Experience of a Lifetime

Dead week already!!?? Is it just me, or does anyone feel like it went by too fast? Many things happened, many things didn’t happen, but one thing that is for sure, transitions in the middle of the school year, at least for me, have not been the best. I like order and knowing what to expect, so when change occurs in the middle of the school year it tends to throw me off.  As a fifth year senior, however, I have learned how to deal with change in my life and I hope you all do too.  As many of you know, or don’t know one of the biggest transitions for me was coming here to Oregon State.  I can still remember how lonely I felt even though I was surrounded by thousands of people. If it wasn’t for those individuals I made a personal connection with I don’t know if I could have survived another year here on campus.

Coming to college was a huge step for my family and me. I still remember my parents dropping me off at school like if it was yesterday, my mother helping me with my bags, while my father took out $60 from his wallet for me to have so that I could buy food. I remember being super excited yet nervous because I didn’t know what to expect from a four-year institution.  My first term was going great, until I learned that my parents were separating. I felt as if my world was falling apart. That the stable family I was holding on to for support was collapsing and I had nothing to hold on too anymore. As the weeks passed and I struggled to finish my first term at school, I questioned a lot whether or not I should come back. Come back to a place that I hadn’t made my home yet and had no one to turn too, or so I thought.

Thankfully, after winter break I made another great decision in my life, I decided to come back to school to finish. I was determined to give it my all and not give up on school because I knew, deep down, that I was making the right decision. My winter term was different. I looked at life through a different lens, one that allowed me to see that if I wanted to be happy and have a great college experience, I needed to be more intentional and proactive about the connections I was beginning to have with people on campus. By the time the middle of the year came around I realized that by being academically and socially active, time went by faster. I recognized that the friendships I was beginning to form with these two groups also grew stronger. It was towards the middle of my first year that I realized that if I wanted the college experience, I would need to go out of my comfort zone and experience life, with moderation of course. It was in the middle of the school year that I realized that I was not alone and that there were people on campus who I could count on when I was ready to ask for help.  Transitions are not easy for a reason, because they can teach individuals how to be a better person.

Melissa Rico

Community Relations Facilitator-Westside

The comments shared by the Community Relations Facilitator program are strictly the point of view from the author and do not necessarily reflect the views and opinions of UHDS. If this article has inspired a desire to dialogue, the author, or another CRF and/or any Resident Assistant, Resident Director or CoOp Director would be happy to participate. Please contact Nina Gassoway (Nina.Gassoway@oregonstate.edu) to assist in making arrangements.