Home & Growth

Aug 16, 2023
3 min read

Returning to College, The New School Year, and Reuniting with the People I Love!

The past few days have been such a gift to me as I have returned to my beautiful college campus and reunited with some of my favorite people! It is such a privilege to be here, and I am reminded of how lucky I am to call this beautiful place home. I am grateful to have been given this extra time to reflect on how much I have grown since this time last year. I was initially so nervous to come to college and start over with all new people, and it's crazy to think how much has changed for me in a year. I've experienced the best and worst days of my life here, and I've grown more than I ever would have thought possible. I love that I get to call this beautiful place home! It's fascinating to me how a place I was once so scared to come to is now my favorite place in the world. Walking around campus this morning, I was overwhelmed by a feeling of comfort and belonging.

I spent a considerable amount of time in the chapel today reminiscing on the past year. Growing in my faith has been vital to my growth as a person. This past year, I have found so many wonderful people who have met me exactly where I am on my own faith journey and taken the time to listen to my story. I believe everyone deserves to have these people who make them feel seen, heard, and supported, whether that be in a faith context or not. I will be leading a retreat for freshman through University Ministry in this upcoming week, and I am excited to be part of the team which helps people feel at home here on campus. Community is such an instrumental part of not only being successful in college, but also in finding joy as human beings.

Every year, I am in awe of returning to the beauty of sunny San Diego. Not only are the people absolutely lovely, but the scenery is breath-taking. I have been so fortunate to see a number of magical sunsets and spend some quality time in the ocean this past week, and I am reminded of how good it is to be home. There is something so soothing about spending time with the ocean and basking in the sunshine. I may be growing up, but I will always be excited to go to the beach! I've loved watching the little girls playing "mermaids" and the families building sand castles, there is something so simple and joyous about it. That's one of my main goals for this school year: to spend more time embracing all of the simple joys!

What a gift it is to be back in my favorite place with all of my favorite people! I am looking to a year full of lessons, laughter, and a whole lotta love. I have a feeling that as wonderful as my first year in college was, my second year will be even better! I look forward to documenting all of my adventures here and sharing them with the people I love!