What I learned my first week of college

Two weeks ago I embarked on the adventure of a lifetime and moved to Greenville, Illinois to start my college experience. This past week was my first week of classes and let me tell you, I've learned a lot. While I've only been in class for a week, I'll admit I'm no expert, but there are a few things I've learned this week that I feel are interesting bits about college life that some may not expect. 

1. When they say you're an adult now, they're not kidding. 

I guess I assumed that the first week would be filled with people offering to help me in any way possible. I didn't know where anything was, what the dining commons hours were, how to add or drop a class, how the laundry room works, or even when chapel was offered. I had so many questions and hardly any answers. It became quickly clear that part of the college experience is figuring things out on your own, even if that means wandering up and down Prairie Street for 20 minutes looking for a church on Sunday. I now realize that if I have questions, ASK! And do that as soon as possible because college waits for no one and you will be left behind on the metro in St. Louis (yes this really happened to someone on our freshman trip). 

2. I'm not a social butterfly and you don't have to be either

I'd taken all the personality tests in high school and it seemed clear that I was an extrovert and I really believed that I was, that is, until I got here. I've loved all the events that the college has planned for us to get the freshman mingling and more familiar with campus, however; I definitely needed to set aside time for myself and I now realize that's perfectly okay. At first I felt guilty about skipping out on an event to hang out with just my small group of friends or even by myself, but it's so important to be able to recharge yourself in order to be the healthiest version of yourself. The truth is, not all of us are outgoing and the events colleges plan aren't meant for everyone all the time. Going to some school sponsored events is important but it's not the sole reason you're there and it's equally important to take care of yourself and have fun in the best way you know how. 

3. I like homework and that's a good thing 

I'm not going to lie, I didn't actually hate homework in high school and I was excited to get my first piece of homework in college. It may sound crazy but I chose to go onto higher education for the education part not the social aspect or the cultural right of passage. Crazy I know! But it's true, I came here to get a degree in order to prepare myself for the future; and therefore, the schooling aspect is incredibly important to me. While I loved all the orientation events that were planned, having a schedule was a welcomed change and working on homework that I know is preparing me for my career is exciting! College is supposed to be fun but it's also about learning a skill that will last you a lifetime 

4. Don't be afraid to change your life plan 

So I came here planning majoring in digital media with an emphasis on film. I had my entire life planned out and I wasn't letting anyone tell me any differently. Then one night it hit me. I didn't want my whole life to be about creativity. While I love making movies I didn't want the pressure of making something crowd pleasing ruin my passion and excitement for that art. I decided to change my major after just two days of classes and am now studying history and secondary education and I'm well aware that my life plan may very well change again. I came here afraid of change but now realize that change is perhaps  the best part of life. It allows us to open up new doors that we never noticed before. Rather than fighting it or being afraid of it, embracing change is the best option, because once you do the happiness is overwhelming. 

Facebook Fights and Trending Hastags

It seems in today’s media centric world everyone has an opinion and is overly eager to share it (yes I am aware that I am indeed one of those people). As I scroll through the news feeds of my various social networks I notice people taking sides on issues and voicing their opinions with little to no thought of the other side. It seems we’ve ditched empathy and compassion completely for the new more exciting traits like passion and feistiness. 

Now don’t get me wrong, I’m all for having an opinion and taking a stand but what I would like to address is one stance in particular that I have seen over and over again. Lately, I’ve seen statuses that read like this:

“Why are people more concerned with the stupid lion that was killed and not the brave soldiers that were killed in Chattanooga? Our world is becoming an ignorant place!”

Or this….

“Let’s worry a little less about the religious views of other countries and a little more about the homeless in our own country. Come on people!”

Now let me preface this post with saying, if you are a person who has typed one of these statuses, and I know there are a lot of you because I've seen many a Facebook fight and trending hashtags on twitter that seem to be stirring up conflict, I am most definitely not trying to call you out personally as I have seen this time and time again. I would like simply for us all to look at our world in a different lens. 

So let me be really blunt with you, I as a human being am capable of caring about more than one issue at a time. And guess what? You are too! 

Just because I love animals and am extremely angry that Cecil the Lion was killed does not mean that I am automatically against the United States and wish to promote domestic terrorism. Similarly, just because I am concerned with how Iran’s government works with the religion of Islam doesn't mean I have not a care in the world for the plethora of people homeless in America. I’m capable to caring about all these issues and in fact I care about them all deeply. I’m an avid supporter for animal rights and I’m proud to be an American. I’m interested in foreign policy but also care about those less fortunate. 

Now get ready for the ground break epiphany…

Firstly,

We don’t have to pick a side! We as human beings are capable of complex thought and because of that we are able to feel compassion towards two things at the same time. If you want to care about more than one thing, no one is stopping you! In fact, we need more people in the world who are willing to become educated and voice their opinions on the many injustices in the world. I would even venture to say that in order to be a contributing member of society you should have to be passionate about more than one issue.

Secondly,

So maybe you don’t care about Cecil the lion or about the religious views of another country, but who are you to say what is more important? I’m sure the people in Israel care a lot about the religious views of other countries because that could mean life or death for them. Similarly, I’m sure the animal rights activists that have devoted their lives to be a voice for the voiceless care a lot about Cecil. Just because one event doesn’t impact you does not mean it may or may not impact another person. 

So the next time you’re planning on posting on Facebook or Twitter or wherever you might want to voice your opinion, think for a moment and really consider all sides of the issue and how you personally feel. If we can stop ranking issues in an order of importance and start making them all of equal importance maybe we could make some real changes.

Just Jumping?

“You’re just jumping.” It’s what all non-jumpers say about long jump and triple jump. They just don’t get it. It seems there’s a small breed of people who choose to take on the difficult skill and an even smaller breed of people who choose to pursue it and be proficient. When someone decides to become a jumper they know that they’re getting into a sport that few understand or appreciate but they do it anyway for the love of the struggle. If there’s one thing I’ve learned during my high school jumping career it’s that jumping, is just like life.

Life has phases

Jumping is done in what are called phases. There’s the approach phase, the launch phase, the air phase, and the landing phase. Each one is vital to the effectiveness and length of the jump. Each one is important and deserves to be worked diligently on. If one phase is left weak the athlete’s entire performance could suffer. Life, too, comes in phases. A person must learn to walk before they can run, they must read small books before reading memoirs, and they must try new things before they find what suits them. Life, like jumping, must be done in an order and each phase must contain hard work and perseverance or the entire life may suffer. One should never look onto the next phase before completing the one they are in.

Life has few cheerleaders

At track meets it’s typical to have teammates and spectators surrounding the track yelling and cheering the runners on. Relay teams are like the celebrities of the track world, but near the jump pit the world is almost silent. Except for the quiet calls of foul and fair and fellow jumpers whispering to one another, there is no sound. The runway isn’t lined with friends and teammates. There are no cheers of encouragement or victory. At best a teammate might say, “Hey I saw you jumping from across the track but I didn’t want to come over.” I say all this not to complain but rather to illustrate that life is a lot like this. Life has very few cheerleaders and chances are you’re not going to have any. No one is going to be there cheering for you when you’re studying for that chemistry final or when you’re practicing the guitar for hours on end. You have to learn to be your own cheerleader and encourage yourself to do better even when no one else is around. And always remember that just because no one is there cheering for you, doesn’t mean what you’re doing isn’t important. Sometimes the most important events go unnoticed. Which leads me to my final point:

Life isn’t about recognition

From very early on a jumper learns they will never be the star of the show. It’s just not meant to be. Unfortunately everyone else on the team seems to come before the freaks with sand in their shoes. No one else really understands jumping and how much work goes into it so often jumpers are left out of the celebration or don’t reap the same rewards as runners. But in the end we know that makes us stronger. It’s not about the recognition. Sure, it’s great to move onto state and be the one everyone is cheering on, but the reality is life isn’t really like that. Some of the hardest working people on this earth don’t ever get told “great job” or receive a round of applause. They simply do their job and let the others receive the accolades. These people don’t do this because they aren’t proud of their work but rather the opposite. They understand that what they do is valuable but they also understand that humility is valuable as well. In life sometimes the most important people go unnoticed and never receive the recognition they deserve.

So the next time you’re a track meet and you want to see a different breed of athlete, walk over to the jump pit and they’re you’ll find some of the most incredible young people on the planet. Being a jumper has truly changed my life and I believe it’s done so for the better. I’ve become the person I am today because of the endless workouts, hours on drills, and tons of sand in my shoes. I’ve realized it’s a lot more than just jumping.