If I were to choose a single word to describe the beginning of my college experience, it would be “uncertainty.” Entering HCU I felt like this word consumed me; uncertainty about the future, what I wanted to study, my identity, past and current friendships… the list never ended. I changed my major three times, bouncing from one career idea to the next
yet never fully satisfied with my decision after it was made. I transitioned away from past friendships and formed new ones, yet struggled to present the “real” and truest form of myself and felt a deep sense of insecurity about my personality. Yet over the last three years at HCU, I have changed and learned so much about myself in ways I never would have expected. I will be graduating in May with a double major in Criminal Justice and Medical Humanities and am so excited to begin a career in social work and hopefully pursue my Master’s degree.
My greatest take away from HCU are the relationships I have formed. I have met some of the most genuine, beautiful
souls that have become my dearest friends at this school and I don’t think I’ll fully be able to articulate how much of an impact they have had on my life. My professors have also challenged and inspired me throughout my entire college journey and that is such a rare thing at many universities. Looking back, I had so many moments where I doubted my passions and abilities and yet always had professors at HCU who encouraged and believed in my endeavors and pushed me to aspire for greatness and cultivated in me a love for knowledge.
One piece of advice that I would offer to incoming students is to never be afraid of change. It is such an important thing that in our time as students we take every opportunity to challenge our personal ideas, listen intentionally, speak truth boldly, and expand our minds with the world of knowledge we readily have at our fingertips. Attending college is something I never want to take for granted, and I hope that the knowledge I have attained from HCU will continue to shape the way I see the world and everyone in it. College is often described as “the best years of your life” but I truly believe it is only a small window into the vast change we will continue to experience through the rest of our lives and I am so excited to begin living that future after graduation.