Full Speed Ahead

One thing is for certain - time does not slow down! I just watched my sister graduate eighth grade and enter high school; it is hard to believe because I feel like I just got to hold her for the first time. Life is full speed ahead and sometimes it can be hard to live in the moment. Right now, I am focusing on my summer activities: GRE preparation, contacting graduate schools, conducting my research, and finding time to relax and hang out with my friends. The whole looming application process is exciting and anxious for me. I have grown so much here at Central and feel comfortable where I am - I have made lifelong friends and have grown personally here in so many ways. To pick myself up and move across the country to start over in a more challenging environment is a frightening thought; on the other hand, finally being able to specialize in what I am passionate about is exhilarating! 

Growing up in Rogers City, I felt out of place because few people shared my passion for academics and had a similar personality. I had few friends and could not wait to graduate, although I was nervous about going to college because I was not a social person. When I moved into my dorm in August 2010, I prayed my roommates would be easy to get along with and that they would like me - I was not comfortable with myself at the time and felt closed off from the world. My focus was solely academics because I felt confidence only in that area. Little did I know that my one roommate would become my best friend and I would end up living with him all four years at Central. He helped me come out of my shell, and I finally felt comfortable being able to be myself after a while. While academics was still important to me, I began to realize there was more to love in life! 

I joined student organizations and in the Harry Potter Alliance, I found people who would become some of my closest friends and who shared similar personalities and interests. Little did I know, I would meet my current girlfriend through that organization. When I helped to found the Central Quidditch Club, I found a group of people I could be open with and have never felt so passionate about a sport because of the bonding with my team. Then, I became a McNair Scholar and was a part of a group who had similar life experiences and struggles but overcame obstacles and wanted to pursue higher education like I did. Central Michigan has changed me:

1) I don't care what other people think of me and am open to trying new things!
2) I am comfortable in my own skin and am open to being myself!
3) While academics is still important, I don't fret about getting straight A's anymore - there are other things worth focusing on to have a balanced lifestyle.

So, what is the importance of all this? By December, I will have submitted all of my applications for graduate school and it will be official - I will be leaving a place that has become my home and has a special place in my heart because of the effect it had on me. I feel like I will be leaving a piece of me behind, and I will be far away from friends who have impacted who I am. Every time I sit down and study for the GRE or look at graduate schools or do my research, it is a double-edged sword. The application process is upon me, and I am filled with so many feels! Don't get me wrong - I cannot wait to get to graduate school and study space life sciences. I just hope that it will become a home like Central has for me.