It’s my last blog post of January and somehow, the passage of time is just astounding to me. Somehow the beginning of sophomore year feels like yesterday and last year at the same time (see what I did there?).

Yet, here we are; midterms began last week for us and from now on, they don’t really stop. From the Women’s March (rally) here in SLO to new club meetings and old friends, it’s been quite a week in the life of a college sophomore. It’s been a little while since I’ve stuck to the true college aspect of my life, so tonight that’s exactly what I’m going to do.

On College:

Life as a college student is kind of odd, we’re adults (technically), but if we see a real adult on campus, we remember that we’re basically children playing house or monopoly— just with real money. And real classes. And real lives, with a possibility of making mistakes in the process and having to fix it ourselves.

It can be hard to find a balance in making sure we’re being responsible with how we choose to spend our time/money and who we chose to spend it with/on.

Sometimes, that includes forgetting to spend it on ourselves too.

As a second year, I came in with both expectations and requirements for myself.

This included going to more club meetings, joining new ones, speaking up when I need help in class, and building a home for myself here in San Luis Obispo. Whether you’re an in state student or out of state one, some people feel comfortable here from the day one, some people don’t. I guess the rest of us figure it out along the way.

I know I still am. But I’m learning to take those expectations, those requirements, and turn them into a life that I truly feel like I want to be a part of.

I have a friend here, the first person I met during summer orientation, who has a tendency to pave the way for me figuring things out without even knowing it. I wanted to be more social this year so I followed her into one of the biggest social clubs on campus. It was terrifying. I needed to make sense of my major switch and my career path too, so I copied her actions and changed my mindset as I took a deeper dive into every one of my passions.

This year I’ve made a lot of changes, we all have. Maybe there are many more to come as we figure things out for ourselves. Each and every one is leading us to where we want to be and it reminds me, the people we surround ourselves with truly do shape us into who we are becoming— for better or for worse.

As much as college is about the academics, the grades, and the career path, it’s about the living that we do here while we can. How else do we experience that but through the people?

Just like I said earlier, college is this awkward in-between from adolescence to adulthood and it can get pretty overwhelming sometimes. Maybe you caught that terrible flu outbreak this year, someone treated you in a way you didn’t deserve, or you got a little lost under the weight of the world… That’s okay. There are best friends, willing roommates, unforgettable WOW leaders, and good people who are always around to support us through our journeys.

Because in the end, that’s what college is— a journey to our degree and discovering a new piece of who we are every step of the way. I hope that for every one of us, we have those people and we know— between the real money, real people, and

reality of what college is— it’s our job to do whatever it takes to make the most of where we’re at right now.

Take it from me, things don’t have to be so complicated all the time. College is an experience and it comes with one guideline: Start from where you are.

So here’s to college and change, have a wonderful weekend everyone.