On Move in Day I was an internal mess. I was scared to be living on my own, anxious to meet my roommate, and excited to start classes and meet new people. “What if no one wanted to be my friend? What if the classes were too hard for me?” These were the doubts and fears I had running through my head once my parents left. I can still remember getting a text from someone I met during SOAR asking to meet up and thinking “see you have nothing to worry about.” As I left my residence hall to meet her there was no turning back, it was the start of a whole new life and I was ready.
Flash-forward a few months and I had a new roommate (not everyone can live together in such close quarters and that is okay!) and I had finally found a solid group of friends. We had a blast going to Campus Activity Board events – even the dorky ones. It was around this time when I learned that whatever you are doing could be fun as long as you have the right people with you. Classes were going great too. I remember my first big paper for Comparative Government – it had to be 10 pages and I hadn’t really put in a lot of time into it until the last minute so I barricaded myself into the Student Academic Leadership Center area and worked on it until it was finished. I ended up with an A+ and it was such a confidence builder for me.
At the end of my freshman year I began to look for jobs because who doesn’t love making money – especially when your Hornets Nest points run out so quickly! I saw an ad on Lyndon’s Facebook Page for a social media student worker and I jokingly applied – I thought that I had no chance of getting it. Well the joke was on me, I ended up being picked out of 25 applicants and here we are three years later! I was also hired as a Peer Leader, which led me to meet and develop relationships with so many of my closest friends. I also became a little more outgoing having to lead other students and perform on stage.
Into my sophomore year I was being pushed out of my comfort zone in my Electronic Journalism Arts classes. At the time I hated it, seeing myself on camera, hearing my voice played back, having to interview people, it all just made me so uncomfortable. I was seriously thinking about transferring schools or at least changing my major. I just felt stuck and unhappy in my situation here at Lyndon. A close friend convinced me to move off campus and that helped me decide to stay at Lyndon because I really did love the campus itself, my friends and the faculty and staff. During the last week of my second semester sophomore year I switched my major to Visual Communications. This experience taught me that I am the only one who can create my happiness. I found part of my voice during this time as well, recognizing that my current situation was not good for me and the only way to change it was to speak up and make the changes.
The last two years I have lived off campus with my best friends. Everyday isn’t sunshine and rainbows but living with other people is all about compromise and finding out what works, what matters, and what doesn’t. I have had a blast in my new major, learning new skills, and figuring out potential career paths that I didn’t even think about before I applied to college. My job in the Communications and Marketing Office has taught me practical usage of my education as well as a whole new set of skills in different programs and social media platforms. I was even fortunate enough to travel to Europe for a week with my best friend!
Looking back, starting off my higher education in EJA combined with being a Peer Leader ultimately made me break free of my worries and fears and as a result I am who I am today because of that. Sometimes I can’t believe that I was ever the anxious and shy person I was four years ago. Now I have no fear interviewing people, being interviewed or speaking on a large platform such as a social justice-talking circle. Meeting new people doesn’t faze me at all and I am more comfortable being myself in any kind of situation than I was before Lyndon.
Lyndon State gave me so much, more than I was expecting when I stepped foot on campus for the first time. I gained so many relationships with a wide range of people from peers to faculty and staff. The faculty that I’ve had the privilege of meeting has become not only professors to me but also life mentors. The staff here has given me many opportunities through employment, which has had a huge impact on my life path. By being kind-hearted people the faculty and staff have made Lyndon more of a home than a school for me. I met amazing friends who have taught me about social justice, the art of compromising, and simply how to live a happy life. All of the experiences and memories I have made the last four years (not to mention the 20+ months of miserable winter) all worth it.
Part of preparing to walk across that stage is reflecting on the last four years and appreciating the journey I have been on. I have had the unique experience of interacting with the LSC community through the Lyndon social media accounts and more recently through this blog. I want to thank every reader, commenter, and liker, anyone who has interacted with me during the last three years. Your support and even your critiques have made this experience very educational and helped me grow both personally and professionally. Thank you to all the faculty, staff, and peers that have impacted my life through a smile in the hallway or a friendship.
I want to extend a huge thank you to the authors who collaborated with me on this blog. Whether you wrote one article or ten, you helped make my summer project a reality and a success. And finally to the Communications team that has guided me for the last three years.
As all good things, my time here is at an end. It is bitter sweet as new adventures and opportunities lay ahead as I leave Lyndon behind.
So thank you, Lyndon State for everything.
By Rachel Veitch '16