Reflection - Kamille Martin

I can't believe my freshman year of college is almost over. A year ago I was a senior awaiting graduation and now I can say I am (almost) one year into completing an undergraduate degree. Reflecting back, it has been a wild journey. I recall the moment I had when learning I was accepted into Northeastern and the flood of "what ifs" that followed with thoughts that raced through my mind. Uncertainty consumed me. I didn't know whether or not to take a risk and commit to the N.U.in program, or continue in my comfort zone and enroll in a college nearby me in California. Then, I remembered a quote during one of the leadership camps I would attend over summer that said, "Life begins at the end of your comfort zone." All it took was for me to read those 9 words and I was set. From then on, I approached the circumstance of having a non-conventional first year of college with my chin held high.

Nevertheless, I would be lying if I said missing a fall semester on campus came without struggles. In fact, there were many moments in Greece where I would see my friends back home on social media enjoying their traditional semester and have major fomo (fear of missing out). At the same time, I would be silly to not take advantage of living in Europe and being able to explore/travel freely for 3 whole months. Therefore, I changed my mindset and began to see the benefits of being abroad. The most important change I noticed in myself after leaving Greece was the tremendous growth I had. Before leaving, I was very reliant on those around me (my friends, family, and all of my accessible resources). However, once abroad, those all became distant and I had to learn on my own how to adapt. Now that I am home, I am more of an independent person. This has helped me while adjusting to campus life once arriving in the spring because you have to do things mostly on your own. I can thank N.U.in for this life skill that I will never take for granted.

Once life began for me in the spring on campus, I felt in control of my experience. I was so excited to finally join clubs/organizations and mesh with other freshman who had been at Northeastern since the fall. This was all taken away once COVID-19 rolled around. Surprisingly though, I am not as upset as I thought I would be because this situation is out of my hands. I know that I should instead be thankful for my health and that I can still learn online. This experience definitely put in perspective for me what it means to appreciate life and things you have. One aspect of campus life that I definitely miss though are the people I have met. Every day is an opportunity to spend time with your peers and I love this social factor of college. Looking back, I wouldn't change anything about this past year as a freshman because it wouldn't have made me the person I am today (cheesy but true)!