During my time here at UNCA, I hope to grow in all aspects of my life, experience many new things, learn new ideas, gain new interests, hobbies, and skills, continue cultivating my skills, and make lifelong friends all while remembering who I am, what my values are, and why I am here.
While I was applying for colleges throughout 2020 and 2021, one of the things I was most excited about was all the new experiences, opportunities, ideas, and people that would come with college. An experience that I am most excited about is studying abroad. Studying abroad will give me the opportunity to be immersed in a culture completely different from my own. I will experience so many new things and learn so much that I couldn’t possibly learn staying at UNCA. I am excited to be immersed in a new language because one of my interests is learning a new language. I plan on going to Italy or Spain because they are rich with culture and history and have so many beautiful sights and awesome food. I am also interested in going to Spain because it would be very beneficial for me to learn to speak Spanish. What better way to learn the language than to be immersed in the culture for 5 months. I am also equally drawn to Italy because I would love to explore their beaches, artwork, and historic buildings.
The main point of college is to prepare students for their future career. I want to make sure that I am taking hold of all the opportunities that college offers in relation to the careers that I will have after. While I am not yet sure which career I am called to yet, I believe that I want to be involved in our country’s government and politics. I am also interested in the way that people, communities, and societies think and act and I think being in tune with how people are will help me in any career that I am in. Right now, I plan on majoring in Political Science and minoring in Sociology and both of these disciplines will serve me well in my future endeavors. Another one of my goals is to write an article for our student newspaper while I am here and I think this experience will serve me well and help me with communicating thoughts and ideas to readers. I also seek out leadership opportunities wherever I can which is in line with my career aspirations. I am currently involved in Student Government Association as a Freshman Senator and I hope to continue being involved in our student government during my time here. Many of the skills that I learn during this time will help me if I am to serve in state or federal government positions.
While I want to always be bettering myself and seeking out the good opportunity and experience, I must always remember what is important to me and who I am. One of my values is health and I make a point to workout every weekday and make sure my body is getting nourishment through healthy meals. I also have a very strict sleep schedule so that I go to bed and wake up at the same time everyday so that my body and brain are always well rested. I always make time for this even when it is hard because having good health is a priority and you do not function well when you are sick or tired.
In addition I value excellence and discipline which is why I make it a point to do everything I can to the best of my ability. School and my grades always come first which is why I plan on graduating with a high GPA. Another one of my values is my faith because I believe that God has a plan for my life. I am involved in two Bible study groups and I always make time for them because growing closer to God is one of the most important things to me.
My biggest value is my family because they are the people who have always loved me and will always be there for me. As the oldest in my family, I feel it is my responsibility to keep strong relationships with my younger siblings and I always make a point to reach out to them throughout the week, talk on the phone with them on the weekends, and go home to visit them whenever I can and always remind them of my love for them.
I have already learned so much in my time here at UNCA. I have become more disciplined, focused, caring, and I love what I have already learned in my classes. I look forward to the many more amazing things that I will experience before my time here is up.