When I first entered college, no one warned me how draining and overwhelming it could be. The stress, pressure, and countless expectations hit me harder than I imagined. The closer I get to the next level, the more anxious I feel about the future, unsure if I am ready to face it. I’m not like some students who seem to excel effortlessly in everything. I quickly judge myself, compare and thinking, “𝘞𝘩𝘺 𝘤𝘢𝘯’𝘵 𝘐 𝘣𝘦 𝘭𝘪𝘬𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘮?” or feeling discouraged whenever I make a mistake.

There were times when fear held me back—fear of failing, fear of stepping out of my comfort zone, fear of making the wrong choice. I would hesitate to try new things, even though I wanted to, because I was afraid of messing up or looking foolish. Learning is exciting, but at times, my fear made it hard for me to fully embrace it.

Yet, through all of this, I’ve learned something important: 𝙢𝙞𝙨𝙩𝙖𝙠𝙚𝙨 𝙖𝙧𝙚 𝙣𝙤𝙩 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙚𝙣𝙙—𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙮 𝙖𝙧𝙚 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙗𝙚𝙜𝙞𝙣𝙣𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙤𝙛 𝙜𝙧𝙤𝙬𝙩𝙝. Every time I stumble or fail, I rise again and fight back and become a better version of myself. I discover more about myself, my limits, and my strength. Each failure teaches me patience, resilience, and courage. I now remind myself that it’s okay to make mistakes, that I don’t need to be perfect, and that every small setback is shaping me into a stronger, wiser, and more confident version of myself.

I’ve realized that life, like college, is not about never falling—it’s about rising every time we fall. And with every challenge I face, every mistake I make, I grow a little more, I trust myself a little more, and I become a little closer to the person I aspire to be.