a set path for success. There were limited clubs to choose from and everyone knew which classes you wanted to take. Looking back, I realize that college is a much different environment. There is no longer a set path for success, but rather, there are countless ways to be successful. You could get involved in groundbreaking research, start a business, lead a club or any number of possibilities. That experience is terrifying and rewarding. There is no longer certainty in what it means to be successful, but it also means that you can create your own type of success.
As I leave my undergraduate life at UConn, I remain just as, if not more confused about what I want to do with my life than I was before. However, with that confusion came a much broader view of the world, a greater understanding of what my life could be and experiences that have shaped me into the person I am today. What I have come to find is that college is not where you figure out what you want to do with your life. But rather, it is the beginning of a lifelong journey where each of us has to find our place in the world and figure out the people we would like to be.
My experiences at UConn have shaped me into who I am today and helped me to become a person I couldn’t imagine being when I started. Thank you to this amazing community of people, departments, organizations and friends who have made me into the person I am today.