Freshman year, for me, was solely a learning experience. We’re told going into it that “college is hard,” but you never actually learn how difficult the classes are until you experience them. This required a re-evaluation of my studying habits, and after a few weeks of struggling we finally got there. This year I grew not only as a person, but as a leader in HSS, a researcher in my lab, and as a student on campus. This year taught me to be diligent, to invest in everything I have (including my amazing friends!) and that hard work pays off. Now, off to sophomore year!