I remember it as if it were just yesterday. Me and my family piled in our rental car in matching Ohio State shirts with hangers prodding into our sides and eyes closed hoping to chase the jetlag from our flight away. I remember the day that I moved into Park Stradley hall as if it were yesterday. Thus, as I sit here writing this, I can’t fully wrap my mind around the fact that my freshman year is over.

However, the tremendous amount of growth that I have experienced throughout the year is what actually enables me to understand that my first year at Ohio State has come to an end. Since the moment my parents dropped me off, my sense of independence has been developing and growing into the strong skill that it is today. In addition to learning how to do my own laundry, I have also learned  how to make important decisions on my own. Quite frequently the difficult decisions that I have had to make were centered around time management and academic choices. Therefore, I feel very well equipped going into the next school year knowing that I can make these decisions efficiently and effectively.

Time management has been an especially difficult task to learn due to the fact that I was able to connect with an incredibly strong group of girls at the very beginning of the year.  Therefore, I found myself wanting to do everything that I could with them. Although I had the most fun around them, it took me a significant amount of time to realize that I didn’t have the most productive time with them. Thus, I had to realize that it was okay to take time to myself to study or complete homework and meet up with them later. This transition was extremely hard  to make because I love being around people, but was essentially necessary to ensure academic success.

In addition to working extremely hard to pursue academic success, I knew that I wanted to remain active and involved in my community. However, I found it difficult to juggle my academics, service, and overall adjustment to campus my first semester.  The main way that I was able to stay active in my community first semester was through the Black Student Association( BSA). BSA provided me with a welcoming environment to meet other black students while also engaging in fun activities. However, after feeling acclimated on campus, I knew that I could successfully become active in my community again second semester. Specifically, I knew that I  wanted to further my passion for educational equity that I developed in high school. Thus, I applied to be a College Mentor for Kids and served as a mentor my second semester. Interested in gaining even more exposure to health care, I was also able to volunteer weekly at Martha Morehouse Outpatient Care my second semester. Becoming involved in service again after my first semester made it very clear to me that I always need to be involved in some form of service to feel fulfilled as a student.

Although I am extremely disappointed that my first year got cut short, I am also extremely grateful for the opportunity that remote learning has provided for me. It was from the comfort of my bed that I was able to attend lecture and study without distractions. However, I am still counting down the days until I can return back to campus and be reunited with my fellow Buckeyes.