As of March 20, we have officially bloomed into the season of spring. A conclusion to another school year and summertime is just around the corner. But as our enthusiasm for a long break and appealing weather builds, I believe that it is essential for us to view spring as a time for transformations and renewal.

It has been a whirlwind of a year for every student, and we have all struggled through something; whether it was a huge class project or something outside the world of academics. Regardless of what it was, it is time to let it go and start fresh. It is easier said than done but life changing is essential nonetheless.

As a freshman who came here all the way from Utah, I have personally grown so much during first year of college. I like to look at the challenges, aches and obstacles that I have faced as merely growing pains. Spring is the transitioning period from the bitterness of winter to the glow of summer. It is the perfect time to move on from the shaky grounds of the past.

This is a lesson that I have tried to apply to my life every day. I now make an avid effort to artfully accept my fear of being judged as inadequate, my fear of letting people down, my fear of Chewbacca, tripping over my own shoe laces, bird flu and loud people. Anyways—the result has been mind boggling.
Accepting spring as a fresh clean slate has made my days better than ever. So what I am trying to say is, no matter what you have been through this year, focus on the fact that you have made it this far and are in the homestretch.

To throw a cheesy analogy your way—just as the Earth is tilting its axis more and more toward the sun, we must turn our lives more and more toward positivity and regrowth. Happy spring everyone.