reflecting on my freshman year

As I sit here in the library waiting for stories to come in for my job fact-checking at the school newspaper, I cannot help but scroll through my snapchat memories and reflect upon all this year has given me. I entered freshman year fear-ridden and excited at the same time. I knew my life was about to change drastically, but the romantic in me was determined to keep an open mind at let this year take its course. And that mindset prepared me for the new level of maturity I reached between September 2018 and now.

To begin, I became independent. College pushes us to break out of our shells a bit and explore ourselves. I think being in Washington, D.C. was the greatest catalyst for me. My youthful desire to explore brought me all over the city, alone at times, but mostly with friends. Taking the metro alone truly allowed me to realize that I was entering adulthood, but I was not scared. Many successful and, for lack of a better word, fun trips around the city taught me that growing up brought me here. I was old enough to explore such a beautiful place. But, in a greater sense, I was mature enough to appreciate its beauty. D.C. is a magical city, designed for efficiency and beauty. It becomes a part of you. It brings tears to my eyes as I write this, because there is so much I would give to be back at the Lincoln Monument with my best friend right now.

I gained a group of friends that became my family. The hardest part, at least to me, about leaving home for a whole year was the absence of my family. My friends, however, soon became my family in a sense. They were the ones who cared for each other when we were sick, helped with homework late at night, brought forgotten books to class across campus, and so many more things. In college, friendship reaches a new, deeper level, because we begin to rely on each other. I think this allows us to form bonds that are not out of convenience, but out of necessity. Friends do not replace family, but form a new one, away from home. It is wholesome and heartwarming to reflect on these memories of my hall-mates lighting Christmas trees and cooking dinners together.

I experienced some truly eye-opening moments this year. In the fall, I was able to watch Bernie Sanders speak on his new book tour, Where We Go From Here. The excitement of an auditorium filled with college students itching to make a difference in this world only enhanced the impact of Bernie’s message. The atmosphere at a school like GW allowed me to gain a deeper political understanding of the world, specifically from the points of views of a diverse group of young people. Moreover, I watched George H.W. Bush’s funeral procession from my dorm room. I did not even need to turn on CNN. It was that day in the fall that it truly dawned on me that I was living in the capital of the United States, the hub of politics. On election night in November, my friends and I huddled around a computer in a poorly lit dorm room. The energy in that room was unforgettable. So, when my Congressman whom I interned for, Tom Malinowski, won, I stood up and screamed in the small dorm room. People around me were doing the same for their respective districts as the maps turned blue.

Finally, I am beginning to learn about a topic that I am passionate about. I will never take my opportunity to have such an outstanding education for granted, especially as the topics I learn finally make sense to me. Before college, the classes I took in high school were mandatory, and the topics we discussed often seemed mundane. What I learned in my classes this past year has opened up a new world for me. Things make sense. I took two politics classes, one American and one international. The complexity and intelligence of the American political system amazes me, and the philosophical and psychological debates that take place inside of international politics leave me in awe

Me, pictured in front of the Washington Monument.

. I dipped my toes into journalism theory and practice, which allowed me to fall in love with the industry. I see the complexity of integrity in our changing world, and I am excited to dive in.

As I close this post, I will leave whatever readers who have made it to this point with one piece of advice: keep your mind open to experience. There is so much to discover, and there are so many opportunities to pursue.