Dear Freshman Year Abby,
Hey. It’s you… from the future. I wanted to use my last Senioritis article to write to you and give some spoiler alerts for your next three years. I know exactly how your freshman year went, and damn, I’m just proud of you for making it through all that. Between changing your major, finding new friends, joining a sorority, and being away from home, you have really learned a lot about yourself. I have news for you though: you have a lot more learning to do.
Sophomore year will be fun. You’ll be in the towers on the 18th floor with a beautiful city view. This will be the year of finding who you are professionally. You started three new jobs on campus. Circulations assistant in the library, where you will meet some of the most amazing people ever. Graduate students who provide you a place to rant about classes, cry about boys, talk about the world around you, and learn about different cultures and customs. You’ll work as a student ambassador and meet the friendly faces that run Stevens behind the scenes. By the time you graduate, you have attended every single Admitted Students Day. And you’ll start working in the business school as a Research Assistant. This job opens doors for you that you could’ve never imagined. Along with work, you changed your major and truly found your passion in Quantitative Social Science — one of the best decisions you have ever made.
Junior year is all about the life experiences you have gained. That year you learned to let it hurt, then let it go. You moved into the Phi Sig house (shoutout 835!!!!) and lived with your best friends. You applied to be president and were elected. You led your chapter and learned how to be the head of operations, logistics, risk, recruitment, administration, literally everything, but you had an amazing executive board and chapter right beside you. And hey, you just won President of the Year! You also teamed up with the most amazing people ever and started a band. You would end up opening for Dayglow at Tech Fest — one of the best experiences of your college career. Junior year, you met a few people who would get to know you more than anyone else ever will. You have made real friendships and found who your people truly are. These friends will stay with you forever, I just know it. You will also get into a relationship this year. This experience will give you insight into what it means to have certain feelings for someone. You’ll fall in love, lose your sense of self a little bit, break up, and eventually end up on your own, feeling slightly confused and sad, but more alive than ever. This will be good for you, though. Because like the great Taylor Swift says, “Everything you lose is a step you take.”
Senior year has been all about love. Loving yourself, loving your friends, loving your life! You will do all the things you have always wanted to do. You roadtripped with your best friends, you got into graduate school to pursue a career you are passionate about, and you found yourself again.
I realized that when I was younger, I was constantly looking for something. I was looking to my friends for validation, constantly unsure of my actions and searching for reassurance. I was looking to certain people to find a sense of love and romantic belonging, losing my own identity in the vast waves of another. Time and time again, I was walking away from people and situations that sucked the life out of me and quickly took over my personality. I am finally learning to trust myself. Finally, I am back to me.
