First years tend to lose their identity due to the drastic transition from adolescence to adulthood. As students enter college, an immediate question comes to mind: Who do I want to be when I walk through these doors? The thought goes from being a student to being someone who fits in. We enter a world where it’s no longer about fulfilling a plan but about acceptance. Masks begin to form because students accept that their ideas, backgrounds, and perspectives are not good enough anymore. The identity of a student can become more recognizable and sustainable by acting on core values, remembering roots, and staying open-minded to change.
Students begin to fail when they believe that they need to be someone different in order for people to accept them. However, when coming to college, students are already shaped into an individual whether it is from religion, politics, or other outside forces. My faith is my life driving force. Throughout my last years in high school and the beginning of college, I began to lose what I had once held so dear. I realized that my beliefs were a huge impact in my life and that without it, I lost focus of who I was. I wasn’t happy, and it made me act different because I had forgotten what my values were. In order to remain confident in my identity, values are necessary to hold on to. It is when we realize the importance of identity that we acquire a sense of self-worth once we transition to the life of a college student.
It’s important to remember where we come from. The personality of a person usually stems from a person’s background. Regardless of our backgrounds, whether good or bad, people should realize that they are here for a reason. We are blessed, we have rights, and we are free to be whoever we want to be. Remembering our roots and where we come from reminds us of those cultural values that not many people around the world get to experience. It’s easy to lose ourselves when we are surrounded by people who forget who they really are. They are influential in their search for placement, showing weakness and insecurity because they’re looking to please the wrong crowd. People should be their own audience. If life was a movie that could be rewatched, many people wouldn’t be satisfied with what they saw. That’s exactly what your background reminds you of. It is you evaluating your life and knowing what needs to remain and what needs to be removed to help better yourself as you move forward.
The phrase goes, “One thing that will remain constant is change.” When I first arrived at Centenary, I was placed in an unfamiliar environment. The most I knew walking into the doors was the career path I wanted to take. Everything else was unclear and had to be figured out overtime. I knew that I wouldn’t adjust overnight. With change, comes adaptation. I first had to realize that there is no way to avoid it. Once I came to that realization, I found myself no longer thinking, how can I steer clear of this situation but instead, how can I grow from it. Having this mindset promotes progression. That progression turns into maturity. That maturity will help a person grow into a better individual. Although changes happen all around, students can stand firm in who they are and wont lose sight of their identity.
Completely Me 