In this past year, I have seen a lot of growth in who I am socially. I have always been fairly shy and quiet, and being in college has forced me to socialize with people on a level that I never had before. I went from living in my parent’s houses and having a couple of friends to living in a building with dozens of other students, sharing a space with a roommate, having to build connections in classes, and spending time with other scholars. I think a lot of my growth was the result of going on the Mexico Scholars Trip with nine other scholars, three of whom are in IA. Because we all hopped on a plane and spent every waking hour together for ten days, we all became fairly close on the trip.

I am incredibly grateful that I got to go on the trip because I came out of my shell a little and thus became more socially developed. I feel that spending so much time with other students–both during and away from the trip–has allowed to become a completely different person from who I used to be. I look forward to seeing who I will be when I graduate.