When I started at Berry two years ago, I was an extremely shy 17-year-old leaving home for the first time. Like many freshmen, I was nervous about leaving my family and friends, choosing a future career and balancing academics while adjusting to my new life and making new friends.
Now, I can’t believe it has already been two years, and I can’t imagine myself anywhere else. You will hear this often during your first year, but Berry truly is a special place—the people here, from professors to work supervisors to fellow students, support one another and want the other to succeed. Even though I’m only halfway through college, I am already dreading the day I will have to graduate and leave this community.
During my time here, I have become much more outgoing, something I attribute to the opportunities I’ve been offered here and to the people who have served as my mentors. The professors I have gotten to know have challenged me to reconsider my views on everything from politics to gender relations to media literacy. Students here are encouraged to share their thoughts, and I have learned how to speak up for myself—a skill which I had not had as much of an opportunity to develop before.
My choice to pursue a career as a journalist has also helped me gain confidence. Journalists are known for being outgoing—they never hesitate to make a phone call, ask a difficult question or have impromptu conversations with complete strangers, all things I would have struggled with just two years ago.
College is a time for growth and conquering, and you won’t be alone. Don’t be afraid to talk to your first-year mentor or RA about your homesickness, struggles with academics or other issues you may be facing—they chose to take on those roles because they want to help you be happy at Berry and make the most of your experience. Go see a professor during their office hours if you don’t understand what you are learning. Get to know your academic advisor. They know what you need to do to succeed both at Berry and in your future career, and they, like most people at Berry, are usually readily available to talk about anything you may need.
I would not have grown as much personally without professors who asked me to speak up, a first-year mentor who kept in touch even after BCC 100 ended, an academic advisor who encouraged campus involvement, leading me to The Carrier, roommates and friends who supported me and family I could always call on a bad day.
In order to succeed at Berry, you will likely have to go out of your comfort zone, but the good thing is you won’t have to go through it alone.