My Serendipity

Moving away from home and attending college is undoubtedly a time of transition for students. I
had never been so terrified as I was when I was preparing to leave my small hometown of Woodleaf, NC
and move an hour away from my loving family and close-knit friends into a giant group of strangers in an
old building on a campus I wasnt all that familiar with. I have definitely changed quite much since my
arrival, and I dont envision this transformation coming to a close any time soon. I am wholeheartedly
enjoying my time at UNC Charlotte thus far, and I am genuinely looking forward to learning, growing,
and developing here in the Queen City. My identity is now rooted in my full ownership of who I am and
who I choose to become, amplified by those around me who loved me and supported me from the
beginning to this point in my life.
Before I came to college, I was hesitant; I was insecure and I lacked confidence. I worried what
others thought of me, and I tried to please others too much, to the point where it ended up becoming
detrimental to me. In the transition from high school to college, however, I recognized my independence
and the value of being who I truly and authentically am, regardless of other peoples opinions. I realized
that I would soon be a young adult with responsibilities, and that I needed to prepare myself for what I
was about to embark upon. However, I was nervous and mildly terrified by what awaited me at UNCC.
Upon arriving at Sanford Hall room 206, the bustle of moving in entertained my mind. The
prospect of attending Venture Adventure the next day eased me to sleep, and I awoke ready for
excitement. I was quickly welcomed in to UHP and I wholly enjoyed that first day, making friends and
having fun. The first week was awesome, as classes were just beginning with syllabus week and all of my
friends hung out together. However, classes quickly intensified, my friends divided, and I became
homesick; it was at this point that I realized how resilient I was in the face of change and how I was much
stronger than I believed. I kept up with my schoolwork, stepped out of my comfort zone to make new
friends, and became well-adjusted to being on my own, all thanks to the support and help of my parents,
sister, and old (and new!) friends. Of course college is great, but there is still no feeling that could match

my joy when I came home for the first time and reunited with my mom, dad, and best friend (and my dog,
duh).
In fact, during the learning process thus far, I have learned that I do believe I am in the correct
major, as I have become even more passionate about Biology, and it is my favorite class so far, though my
most challenging. But hey, I have always loved a challenge! I am now more certain that I want to enter
the medical field after obtaining my undergraduate degree, though I am still unsure of what exact field I
would like to pursue, in part due to my continued passion of helping others. I have, however, made more
specific plans on what organizations I want to be involved in on campus during college. As opposed to
being in every club my high school offered, I want to spend my time at UNCC intentionally. I want to join
campus ministries (as I have begun to do), community service organizations (in the works), biological
science programs, and hopefully achieve departmental honors during my junior year because I want to
leave a positive mark on UNCC and work diligently to master my field. I also want to become involved in
UHP as an Ambassador, and, potentially, an officer to further my leadership skills. Lastly, I want to obtain
an off-campus internship in a local hospital or other medical facility to gain experience. These goals will
promote my education, prepare me better for the coming years in medical school, and hopefully help me
improve as a student and community member.
A smaller goal I have had this year has involved attempting to dislodge my perfectionist ways,
and I want to focus more on learning to understand and gain knowledge than learning to score well on
tests. Of course the stakes are high, especially in my major, but I want to reduce my stress over academics
and allow myself to learn for the fun of it. I must stop comparing my success to others success if I want
to achieve my maximum effectiveness here at college; I have always struggled with this problem of
insecurity, and I am now targeting it to try and change it and reverse its effects. I have been hoping to
establish which program I would like to minor in, and, having taken an extra math class this semester, I
know I am interested in it, and I am trying out public health next semester. I may end up, however,
minoring in chemistry. Regardless, I truly believe I would enjoy minoring in almost any subject, as my

passion for learning is only growing day in and day out of college, and overall, I think these are
reasonable goals that will truly increase the value of my education and my self-esteem.
As my first semester of college or the first step on the bridge to my education is coming to a
close, my reflections have allowed me to formulate some advice for the upcoming semester. First of all, I
would tell myself to make sure to do extremely well on my first tests. They are the easiest ones of the
whole semester, and I can create a big buffer for myself by establishing a strong grade at the beginning. It
may not be fun studying while everyone else is relaxing or having fun while getting used to the new
classes, but it will be worth it. Second, I want to believe in and trust myself. I must remind myself that I
am smarter than I think I am and that I can do this, even when I think I may end up failing every single
class and having to drop out of college. I must put academics first, but have a way to release stress in a
productive and healthy manner, as I will be anxious about grades. I would give myself the advice of not
taking a math class, a chemistry class, and a biology class all in the same semester again, but I am
actually taking that format next semester anyway as it will help me on my road to success. A final piece of
advice I would give myself would be to not let my stress overtake my life, as it seemingly always has. I
want to spend more time laughing and being happy, rather than constantly panicking over everything in
my life. I need to remember that everything will always turn out the way God has planned it, and His plan
is perfect! College is a place for growth, and I want to grow in these ways to enrich my experience.
Throughout this past semester, Ive had lots of opportunities to engage with the community, the
honors program, and my academics. The very first day I was here, I had a very meaningful experience at
Venture Adventure. The day began with icebreakers, where I met some of the people who have become
my best friends. We then completed various obstacle courses, refining our team-building skills, and then
we got to partake in the high ropes course, where I tried to conquer my fear of ropes courses alongside
three biology majors, one of whom is now probably my closest friend here at UNCC. The event inspired
me to want to become an ambassador for UHP so I can help freshmen feel as welcome as I did when I
first arrived here. Also, making my altered book allowed me to explore my own personality and find out

more about why I am who I am, as well as incorporating artful elements and getting to use my creative
side. I chose these two artifacts because I think the altered book defines who I am now, how I view life
now, and what I believe now, and the Venture Adventure gives me ideas of who I may become with my
capacity to step out of my comfort zone and overcome fears. Both of these concepts made me want to
become more involved in the honors program, and they have both strengthened my identity as a growing
student. I believe they will be foundational to my success here at UNCC and beyond, and I think it will be
valuable to see who I have evolved to be during my senior year (and how my fear of ropes courses has
evolved, of course!) to evaluate how I have changed, hopefully, for the best. After all, nothing is
permanent.
My involvement with UHP has already shown to reap benefits. I have phenomenal connections
with other students, I have gained cultural and diversified experiences, and I have made some wonderful
friends. Ive gotten to partake in City as Text and learn all about the city I now call home alongside some
very interesting new people. I have been waved at by Cam Newton! Ive also been challenged
academically in my honors liberal studies class, learning information about a topic I was initially unsure
about and getting to create art projects in the midst of a science and math heavy schedule. My
involvement in the campus ministry Impact has made me feel more grounded and connected on campus,
and I am even in a Bible study group through the organization that meets weekly. I participated in Dance
Marathon, and aside from having tons of fun, I felt like I really got to help be a face of help for the Levine
Childrens Hospital, a cause I support with my desire to go into medicine. Dancing with the children at
the event was an experience I will never forget, and I will always treasure it. I cant wait to participate
again next year. Being involved in these ways makes me want to be involved in other ways, too, in order
to become more educated, make more friends, and have more of an ability to make a difference on UNC
Charlotte and the greater community, as well. I look forward to continuing in the involvements I have
already established, and I am excited to see how they will help shape me as a person, student, community
member, and friend.

I have undoubtedly grown as a scholar citizen, even within the mere few months that I have been
at UNC Charlotte so far. I have never studied so hard, devoted more time to academics, or attended more
review sessions than I have since coming here. However, I have also never learned as much as efficiently
than I have since college began. I feel as though Ive expanded my mind, not only in classroom
academics, but in cultural, political, and social matters as well. I believe these many disciplines are going
to give my education the maximum value, and I know that they have already impacted my beliefs and
how I view certain aspects of our society. My community involvement and networking have made me a
more successful scholar citizen, as well, through my adoration for various extracurricular activities and
my desire to get involved with more. I am perfecting my time management skills, and I am day by day
more so realizing the value of the many relationships in my life, from my family to my hometown friends
to my new friends here. I do believe being here at UNC Charlotte has opened endless opportunities for me
that, though daunting at first, have helped me improve and challenged me already, in academic and social
contexts. Heres to a new journey in a new place, all off to a phenomenal and exciting start!