In my 18 years of life, I had never imagined my first year of college would turn out so differently than I thought. Many of my peers are regretting the parties and friends they missed out on, and so am I, but I’m also thankful I was able to take advantage of this time. This semester was not what I had expected, but I was able to turn it my way and get my medical assisting certificate while doing classes online from home. This will help me next year as I get patient care hours to be a physician assistant, and will give me experience working in medicine earlier than I anticipated. This summer I will follow my certification with an externship in which I work as a medical assistant to gain experience.

I’ve learned a lot despite being online, both from my classes and what I’ve experienced outside of them. Classes at home helped me adjust to college courses but not to college life, and also were uniquely difficult in their own right. I’m proud I was able to succeed academically, and look forward to fully transitioning to on-campus in the fall. My next challenges will be moving out and finding a community to fit into in Columbus, as well as finding a job as a medical assistant near where I plan to live. Overall, this year allowed me to set myself up for the future and experience university in a way many people never have before.