It Will All Be Okay

            My entire study abroad experience thus far has consisted of me telling myself “it will all be okay”, over and over again. Sometimes, you just have to give yourself small pep talks! Stepping out of our comfort zone is scary and hard to do, but so worth it. I have been a Student Orientation Leader (SOL) for two years now and have talked to many first-year students about fears of heading into college and everything that entails. I tried to be as understanding and helpful as possible, but I was never fully able to empathize since I had never experienced something similar. I live about five minutes from campus so when my parents dropped me off at Garver Hall my first year, they just said “see you this weekend for dinner” and headed out the door. But now, being 3,000 miles away, I finally understand what my SOL babies go through every year, and it’s hard. But, I have also come to the realization that you just have to push through and “it will all be okay!” Try new things, step out of your comfort zone, and celebrate little victories every day! Some days, I travel to new places and other days, my small victory is just simply crawling out of bed and making myself dinner. This past weekend I went on a tour all by myself to Northern Ireland and I have never been so proud of myself! To any first years: I am so proud of you, you are doing so so amazing, just keep pushing through! We must learn to love and appreciate ourselves for the things we do and always remember that everything will end up just fine!