It’s Our Time Now

By: Christina Kostic
Posted In: Opinion

Everyone warned me how fast it would all fly by, but I didn’t believe them. Now, one month shy of graduation, I find myself wondering…where did the time go? I remember embarking upon my college experience back in the fall of 2005, and it seemed like 2009 was unreachable, like chasing after the horizon.

I remember who I was four years ago: a quiet introvert who was unsure of herself and her ability to succeed at a university education, especially at the thought of only being able to see her family and friends from home a few times a year.

It was definitely a life-changing experience deciding to leave my home 3,000 miles away to attend school in Rhode Island. I’m not sure my family thought I could handle it…and honestly, I’m not sure I thought that I could, either. But I did it.

The first half of freshman year was especially hard, I remember feeling alone and unsure whether or not Salve was the right place for me. After many tearful conversations on the phone with my mom, she told me I could always come back home-but she urged me to try and at least make it through the first semester.

In her infinite wisdom, she knew that by the time the first few months were over that I would be settled in, adjusted to the rigors of college life and making good friends. It was then that I started to view the whole college experience as an adventure.

The way I saw the situation was that I wouldn’t be this far away from my family forever, just for four years, so why not just do it? Living life across the country, in a place I had never been, with people whom I have never met, I finally figured out that it may just be good for me. And it has been.

Fear keeps people from doing a lot of things. Once I got past the apprehension of being so far from anything or anyone familiar, I discovered a side of myself that I had never known before. I realize that I can handle a lot more than I thought I could, and that I’m more independent than I thought I was.

These past four years have shown me some of the most fun, emotional, difficult, frustrating and amazing times of my life. College has done so much more for me than I ever could have imagined.

Not only have I learned so much about my studies and the world around me, but I have learned a lot about myself. Who I was four years ago is still a part of me, but my experience at Salve has made me an even better version of me.

It’s hard to foresee what the future has in store, but there’s one thing I know, class of 2009: “These are the times that we’ll remember…finally it’s our time now.” Thank you Plain White T’s, I couldn’t have said it better myself.