I’ve come so far…
“You’re just in your second semester?”
“You’re so young!”
I get these questions every day, and honestly, I’m just as shocked as you are at how far I’ve come.
I’m a member of the Life at DC team and I was also recently elected to be a member of the DSU’s 2016/2017 representative committee, along with being a full time student. All of this didn’t come easy to me. You might remember that I had a bad dream about being friendless during my first week of class. I remember sitting on the concourse steps as a new student, thinking to myself that I need to make some friends here. But how? I would think. Am I too shy? Do I just not fit in here? Is it just me, or do all international students feel this way? I was discouraged, but I kept trying to get involved because I knew that getting involved would help me to come out of my shell and make some new friends.
At the beginning of my first semester, I was enrolled in the Computer Science and Information Systems program. I wasn’t excited about this program, but it was what my parents wanted me to do and I didn’t have the courage to go against their wishes. I remember I was very homesick, but I didn’t want to call my parents because I knew I would end up talking about how I wanted to change my major. I felt defeated, as if my life was set on the wrong track and I couldn’t do anything about it. It was during a CSIS class that I finally decided to DO what I want. I left the class and cried in the hallway for a while because I needed to let it all out. After a good cry in that hallway, I found my inner strength and decided that I’m the one who’s gonna steer the ship of my life. Some people saw me and passed by, some tried to see if I was ok, me but they were unaware of my inner process – I was all in, I was going to DO this. I changed my major the next day and I haven’t looked back since. With each passing day, I’ve found more and more opportunities for growth and things started building up on their own. I believe in my dreams now and I work hard towards them. I always give my all in whatever I do. I’m an independent person now, and I feel confident.
I was always afraid to step out of my comfort zone, mainly because I was afraid to fail. I never explored my potential before all this because I was afraid of messing up. But the moment I got involved on campus, I started to push my boundaries and try out new stuff every day. Just when I was finally settling in — I hate routine, by the way, I’m very spontaneous — I got the opportunity to run for the DSU elections. I’ll be really honest, I was excited and I knew I had the potential, but I wasn’t sure if I’d be able to pull it off and balance everything. I consulted my mentor and decided that I should do it, because there’s so much more to learn. I was all in once again. At that time I also came across a quote by Robin Sharma that said, “If you’re not scared a lot, you’re not growing very much.” I realized that it’s okay to be scared, I just have to believe and give my all. What followed were the most stressful two weeks of my life. There were times when I was really confident, and there were times when I completely broke down. I would go home and wonder if it’s all worth it. But guess what? I was pushing my boundaries. I was learning new things. I was learning to cope with conflicting opinions. I was learning to stay positive. I knew I had to focus on myself alone; my work and my performance was my priority.
Now, when somebody says, “You’re so young!” I tell them that instead of thinking about what I wanna be when I grow up, I’ve decided what I want to be now, and how I want to be known: a dynamic woman who works hard for what she wants and gets it.
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