So what did I learn in the last four years? Journalism, Spanish, Italian, blah blah blah. What else, you ask?
1. I learned to listen to my body. If something feels wrong, it probably is. I was inexplicably exhausted, went to the doctor and it turned out I had an extreme iron deficiency that took months to restore. I went through IV treatments, long days at Emory, etc. Listen to what your body has to tell you.
2. Asking for help is not bad and doesn’t make you weak. I visited the counseling center at Georgia State and went through nine months of weekly to bi-weekly counseling to work through all kinds of things. I think therapy is just having a tough conversation with yourself, and the therapist is the moderator for that conversation. It’s a journey, but it made me happier than I have ever been in my life. I can't wait to start going back once I get a real job and some money. There's such a stigma behind therapy, but I wholeheartedly believe in it. Mental health is just as important as physical health.
3. People (friends, family, teachers, strangers) will have opinions ranging from current events to what you should do with your life. These opinions will be both solicited and unsolicited. Just because people give their opinions doesn’t mean you have to agree. Consider them, entertain the opinions, and then make an informed decision for yourself.
4. The first three months of your new relationship doesn't really count. Everyone puts their best foot forward at the beginning of a relationship, and true colors don't always shine through at first. Keep that in mind.
5. Take things day at a time... Okay. This sounds obvious. But I was so much more zen when I realized things can look overwhelming when laid out on a calendar, but all you can do is take it one day at a time.
6. On a related note, try not to go crazy with the planning. I like to know EVERYTHING I’m doing. In high school, I planned out a blueprint for how I wanted college to go, which included a summer of interning at Vogue in NYC. Obviously dreaming is good, but love your life. LIVE your life. Be a little spontaneous. Accept finding a passion you didn’t plan or expect to find, and embrace it. You can’t plan every inch. Leave some things up to chance…and be excited about it.
7. Try different things. I bounced around so many friend groups between the newspaper, my sorority, going through different musical taste phases, and working at restaurants. You don’t have to like one specific thing or be one specific thing.
8. Remember that friendships take work. If you're always saying, "We'll do something next week," you'll find that people stop asking you to do things. Reciprocate.
9. On the flip side, remember the relationship you have with yourself is hands down the most important relationship you’ll ever have. It sets the tone for every other relationship. So, if you’re too tired or just don't feel like going out Friday night, pop open that bag of chips and Netflix it. No shame. Look out for #1 because no one else will.
10. Oh...and study hard. Or whatever. ;) Of course an education is invaluable for all of the obvious reasons, but I have this theory that some of the most important things you learn in college could never be taught on a white board.
I’ll miss this chapter of my life dearly and hold the lessons and people I met close to my heart forever. I'm excited to be moving on to even bigger and better things. Thank you, Georgia State, for making me who I am today. No other school, city, or friends could have influenced me in the same way. I’m proud of who I am right now and fully believe in the person I would like to become. I’m a work in progress, but that’s the beauty of it –– I always will be.
I'm out, y'all!
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