“There are far, far better things ahead than any we leave behind.” –C.S. Lewis

Before beginning my time here at Southern, I was anxious and confused. Although these feelings were not unique to only me, I had a fixed mindset that they were. In my mind I truly believed that everyone else had life figured out. They knew what they wanted and what they wanted they would achieve. I never imagined I had that same capability. I by no means had confidence in my own ability. Sure, I had ideas for the future. Maybe do this, maybe do that. But nothing was for certain and that above all else, frightened me. 

As my first semester began all of these feelings began to melt away almost as effortlessly as they came. Being at Southern felt so right for me and this began to clear my head. My experience here taught me things about myself that I never previously believed. First, I discovered that even though my exact future career path may be foggy, my life has purpose. Everything I do has a purpose and knowing that is the most reassuring feeling in the world. This realization has taught me that no effort of mine will go to waste. The second thing I have discovered about myself from these first few months is that I have the ability to do well in anything I chose. Truly believing that has given me a tremendous amount of determination. I have developed a work ethic like I never had before. The amount of time, effort and concentration I put into all aspects of my academic life have greatly expanded and I could not be any happier with that. I know this will give me the perseverance to be successful right now and in the future. The last thing I have learned about myself is that I can have a life outside of academics and not lose sight of either. For the first time in my life I have a job. I never had to juggle school and work before but I have made a healthy balance with both. With working at least 25 hours a week and being a full time student, I do have my hands full. I do not need a job but I love my job. I do it for the satisfaction it gives me and I do not allow it to get in the way of doing well in school. This shows me that I have my priorities straight and I am willing to make the effort to allow this to work out.

Among all of these positive lessons I have learned, I have not been challenge free. The most significant challenge I have faced so far is in my mathematics course. I have never been any sort of math genius but I always did okay, focusing my time and effort in this area. I was nervous for what my math class at Southern would be like. I was placed in MAT102, which I was happy about, but I still did not know what to expect. My grades in this class were much higher than I expected but they did not come without work. I worked so hard to receive the good grades that I did and I am extremely proud of myself. I would do so many practice problems before each test to assure that I had everything under control. Although stressful at times, it paid off and I know I met the challenge.
              Along with this challenge, came many achievements. I have had a tremendous amount of success this past semester but my number one achievement would have to be my ability to get straight A’s. It took me up until my senior year in high school to achieve all A’s so to do that in my first semester in college, is really impressive to me. For the first time in my life I could not be more proud of myself. For once, in my academic career I can say I honestly gave it my all. No slacking allowed. I owe most of my success to high school. It has prepared me so well for Southern and everything it has thrown at me since the beginning. It has developed the best work ethic and study habits in me. It has taught me how to sit down and complete something without distraction. My high school really gave me all the discipline I needed to be successful in college. The habit that I have gotten into is: get it done when it is assigned and check it off the list. I make a list every week, sometimes everyday of assignments I need to get accomplished. It is such a relieving feeling when I complete a task and get to move on to the next.
          Personally, I am way beyond where I hoped I would be at this point in my college career. Yet, there is always room for improvement. I can always do more. Next semester will be different however. I will have new professors and classes, not knowing what to expect all over again. I hope to make a larger effort to use the resources available to me on campus. The resources I have taken advantage of this semester were extremely helpful and provided me with such a positive experience.
          As for my future here at Southern, I expect only great things. I am going to continue to try my best and keep my grades high. I know that having all A’s my entire time in college is going to be close to impossible so I do not expect myself to do that. I just want grades that I can be proud of. But more importantly, I want my grade to reflect how much I have truly learned in each of my classes. I want to take away important lessons that can be applied to my future career plans so that I am as prepared as possible. College is a time of preparation for the future. I want to be challenged so I can grow. But most of all, I want to gain experience that will be vital to who I am for the rest of my life.The number one thing I have learned here at Southern is, you get what you give. Work hard and you will have something wonderful to show for it.